Clearview National September 2017 - Issue 190 | Page 90

TIMBER
Style, standards & performance
Windows and entrance doorsets are intrinsic to the overall look of any building.
Whatever material is chosen, it is important not only that the style is in keeping
with the building but that it also takes into consideration performance requirements
(such as thermal efficiency and weather performance characteristics).
REGULATORY STANDARDS
Windows and entrance doorsets are
covered by a harmonised standard and are
thus eligible (and wherever appropriate,
which is in the vast majority of cases) under
the requirements of the Construction
Products Regulations, should be CE
Marked.
Building Regulations cover all aspects of
a building’s design to ensure compliance
with the Building Act 1984. These
Regulations are divided into Parts A to P,
with corresponding Approved Documents
providing guidance on how to meet the
requirements of that Part. Compliance with
the Approved Documents is not strictly
mandatory, although if you divert away
from the requirements, you have to prove
how you meet the requirements of the
Regulations.
The Approved Documents that are
relevant to windows & entrance doorsets
include B (Fire safety), F (Ventilation), L
(Conservation of fuel & power), M (Access
for the disabled) and N (Glazing - safety in
relation to impact, opening and cleaning).
The main British Standard for timber
windows is BS 644, “Timber windows –
Factory assembled windows of various types
- Specification” and for doorsets is PAS 23,
“General performance requirements for
door assemblies”. Both these Standards refer
to a number of other Standards and Codes
of Practice.
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90 » SE P 2017 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
SERVICE LIFE EXPECTATIONS
Timber windows have benefitted from a
massive increase in consumer confidence in
recent years. The huge improvements in design,
manufacture and performance means that timber
is now widely recognised as a fashionable, versatile
and environmentally friendly choice for the home
owner. Recent evidence from the Wood Window
Alliance indicates that timber windows also have
the potential to add value to property and can
offer service life upwards of 60 years.
‘fashionable, versatile and
evironmnetally friendly’
www.bwf.org.uk
CTI URGES
GOVERNMENT TO USE
TIMBER TO IMPROVE
UK HOUSING SUPPLY
» » FOLLOWING THE
launch of the White Paper
‘Fixing our Broken Housing
Market’ earlier this year, the
Confederation of Timber
Industries (CTI) responded
by highlighting the vital
role timber has in delivering
sustainable and quality homes
at the levels required to meet
the housing shortfall in the
UK.
The paper sets out the
government’s strategy to
ending the housing crisis
and includes measures such
as encouraging smaller
housebuilders and improving
the availability of viable land
for housing developments.
The CTI response welcomed
the White Paper and
proposed tangible “timber
solutions” to the challenges of
current UK housing market.
‘delivering
sustainable and
quality homes’
As well as co-writing the
CTI document, BWF also
fed into the Construction
Products Association (CPA)
response to the White
Paper.