Green specification
The potentially devastating threat of climate change is making the specification of green building products more and more urgent. However, the plethora of guidelines and legislation on the subject - from Passivhaus to Code for Sustainable Homes - has made the selection of products a highly complex process. Our Green specification pages aim to guide specifiers and individual homeowners through the maze of different legislation and guidance and contains Suggested products recommendations.
At Green Building Store we believe that the most cost-effective
approach to cutting carbon emissions from buildings is to first pay attention to the thermal efficiency of the building fabric, before looking at such
options as micro-renewables or other forms of 'carbon offsetting'. This
approach, sometimes called eco-minimalism, focuses on ways of saving
and retaining energy in buildings, rather than looking for energy-generating approaches which, while appearing 'green', can often
be expensive and ineffectual. This approach leads us to be passionate
proponents of Passivhaus design,
which concentrates on super insulation, airtightness and use of passive
solar gain to cut a building's space heating needs by 90% compared to a
standard UK building. The threat of climate change is now so grave that we believe the UK must urgently adopt the Passivhaus approach to design and construction.
For more information on, and support with, green specification and construction, Green Building Store recommends membership of the AECB (sustainable building association), which gives the opportunity to connect with other building professionals committed to increasing the sustainability of their buildings.