FEATURES
HOME TRUTHS ABOUT VOCS
VOCs are found throughout our homes and workplaces. They can
exist in furniture, paint, cleaning products, adhesives and more.
According to Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method (BREEAM), “VOCs are substances that have
a high vapour pressure at room temperature. This means they are
released into the air from materials without having to heat them”.
In the UK, there are currently no guidelines on the levels of VOCs
that we can safely be exposed to. But, as we become wiser to the
dangers of VOCs, manufacturers for products such as paint are
creating low VOC versions. And assessment schemes like
BREEAM and the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products
(ASBP) can offer further guidance on safer products to use.
Ventilation systems are fundamental in helping regulate
humidity, air quality and to expel harmful VOC emissions from
the home. This prevents damp and mould, which can cause
respiratory illnesses.
Building new homes provides an opportunity to implement better
ventilation systems that also align with the UK’s goal to achieve
net zero carbon by 2050.
The World Green Building Council (WGBC) launched its ‘Air
Quality in the Built Environment’ campaign in 2019 and advised
that one of the main ways to reduce indoor air pollution is to
address the materials we use.
THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE AIR
Timber stairs are often chosen for their high-performance
characteristics, extensive and varied range of finishes and the sheer
natural beauty of timber as a material.
their thousands in the 70s, 80s and 90s, today we’re seeing new
questions arising. A growing recognition among environmentally-
aware millennials that wood really is good,” says the Wood
Window Alliance (WWA).
TIMBER FLOORING AND STAIRS
WGBC encourages the use of ‘sustainable, non-toxic and
air-purifying building materials.’ Wood fulfils this criteria and wood
products in the home have been shown to improve indoor air
quality by moderating humidity. As with all timber joinery products, timber flooring brings a wide
range of health benefits. For allergy sufferers, hardwood flooring is
often cited as the best solution as doesn’t hold on to dust mites,
mould or mildew.
GIVING HOMES WARMTH Timber stairs are often chosen for their high-performance
characteristics, extensive and varied range of finishes and the
sheer natural beauty of timber as a material. The British Working
Federation (BWF) Stair Scheme has produced design and
installation guides to assist architects and contractors in making
the most of timber stairs.
Beyond the practical matters, feeling comfortable in the home can
be determined by the interior. Wood has a positive effect on
human health because of how it lowers the sympathetic nervous
system (SNS) activation. SNS is what causes stress responses,
increases blood pressure, raises heart rate and inhibits functions
like digesting, recovery and repair. When surrounded by nature
and wood, these symptoms reduce.
So, if you are responsible for designing or specifying interiors,
consider where you can include wood for a healthy and
sustainable result.
TIMBER DOORS
Internal and external timber doors provide excellent acoustic and
thermal properties. As with all interior joinery products, they
contribute to indoor air quality through effective humidity regulation.
For dwellings that need fire doors, such as blocks of flats and
other types of shared accommodation, or homes with a loft
conversion or where there’s an internal door between a garage
and the home, timber fire doors are the perfect solution. Third-
party certificated doors and doorsets provide proven performance
against fire and smoke, protecting lives and property.
TIMBER WINDOWS
Timber framed windows, combined with double or triple glazing,
save energy, carbon dioxide emissions and money.
“While PVC-u windows – originally hailed as ‘the future’ for
durability and ease and a new, cheaper option – were installed in
www.timberiq.co.za
THE INSIDE-OUT APPROACH TO A
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
In addition to the practical and health benefits wood products can
provide, they also contribute to a circular economy. The UK is a
‘shift’ country according to the Circulatory Gap Report. This
means its material consumption is 10 times higher than that of a
‘build’ country, a developing country. Consequently, the UK along
with other shift countries around the world needs to build more
sustainably. Despite United Nations climate crisis talks, not
enough action is being taken, particularly by those who are
causing the most harm.
This calls for circular design. Circular design promotes recycling,
reducing and reusing materials. Wood, as a biological material,
can be turned into a product, recycled and turned into another
product and at the end of its lifecycle can return to the
environment.
Choosing wood for kitchens, flooring, stairs, doors and windows
is a step towards creating homes that contribute to net zero goals.
Wood sequesters carbon and is renewable and several
procurement schemes exist to ensure wood is sourced
sustainably, such as PEFC and FSC.
Source: Wood for Good
// APRIL / MAY 2020
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