Improved standards and guidance for constructors calculating embodied carbon are helping to deliver truly sustainable construction projects, however practitioners in the industry and any new legislation must also fully consider the circular economy alongside embodied carbon to avoid any unintended consequences. It is not logical to equate a material that is landfilled following demolition with […]
The UK government recently published its response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s report on the sustainability of the built environment. In its response, the government appears willing to explore whole-life carbon assessments and ratcheting targets to reduce emissions. They say: “Our choice of materials, and the way we design and construct buildings will also need […]
The Construction Products Association (CPA) have reported that, on net balance, 12% of ‘heavy side’ firms saw sales fall in Q3, the first quarterly fall since the pandemic-related restrictions were introduced in 2020 Q2. The Construction Industry has seen a two year sustained growth in the sector with demand the likely constraining factor in the […]
Aluminium has been used in commercial fenestration for over eighty years, the metal then became popular in the 1960’s for home improvement, replacing ageing timber windows. The advent of the PVC window revolution, the ‘white gold’ in the 1980’s virtually wiped out aluminium as a home improvement material within a decade. Initially more expensive than […]
The environmentalists tell us we have to stop building our glass skyscrapers as they are simply unsustainable and that we should be using much higher thermal performance wall construction with punched openings for windows. They go on to say that as we embrace our low-carbon future, this will be the death knell for our glazed […]