Book Description

This report reviews how window units and frames have been assessed within The Green Guide to Specification, including the application of the Environmental Profiles methodology, which underlies data. The way in which windows are addressed within building-level environmental assessment schemes such as BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes is also explained.
The report will give manufacturers and specifiers a general understanding of the significant benefits and impacts of window units and frames over their whole life cycle and help to identify opportunities for improvements to their environmental performance.
It is part of a series that provides comparable information on cladding, floor finishes, insulation, masonry and concrete, metals and timber to assess the environmental impact of specific construction materials.

Contents:
Glossary
1 Introduction-Windows and The Green Guide
2 Sector overview-Timber windows-Metal windows-PVC-U windows-Mixed and composite windows-Historical and geographical changes
3 Life cycle assessment, Environmental Profiles and The Green Guide
4 Applying the updated Environmental Profiles methodology to windows
-Data sources
-Functional units
-Service life and durability
-Treatment of recycled and secondary inputs
-Timber: treatment of carbon
-Treatment of coatings and finishes
-Treatment of recycling at end of life
-Treatment of site wastage rates
-Transport in the supply chain
-Relevance of operational impacts: links to BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes
5 Key impacts and opportunities for the windows sector
6 Where more data are required
7 Conclusions
8 References

A4, 20pp, 7 photos