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Oak Ecodoor by Vicaima
You can hardly open a newspaper or turn on the TV these days without global warming featuring in some news item or other. Environmental concerns remain high on Government and public agendas alike, with the Government recently launching a green towns design competition and Gordon Brown announcing that he plans to introduce a green hotline to advise people on what they can do to reduce their impact on the environment. In turn, consumers are demonstrating a growing appetite for greener products and services on every level.
The Code for Sustainable Homes, prepared by the Government in consultation with the BRE and CIRIA, was launched in December 2006 as a national standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes. Since April 2007 developers of any new home in England have been able to choose to be assessed and rated against this Code. It can therefore also be used by architects, builders and developers as a means by which to differentiate themselves in sustainability terms before a market keen to adopt green initiatives.
The Code measures the sustainability of new homes against nine categories, allocating credits against these categories, which are then converted into a one to six star rating to denote the overall sustainability performance of a building. Number three in the Code’s list of categories is ‘Materials’ where credits can be awarded as follows:
Environmental impact of materials 15
Responsible sourcing (basic building elements) 6
Responsible sourcing (finishing elements) 3
Doors fall into the Finishing Elements category of materials and, where 80% of assessed finishing elements in a building have been responsibly sourced, credits of between one and three points may be gained. To be recognised as being responsibly sourced, these elements need to demonstrate auditable third party certification.
When specifying doors architects, builders and developers wishing to improve the eco-ratings of their developments should therefore look out for certification from organisations such as the FSC, which should be accompanied by Chain of Custody certification. This guarantees the path taken by raw materials from the forest to the customer including all stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution. Of course, to achieve third party certification, all elements of a door’s construction have to be made from materials from sustainable sources – ie, the core and frame as well as veneers or other finishes.
Choosing doors made from timber from sustainable sources can therefore help developers achieve better eco-ratings for their developments. However, whilst such doors might comply with the Code of Sustainable Homes’ requirements to help achieve a maximum rating, there is often a need for further performance factors such as fire resistance and security, which could pose a potential conflict with this requirement.
Some door manufacturers have managed to combine sustainability with other performance factors to great effect, with doors made from material from sustainable sources now also available as door kits, fire doors and secure entrance doors. There is also no need for these doors to sacrifice design to environmental integrity. Vicaima’s Ecodor, for example, is being selected by housebuilders on current ecodevelopments for this very reason, as it is available in a range of finishes and designs, including inlays and glazing panels.
There are also some door manufacturers who are taking their environmental responsibilities even more seriously by adopting other green initiatives to help consumers reduce their carbon footprints even further. Production processes can be changed to reduce the amount of new timber required to manufacture a door and waste products can be recycled to produce electricity, which can be used to power manufacturing processes, with surplus electricity being fed back into the national grid.
The Code for Sustainable Homes is encouraging demand for sustainable homes and empowering consumers to compare homes on the basis of their sustainability. The Code will help these consumers make informed decisions as to which house to buy, help them to reduce their carbon footprints and reduce the future running costs of their homes. With those specifying building materials for these consumers fully aware of this situation, we are already witnessing a rapid growth in the demand for doors from sustainable sources.
