Windows create sustainable and healthy buildings

With an ageing population and an ever increasing number of people requiring residential healthcare, achieving comfortable and sustainable buildings has never been more important.  Here, Martin Saunders, Sales Director at Eurocell, takes a look at the different considerations when specifying windows.

“Residential care homes attempt, as far as possible, to emulate the environments of residents own homes, including having their own front door and a high standard of comfort. Windows have a major bearing on this as they determine many aspects of a building’s design, including thermal performance, sustainability and value. They also have a major impact on the levels of natural daylight within buildings and studies have shown that higher levels of natural light have a positive effect on the wellbeing and health of residents.

We were recently involved on a residential healthcare project in Lincolnshire, where one of the first decisions was the choice of material for the window frame. The driving force behind this decision was the fact that all new developments now have to meet Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) or Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) standards. PVC-u windows can help achieve these requirements as they have recently been awarded an ‘A’ rating for sustainability in residential and ‘A+’ for commercial developments in the BRE Green Guide to Specification (June 2008).

This is because material selection for BREEAM and CSH assessment methods is informed by the Green Guide to Specification. In effect, the Guide recommends the selection of environmentally sustainable materials. Increasing numbers of specifiers use it as the definitive information source on the subject, as was the case on the project in Lincolnshire. Already, we have received a number of enquiries from the healthcare sector in recognition of PVC-u’s environmental credentials and unbeatable value.

The principal reason for BRE awarding the top rating is because of the work that has gone into recycling of PVC-u across the industry. Last year alone, Eurocell recycled around 3,000 tonnes and we remain committed to re-using as much of our waste product in the manufacturing process. Coupled with this is the fact that PVC-u achieves a Reference Service Life (RSL) rating of at least 35 years, as recognised by the BRE, which confirms that cellular PVC products provide a cost effective, sustainable and durable solution to many areas of the construction industry.

Closely linked to the sustainability of the windows is thermal performance. Here the Building Fenestration Rating Council’s (BFRC) A-G energy rating system - the UK’s national system for rating Energy Efficient Windows - has helped highlight the most efficient systems on the market. Over the last few years, we have developed BFRC ‘A’ rated window systems and many of our fabricators are now offering these to their customers. Although many healthcare developments choose energy rated windows, it is predominantly ‘B’ or ‘C’ rated that are specified because of the additional glazing cost of achieving an ‘A’ rating. This prompted us to develop a range of PVC-u Thermal Inserts which improve the thermal performance of the window frame. This means our systems can achieve an ‘A’ rating without the need for more expensive low iron glass, providing all developments with a much better value for money ‘A’ rated window. Ultimately, as BREEAM and CSH requirements become more stringent with the move towards zero-carbon developments, it is initiatives like this that will help building specifiers achieve ‘A’ ratings most cost effectively.

Where a development is multi-storey, specifiers often choose reversible windows to meet the requirements of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. The aim of CDM is the integration of health and safety into a building project by placing certain duties on local authorities, designers and contractors. For example, on multi-storey developments, a building designer can reduce the safety risks and costs of ongoing maintenance and cleaning by specifying reversible windows. This is because the 180 degree rotating action of the sash allows the window to be cleaned from inside the building and therefore avoid the need for costly external access equipment on the upper floors.

Ironmongery, too, needs careful consideration. The windows on the Lincolnshire healthcare development had to be easy to open and close, as the designer was looking for a window that elderly or infirm residents could operate easily and comfortably. After studying the brief, we recommended the used of a top hung system as the handles are on the lower section of the opening sash. This has the advantage that they are therefore always within one metre of the floor - meeting the client’s brief and making them easier to open for residents. On other projects, tilt and turn hardware, in addition to providing safe ventilation, gives a single mechanism for opening, tilting and securely locking the window, which again offers residents much better ergonomic operation.