Sustainable solutions for the Construction industry
The social and environmental advantages of our products are demonstrated in all forms of construction, from multi-storey buildings to light steel framed affordable housing.
Why steel is good for construction
Efficient use of natural resources
Steel buildings have been shown to be highly adaptable. Steel’s strength provides large open floor areas, giving flexibility of use throughout the building. Steel buildings are energy efficient, can be easily extended, unbolted and reconnected, modified, repaired, reused and recycled.
Corus has joined the UK Green Building Council (UK GBC), whose mission is to dramatically improve the sustainability of the built environment.
Steel’s inherent strength and high strength-to-weight ratio are exploited in resource efficient structures and buildings. The flexibility of steel construction systems make them ideal for renovating and refurbishing existing buildings. Modern steel roofing and cladding systems can be used to bring old buildings up to today’s high standards of performance by re-cladding or over-cladding the existing building.
Steel itself is 100% recyclable and can be recycled again and again, without degradation of its properties or performance. The current recycling and reuse rate for steel construction products in the UK is 94%.
90% of the CO2 emitted from a building comes from the use phase. Steel cladding systems produce thermally efficient building envelopes. Twin-skin (built-up) and composite steel systems are durable, and they achieve high levels of thermal insulation and air-tightness. By providing products and technical guidance to designers and decision makers such as architects, we contribute to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases throughout the supply chain.
CarbonNeutral building envelope
Confidex Sustain® offers a cradle-to-cradle carbon neutral building envelope. This means that for every 1kg of CO2 emitted by the pre-finished steel, cladding, fixings and insulation, Corus will offset 1kg in climate-friendly projects overseas through The CarbonNeutral Company. These have a social as well as environmental benefit and will see Corus investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
Sainsbury’s and ProLogis are setting new benchmarks in sustainable design for their 57,500m2 distribution centre in Pineham, Northampton. The building envelope for the distribution depot features 57,000m2 of pre-finished steel sheet to the roof, and 14,000m2 of pre-finished steel sheet to the walls. This equates to approximately 2,000 tonnes of unavoidable CO2 emissions.
To date, 14 Confidex Sustain® projects have been completed totalling 254,810m2 of pre-finished steel sheet, which equates to 5,819 tonnes of CO2 offset.
Low-energy housing
All new homes in the UK will have to be carbon-neutral by 2016. Corus Colorcoat Urban™ is a new roofing product designed for sustainable urban buildings. Colorcoat Urban™ has been incorporated into the BASF Creative Energy House, a sustainable housing project focusing on energy efficiency and affordability at The University of Nottingham. The use of Colorcoat Urban™ gives the house an ultra-low carbon roof and the occupants can safely utilise the collected rain water. The Colorcoat Urban™ roof facilitates effortless and aesthetic integration of photovoltaic, solar thermal, passive solar heat collection and green roofs.
Steel construction generates very little waste. Any steel waste generated during off-site manufacture, or on-site, is recycled.
Steel construction is dry, dust-free, relatively quiet and requires relatively few deliveries to site. Steel construction products are manufactured off-site under factory-controlled conditions that ensure high quality. Factory working is safer, faster and more efficient than site working, which reduces site construction times. As a result, steel construction minimises the impact on communities neighbouring construction sites.
Working with Aspire Defence, Corus Living Solutions is constructing 155 junior ranks single-living accommodation units for Defence Estates at army camps in Salisbury and Aldershot in the UK. The technical and environmental performance of the modular housing has helped Aspire Defence to achieve a BREEAM rating of excellent. The modules are designed to minimise process waste.
We are leading ManuBuild, a EUR45m (£33m) European research project to develop advanced industrial construction techniques that allow occupants to re-configure and adapt their living space through the life-cycle of the building. More information is available at www.manubuild.net
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Energy & Power
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