Window frame material has significant impacts on the thermal performance of the window. Moreover, with sustainable design becoming a necessity, window frame materials needs to have higher metric of environmental performance to be considered sustainable. As a result a holistic performance metric is needed to assess a window frame material. Three similar frames were considered manufactured from aluminum, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and wood. First their thermal performance was evaluated and compared using a heat transfer model. Then, carbon footprint for the three materials were considered for 1m2 of window area with a similar thermal performance. It was found that the thermal as well as the environmental performance of the wooden window frame was superior to those of aluminum and PVC. On the other hand aluminum frames had high environmental impacts and comparatively lower thermal performance. This study provides a holistic viewpoint on window frames by considering both, environmental and thermal performance.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1024478548
Besides its inherent resistance against degrading organisms the durability of timber is influenced by design details and climatic conditions, making it difficult to treat wood durability as an absolute value. Durability classification is therefore based on comparing performance indicators between the timber in question and a reference timber. These relative values are grouped and related to durability classes, which can refer to a high range of service-lives. The insufficient comparability of such durability records has turned out to be a key challenge for service-life prediction. This study reviewed literature data, based on service-life measures, not masked by a durability classification. It focused on natural durability of timber tested in the field above-ground. Additionally, results from ongoing above-ground durability studies in Europe and Australia are presented and were used for further analysis. In total 163 durability recordings from 31 different test sites worldwide based on ten different test methods have been considered for calculation of resistance factors. The datasets were heterogeneous in quality and quantity; the resulting resistance factors suffered from high variation. In conclusion, an open platform for scientific exchange is needed to increase the amount of available service-life related data
COBISS.SI-ID: 2112649
Within the framework of the project "Determination of the carbon footprint of primary wood products", the carbon footprint of sawn softwood from Slovenian forests was calculated. Carbon footprint was calculated according to the methodology PAS 2050 (2011), following the steps that are required in the standard. The aim of calculating the carbon footprint was to compare and objectively demonstrate the environmental friendliness of sawn timber from Slovenian forests. The environmental impact was analysed using the "cradle-to-gate" variant. Sources of qualitative data were publicly available data, information from the industry, and research work presented in graduation theses, while the emission factors associated with the used materials and the energy requirements were obtained from the database Ecoinvent 2.0 (2010). Modelling was performed using the Simapro software. The determined carbon footprint of 1 m3 of sawn softwood with 70% humidity is 39.8 kg CO2e, while the carbon footprint of 1 m3 of sawn softwood, which is available in the database Ecoinvent 2.0 (2010), is 48.6 kg CO2e. The significantly lower footprint is mainly the result of specific logging and harvesting practices in Slovene forests.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3638694
The Decree on Green Public Procurement (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 102/11) promotes the development of environment protection and the transformation of the existing building practices into “Green Building”, through public procurement of environmentally suitable goods, services, and building. However, to achieve an even faster and thorough implementation of the sustainable development goals, a timely enhancement of the Decree by more stringent environmental requirements will be necessary. These environmental requirements should take into the account the environmental suitability of the materials, products, and manufacturing processes in the full life cycle of goods, services, and building. For an impartial evaluation of the environmental impact, it is sensible to utilise only as objective as possible criteria and tools, as are the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis or Carbon Footprint (CF) calculation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1024437844
Due to global warming issues and climate change, sustainability became an important factor in building design. Since buildings consist of a multitude of products, they have an important and wide-ranging impact on the environment. Therefore, several environmental assessment methods and accreditation systems for buildings have been developed. In this paper building rating system Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), as the global market leader in the green building rating systems, is presented. LEED is a commendable and grand effort in moving towards sustainable development by encouraging development of new green built environment and converting existing built environment green. However, it does have certain pitfalls and challenges, which are discussed with respect to material selection, especially wood and wood products.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1996937