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Environmental Commitment.
At Podhouse we understand that building in general is one of the worst contributors to energy and process related Co2 emissions. That's why we think it's important that we do our bit when it comes to creating our spaces. We are continually looking at better and more environmentally friendly ways to build right down to the materials we use in the construction process.
Foundations.
For the vast majority of our garden pods we use steel ground screws for the foundations. This means we can avoid using concrete, one of the worst polluting building materials there is. As well as being environmentally friendly, ground screws do not require any digging which also cuts out on the use of fossil fuelled plant and machinery. Ground screws are fully reusable and create zero waste to landfill.
Structure.
We use Structural Insulated Panels, or SIP's as they are commonly called. These innovative sandwich panels are manufactured offsite in a controlled environment. Due to the modular nature of this product and the optimisation of our pod sizes we are able to significantly minimise the amount of waste we produce on site. In addition to this, the OSB and insulation used in the manufacture of SIPS are both sustainable and recyclable.
SIP's are super thermally efficient, this is because there is significantly less scope for cold bridging, which is basically the transfer of cold from outside to inside through the materials used in the construction. For example, traditional wall construction requires vertical timber studs at regular intervals to provide structural stability, whereas in SIP wall construction there is significantly less timber studs to conduct cold air as the structural stability lies within the panel itself. The end result is that there is less need to rely on additional heating sources.
Doors.
Our doors are made from aluminium, one of the most environmentally friendly metals available. It's extremely recyclable. In fact, 75% of the 100 billion tonnes of aluminum produced in the last 100 years is still in use today! All of the glass we use is double glazed with a Low Emissivity coating to provide increased thermal performance and making your garden pod much more energy efficient.
Timber cladding.
We mainly use European Larch for our garden pods, this particular species is highly plentiful and represents a good percentage of the forests in Europe, it's also being replanted quicker than it's being harvested making it a better choice that some other species. We ensure our suppliers only source timber from sustainable forests with full FSC chain-of-custody certification.
Slate cladding.
Slate has a very basic manufacturing process meaning that it doesn't take masses of energy to quarry the material. On top of this, slate is 100% natural and extremely durable boasting a service life of up to 100 years. This characterful material is reusable and can be recycled with ease at the end of its life.
Rubber roof.
Industry known as one of the most environmentally friendly roofing systems, EPDM is a non-toxic, non-polluting and 100% recyclable material. Due to high sustainability credentials and re-usability aspects, Greenpeace place EPDM membranes at the top of their rankings of low impact membranes.With a service life in excess of 50 years the material is extremely durable and able to be repaired with ease.
Aluminium cladding.
Similar to our doors, aluminium cladding is 100% recyclable. As well as being one of the most plentiful resources available on earth, aluminium is strong, lightweight and versatile providing a wide variety of future applications.
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