SUSTAINABILITY - EMBODIED ENERGY | |||||||
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IJM Timber Engineering has been a key proponent in the use of sustainable building methods and has been a key contributor in the development of the sustainable use of timber. Sustainability can be broken down into two phases, the building phase and the building use phase. While each of these have slightly different considerations they are both intrinsically linked. Wood is one of the oldest construction materials known to man, yet It’s importance in the construction industry is still growing. Timber as a construction material can be considered as part of the solution to many of the perceived environmental problems caused by man. Timber is harvested from a renewable resource which harnesses the suns energy during growth and uses very little energy in its conversion to final form.
All buildings require a minimum level of insulation as specified in the Building Regulations. This is achieved through insulating the fabric of the building with materials that have a low thermal conductivity value. The lower this value the better the insulation will perform. It is vitally important that gaps are not left in insulation as this has an extremely detrimental affect on the performance of the walls/floor/roof. In fact a BRE report concluded that Timber Frame houses were the only form of construction tested that when tested met the original design assumptions. With the advent of the Building Energy Rating this has become more important as Thermal imaging cameras will be used to assess buildings in the future.
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