|
||
Environmental
Post-frame buildings are efficient both in terms of construction and long-term energy use. There is a low environmental impact compared to any other building type, not only because of the "green" attributes of the materials used, but because those materials are used conservatively. Less materials are needed to create the same strength characteristics as other buildings types, so less carbon dioxide and other wastes are produced. Wood is arguably the most "green" building material available today. Growing trees removes carbon dioxide – the primary "greenhouse" gas that scientists agree causes global climate change. Production of most other building materials emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Wood is the only renewable building product on the market AND it is the best insulator against heat and cold, making it the most energy-efficient material. Wood is 400 times more efficient an insulator than steel. Harvesting wood does not cause deforestation. Responsible forest management over the past 100 years has left the United States and Canada with more wood growing now than a century ago. Net growth of forests in the United States substantially exceeds harvest. In the 1990s, growth exceeded harvest by a healthy 31%. According to a United Nations report:
The US has experienced net growth in the area covered by forests since the 1920s. Today, 33 % of the US is forested, constituting two-thirds of the forest at the time of European settlement. Substantial natural and artificial reforestation now exceeds forest temporarily lost from harvesting. Populations of many forest wildlife species have substantially increased, as have recreational and other public uses of forest land.
Many post-frame buildings use pressure-preservative treated wood. Approved preservative treatments do not leach appreciably from the wood in use. Thus, wood treatment chemical movement in soil is limited. Buildings that do not use treated wood often have insecticides applied directly to the soil in much larger concentrations than what may leach from treated wood. Energy requirements for the manufacture of plastic or vinyl decking are at least 10 times greater than for treated wood. Similarly, environmental emissions and water use are greater for many other building materials, such as plastic, vinyl, steel and concrete products, compared to treated wood.
Compared to using wood as the primary structural building material, concrete requires 1.7 times and steel requires 2.4 times more energy than wood for the same type building. A steel-framed building generated 1.45 times more greenhouse gas emissions, and concrete 1.81 times more, compared to wood framing. The wood design had the lowest water pollution index, with the steel design generating 120 times and the concrete design generating 1.9 times more water pollution than the wood option. This is not to say that these other products do not have environmentally beneficial attributes as well, nor that they may not be used also on post-frame buildings. A wide variety of materials may be used for post-frame construction. In terms of Life Cycle Assessment for the materials used, as well as economy of materials and efficiency of erection, post-frame buildings are "green" buildings. The long-term energy efficiency and recyclability of post-frame buildings make them arguably the most "green" buildings anyone may erect. For more details, click here to order the "Post-Frame Advantage" handbook - FREE! |
|
||||||||||
|
Copyright © 2010 NFBA |