LOW CARBON VOC WHAT?
So far, this year we’ve talked at length about a number of building processes and products that are genuinely sustainable, and that are also still realistically cost-effective for the average home owner to make full use of. Some of these are basic fundamental things like home orientation on the block, right up to what kind of glass is best to use in your windows and doors.
We know the most cost effective way of keeping your new home equalised in temperature throughout the seasons is by building it concrete-slab-on-ground. Boral have recently developed an innovative low-carbon concrete called ENVISIA®, which first, meets the targets of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) and assists the whole construction industry in achieving higher Green Star ratings on their projects as issued by the Green Building Council of Australia.
It’s also more durable (approved by Qld Main Roads for all their projects), and its higher flexural strength means greater benefits to bridges, roads and car parks.
For the average home owner, that translates immediately into less shrinkage cracking on house slabs and driveways, caused by our regions’ prevalent soil conditions and high evaporation rate. For a start, this will open new opportunities for pushing the previous barriers to creative expression in home design. Exciting days ahead!
The other worthwhile advance is in the reduction of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) — that’s the heady chemical smell that comes from glues, resins, plastics etc — like your new car smell. It’s toxic, and we don’t want it seeping throughout our homes for our kids to breathe in day and night.
There are a number of house building product manufacturers going all out to reduce these, and one of the most critical is in the problematic waterproofing area.
Wet-seal, a national company, has developed its own unique low VOC
Enviro-coat water-based waterproofing system that is set to change the industry.
Getting the waterproofing right is one of the most critical house-building issues
— it’s where most complaints have come from — so it’s good to have companies developing products that not only work supremely well, but are good for the environment, and great for our health.