Sustainable construction – Saving the environment and your wallet
Destruction of the natural environment, climate change, air pollution, and emissions are what has been challenging the construction industry for some time. Added to this is a new challenge, the sharp hikes in energy prices.
Saving the planet – The last call for a change
In the EU, 40% of final energy is used by buildings, of which space heating is the key cost; the energy demand for heating of dwellings is satisfied with natural gas, oil and coal at approximately 39%, 11% and 3%, respectively. Reducing the space heating consumption is the only way to reduce the carbon footprint and proactively combat global warming to stop sea level rise, among its effects.
The time to approach sustainable construction as a passing fad or curiosity ends now. Today, reducing the environmental impact of buildings is a must. This does not stop at the construction process or occupancy/use. Sustainable construction starts as early as the design stage or the selection of a supplier of building materials that cares about the environment, Michiel van Duren, Managing Director at Aluprof Nederland BV stresses firmly.
Interaktywne Centrum Bajki i Animacji OKO (The Eye Interactive Fable and Animated Feature Centre) at Studio Filmów Rysunkowych (Animated Feature Studio), Bielsko-Biała. Poland. Systems used: MB-104 PASSIVE, MB-45 OFFICE, MB-78EI, MB-EXPO, MB-Harmony Office, MB-SR50N,MB-SR50N EI
Sustainable construction – Saving the environment and your wallet
Destruction of the natural environment, climate change, air pollution, and emissions are what has been challenging the construction industry for some time. Added to this is a new challenge, the sharp hikes in energy prices.
Saving the planet – The last call for a change
In the EU, 40% of final energy is used by buildings, of which space heating is the key cost; the energy demand for heating of dwellings is satisfied with natural gas, oil and coal at approximately 39%, 11% and 3%, respectively. Reducing the space heating consumption is the only way to reduce the carbon footprint and proactively combat global warming to stop sea level rise, among its effects.
The time to approach sustainable construction as a passing fad or curiosity ends now. Today, reducing the environmental impact of buildings is a must. This does not stop at the construction process or occupancy/use. Sustainable construction starts as early as the design stage or the selection of a supplier of building materials that cares about the environment, Michiel van Duren, Managing Director at Aluprof Nederland BV stresses firmly.
Sustainable construction – Economic aspects
While environmental considerations have been and continue to be the main driver for the popularisation of green building, it should not be forgotten as a considerable economic driver in the face of rising energy prices. Reducing the demand for space heating and cooling energy has a dramatic impact on building operating and occupancy costs, the aspect that is increasingly decisive to project owners and prospective buyers or tenants.
What actions could improve the environment and cut spending?
It is essential for every new building project to be aligned with sustainability. Not only will this prevent problems from multiplying in the future, but also makes a compelling decision for the project itself. Tenants will not be willing to look at indoor spaces with poor energy efficiency that are expensive to operate and stained with bad PR as being ‘harmful to the environment and local ecosystems’.
Solutions like the thermally insulated doors and windows in the MB-86N and MB-79N aluminium profile systems and the MB-104 Passive for passive buildings facilitate building for better energy efficiency, Ralph van der Kooij, Sales Manager at Aluprof Nederland BV explains. We provided our latest MB-79N system with thermally insulating inserts and a two-component central gasket. For those who demand even better performance, we have the MB-79N SI+, which features extra thermal insulating inserts inside the profiles. The result is a Uw down to 0.64 W/(m2K) and a Uf down to 0.83 W/(m2K).
Private Villa, Hungary, Balatonlelle. Systems used: MB-79N, MB-SR50N EFEKT
For legacy buildings, the solution is to refurbish or restore to improve the energy efficiency. Such efforts have already begun. The Polish government schemes like Clean Air (Czyste Powietrze), Stop Smog, and Warm Homes (Ciepłe Mieszkanie) that are operated in 2024 enable energy efficiency improvements in many buildings, although there is still much to be done.
An energy efficiency improvement does not necessarily demand a reconstruction from ground up. Solutions like solar shading with automatic weather control can reduce the indoor heat in summer and prevent indoor heat losses in winter. Although these few degrees less or more inside may seem negligible, they translate into tangible financial savings by reducing the energy consumption.
At Aluprof, we have three product categories that reduce the energy consumption levels in buildings. Each of these, the Skyflow exterior blinds, exterior roller shutters, and SkyRoll screens, can be provided with weather-dependent automatic controls that manage the shading level according to the outdoor conditions, says Ralph van der Kooij.
Systems used: exterior blind
Another interesting solution is a PV skylight, the expert continues. It is a photovoltaic cell-enabled glass unit set in Aluprof MB-SR50N EI profiles; it uses quantum dot technology to remain fully transparent. This technology is unique in the world and makes it possible to produce energy-generating glass roof partitions that stay transparent, admit daylight, and conform to all applicable load capacity, tightness, and fire insulation standards.
Systems used: MB-SR50N EI skylight
Let’s Build a Better Future
Sustainable construction is about thinking not only about the ecology of the construction process itself, but also about how a structure will be operated or occupied in the future and the costs involved in renovating and decommissioning it. In our daily work at Aluprof, we take a holistic view of these green building challenges. We rely on aluminium because it is durable and will stay in the same state for many years. However, if the need for alteration arises, aluminium windows, doors and curtain walls can be recovered and remanufactured. It is also important to remember that aluminium can be recycled infinitely and is extremely energy-efficient. If we add to this the high thermal insulation performance of aluminium systems achieved with the passive technologies we are developing, the quantum-dot photovoltaic power capability, and sun shades with automatic weather controls, we have a technology that is good for the environment and for the budget, Michiel van Duren, Managing Director at Aluprof Nederland BV.