Using PVC windows
Green Point Design, a Victorian architectural firm which aims to integrate best practice in energy efficiency and materials used in sustainable building design in its building projects has frequently specified vinyl windows, according to the Vinyl Council of Australia.
Eric Zehrung, principal architect of the firm, describes the challenges of a house that was a contender for the 2003 Victorian architecture awards. “The design brief called for optimal energy efficiency, but the block posed some harsh challenges that made appropriate siting somewhat difficult,” he says. “For example, it was exposed to harsh winter winds, and had limited access to northern sun. Not all of the decisions were easily made.”
In aiming for a sustainable building, the architects considered issues such as embodied energy, durability and energy efficiency of materials. Vinyl windows consistently rate five stars under the Windows Energy Rating Scheme.
“For windows we decided on UPVC which don’t require trees to be cut down and have excellent thermal performance. Of course timber and aluminium are the other options for windows and sometimes we don’t have a choice. For example we designed a house along the Great Ocean Road where we discovered that the local cockatoos had a certain taste for cedar - if you used it, they ate it!”
Green Point’s design approach is a good example of selection on merit, a principle supported by the Council where products or materials are selected on the basis of their merits in terms of performance, environmental impact and cost for the particular project at hand. As Sophi Macmillan, Vinyl Council chief operating office says: “PVC’s technical properties and life cycle attributes, such as thermal efficiency and durability, lend themselves to a variety of products that may positively contribute to sustainability in construction.”
Source: Building Products News.
30-Sep-2003