The demand for and interest in green, sustainable building continues to grow worldwide.
There are many parameters to be taken into account to define a project “green” – from the sourcing of materials to the energy used to produce finished products. A conscientious effort to make a building or remodeling project sustainable is laudable and in the best interest of all concerned.
When it comes to fire protection systems, the two most popular pipe and fitting materials used around the globe are chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) and steel. One might assume that the metal material – made of raw components from the earth – would be the more sustainable material of the two.
That assumption is wrong on 12 of 13 measurements.
BlazeMaster CPVC vs. Steel – Sustainably Speaking
Lubrizol Advanced Materials, which manufactures and markets the CPVC compound that is used by our partners to create BlazeMaster® CPVC pipe and fittings, conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to better understand the environmental impact of the product. An LCA measures the environmental impact of the manufacturing, use and end-of-life phases, including all the material and energy inputs and outputs, through the life cycle of a product.
It goes beyond the focus on carbon and global warming, including environmental impact categories that cover resource depletion, acidification and human toxicity. It measures 13 environmental impacts.
The LCA determined that BlazeMaster pipe and fittings have approximately half the climate impact of steel, with lower impacts in categories such as water depletion and energy consumption. Only in the category of ozone depletion did the steel score register a lower impact due to the chlorofluorocarbons used in the production of PVC feedstock.
Green Building Construction Offers New Opportunities
Turning to the subject of green building construction, BlazeMaster CPVC can also play an important role. Consider, for example, new green building materials.
Cross laminated timber (CLT) is a new green building product that has gained popularity in North America and, to a lesser extent to date, in the United Kingdom. It is recognized as a green material as it manufactured from renewable wood sources. CLT is used in core construction, walls, floors and roofing. It replaces traditional steel, concrete or other engineered wood material.
This is a relatively light building material that provides great strength and design flexibility, thus allowing the creation of longer spans with fewer supports. It allows builders to offer designs that feature open ceilings and fewer rooms in the same architectural footprint that was once considered “compartmentalized.”
The open building concept allows a fire to spread more quickly than traditional designs. Removing walls may be desirable in terms of style, but it also removes barriers that would typically slow a fire’s progress. CPVC sprinkler systems are an affordable solution that should be considered for all CLT home construction.
The material also has applications in tall wood frame buildings, allowing buildings to expand in summer and contract in winter to provide earthquake and wind resistance. CLT has a higher density than some engineered woods, giving it better strength and fire resistance. When CLT does ignite, however, its BTU* output is much greater than that of traditional building materials. A fire protection system should be a part of any tall CLT wood frame building design.
Should you have any questions about BlazeMaster CPVC and green building construction, please contact us. We would enjoy the opportunity to discuss how we may help.
* British Thermal Units – the standard for measuring the amount of heat emitted by a source.