All timber used in the construction of our buildings is sourced from FSC certified suppliers.
Our windows and doors are made from aluminium – the planet’s most abundant metal and 100% recyclable.
We use a superb sustainable alternative to plasterboard made from 100% recycled materials, with many added functional benefits like improved sound insulation, fire-proofing, durability and ease of fixing shelves or cupboards (you can hang up to 50kg weight from a single screw fixing).
We only use organic, odourless, solvent-free paints to decorate our Studios - completely free of toxic chemicals. See www.ecosorganicpaints.co.uk for more details.
We constantly research the latest energy saving specifications for our Studios - for example, all lighting installed in our buildings currently utilise 3W warm white LED lamps, which afford a 91.43% reduction in energy consumption by comparison with equivalent mains voltage halogen lamps.
Wherever possible, we will source local materials and if appropriate materials are not available locally, we will endeavour to find alternatives from within the UK.
We have set ourselves the challenging target of halving the amount of waste we send to landfill EVERY year. We will invest in processes to continually optimise the materials sent to site to reduce use of materials at source and remove any subsequent waste in a manner which minimises use of landfill and maximises opportunities for recycling and re-use.
Research carried out by WRAP has stated that off-site construction generates up to 80 per cent less waste than site-based building methods. Intelligent modular design allows us to engineer waste-generating operations out of the manufacturing process and we are constantly striving to minimise waste on-site – watch this space for news updates!
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Timber is possibly the only truly renewable building resource - forest replanting schemes typically replace 2 trees for every one removed, young trees produce oxygen and remove more CO˛ than older ones.
We use the latest Structurally Insulated Panel System (SIPS) to form our Studios. SIPS are extremely resource efficient - they are manufactured using between 35 – 40% less timber than traditional framing methods. The outer faces of SIP panels are made using OSB3 (oriented strand board) - OSB is made using forest thinning and young fast growing trees which are grown in plantations managed by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). At Green Studios we recognise the importance of our environment and are committed to sourcing all timber products from PEFC, SFI and FSC certified suppliers. During the manufacturing process we constantly monitor the environmental impact that our products have; we are continually optimising the use of materials and finding new ways to improve the product and reduce waste to an absolute minimum.
SIPS are extremely thermally efficient, with U values as low as 0.10W/m˛k achievable (the measure of heat loss through a material – the lower the value, the less heat will escape). SIPS out-perform other building methods in virtually every environmental category because the insulation is a component of the system, rather than an addition.
With regards the glazing, we use double glazed units with a low-e coating and Argon filled, with a typical U-value of 1.3W/m2k. (For reference, single glazing has a typical U-value of 5.0, double glazing 3.0 and double glazed with low-e coating 1.7). We can offer the highest performing glazed units as an upgrade, comprising Triple glazed units with multiple low-e coatings and Xenon filled, which return a typical U-value of 0.4! Just ask for a quotation).
The excellent thermal performance of our Studios reduces energy consumption which ultimately results in a reduction of CO˛ emissions by up to 60% from the burning of fossil fuels over the building’s lifetime.
The unbeatable insulating qualities of SIPS allow a much smaller heating system, combined with a mechanical ventilation system to be installed. This will permanently reduce heating bills by up to 60% over the lifetime of the building when compared with traditional methods of construction.
The insulation is continuous - there is minimal thermal bridging compared to other building methods; the insulation will not slump over time, preventing any potential for thermo siphoning or wind washing; the construction is extremely draught free and is cool in summer and warm in winter.
Thermal performance is maintained throughout the panel’s lifetime - the closed cell nature of the foam does not permit the ingress of moisture to degrade the insulation performance unlike mineral wool and cellulose fibre. SIPS allow for very little air leakage - air tight construction as low as 0.08 air changes per hour at normal air pressures.
The panels are produced in a factory controlled environment where exacting quality and quantity controls manage the waste to a minimum and only the required materials are delivered to site. As all the components that form the Studio are firstly assembled in our factory and then delivered to site, there are fewer vehicle movements compared to more traditional methods therefore reducing the impact on the environment.