We support Sustainable Construction & The Circular Economy
At Metal Frame Construction we are committed to providing sustainable modular buildings, not just during construction but throughout their lifespan. This is why we have embraced the circular economy and consistently exceed Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) regulations.
Our frames are built using 75% recycled steel, and 100% of our waste steel is recycled. Furthermore, we limit the amount of waste each build produces by forming our steel on-site, using only as much as necessary.
Our use of high-quality insulation, air-tight construction and availability of green energy options ensure your build stays sustainable throughout its lifespan. Allowing you to keep your carbon emissions and energy costs low.
The Role of Steel In The Circular Economy
Steel is an essential part of fostering the circular economy within the construction industry. As opposed to concrete steel is easily recyclable and loses no material properties in the recycling process, meaning it is still suitable for construction. Recycled concrete is not suitable for constructing buildings.
The goal of the circular economy is to maximise the usage of materials. This means recyclability and reusability is a vital aspect. Both areas are something steel excels in. Light Gauge Steel can easily be repurposed in ways concrete or timber can’t. Increasing it’s lifespan as a material.
Because steel is a more durable material that can’t twist or rot like timber, or chip like concrete, it lasts for a very long time. While a timber frames home could rot i the wrong conditions and need to be replaced, a steel frame wont. Maximising the life span of our builds, and lowering the carbon emissions needed to sustain them.
Building A Green Home
There is more to sustainable construction than just using materials friendly to the circular economy. Sustainability is achieved through every aspect of construction and beyond. We achieve sustainability from the very earliest stages, designing buildings with sustainability in mind by understanding the benefits of the modular building process and the properties of our materials.
Energy Efficiency & Insulation
When insulating a Light Gauge Steel Frame building the insulation envelops the skeleton of the build rather than sits inside it. This prevents any cold bridges by creating a completely air-tight structure that doesn’t exist in traditional builds. We also use high-quality rigid board insulation and mineral wool. This results in much greater thermal efficiency and low U-values. In turn, this lowers the energy consumption of our builds, by making them significantly easier to heat and increasing the threshold at which they remain comfortable, less energy is required for heating them.
Renewable Energy & Green Appliances
Every one of our builds can be equipped with renewable energy options. By attaching PV panels to your home or business you can offset the use of energy within the home, converting solar energy into power. Renewable energy is an important step in combatting climate change and the installation of renewable energy options helps to keep your emissions and energy costs lower. Another aspect of this is using energy-efficient and sustainable appliances. One of our options to achieve this is the inclusion of a heat pump. By extracting and amplifying heat from the surroundings heat pumps can function 4-5 times more efficiently than boilers that generate heat.
Sustainable Installation
It is not just our home which is green, but our installation process too. By manufacturing in our factory controlled environment we are able to minimise the waste created on each build and more easily and responsibly dispose of the waste that is created. We are also able to minimise the use of energy intensive heavy machinery and vehicles, by using Light Gauge Steel which reduces the weight that needs to be carried and requires no heavy machinery to assemble.
The only transport emissions created are when we travel to your site for installation. For traditional builds this journey is repeated throughout the building process. Traditional builds also cause a great deal of ecological displacement, noise pollution and air pollution, which we are able to avoid. Because we drop our frames into place our working site is much smaller and the lack of heavy machinery means much lower noise levels and less dust lowering air quality.
Waste Management
While we do everything we can to limit the amount of waste we produce, a certain amount is unavoidable. We have put in place strict protocols for waste disposal to ensure that we are as sustainable as possible.
All of our scrap steel, cardboard, timber cut-offs and other delivery and manufacturing materials are responsibly disposed of and recycled. This ensures we limit our impact on the environment to the bare minimum.
Build Your Vision
At Metal Frame Construction we have extensive experience with residential, commercial and public builds. So if you have a project in mind don’t hesitate to fill out our enquiry form and we’ll be in touch.