With all parts of the economy under increasing pressure to become more sustainable in their operations in the international push towards net zero carbon, the use of light gauge steel framing (LGSF) can provide many answers.
With the built environment being responsible for a significant proportion of global greenhouse emissions, the construction industry needs to adopt practices which minimise carbon emissions and promote sustainability. Deciding whether to adopt such processes may not be entirely voluntary either, as central government and local authorities are already putting policies in place to encourage a greener approach – a trend which seems likely to continue in the future.
Net zero carbon forms part of the government's procurement policy, with the Cabinet Office's Action Note PPN06/21 stipulating how government departments need to take account of suppliers' Net Zero Carbon Reduction Plans when procuring for major government contracts.
Together with other environmental initiatives, such as the London Plan 2021 requiring medium- and large-scale construction projects in London to have an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and carbon footprint statements as part of the planning application, these policies place increased pressure on architects to design buildings which can be constructed using sustainable materials and methods.
Sustainable construction
- The green credentials of Light Gauge Steel Framing (LGSF) are recognised throughout the industry and include:
- Reduction in a structure's embodied carbon by using less steel
- Less embodied carbon than traditional construction methods
- Zero waste in manufacturing and on-site
- Reduced weight reduces concrete in foundations or podium structures
- Fewer, and lighter deliveries to site
- High recyclability/reuse
Leading the way towards a more sustainable future in the steel framing arena is voestalpine Metsec plc. As part of the multi-national steel and technology group, voestalpine AG, the company is committed to the group's target of achieving net zero carbon emissions throughout its Metal Forming Division by 2035, placing sustainability at the core of the company's operations and providing designers with absolute confidence that Metsec systems, and their efficient installation, are as environmentally responsible as possible.
"The construction industry will come under increasing pressure to meet environmental targets," says Chris Holleron, Sales Director for voestalpine Metsec's Framing Division. "Which encompass the entire design, construction and ultimate demolition of a building, including reuse of the materials from which it has been constructed.
"The sustainability credentials of steel framing systems and relatively low environmental impact achieved through the efficiency of their installation by modern methods of construction (MMC) are well documented, with Metsec systems delivering at all levels. We believe that our net zero carbon initiative sets new standards in the industry by committing us to verifiable targets which will have real benefits for the environment and provide designers with total assurance of the sustainability credentials of our construction systems."
Achieving this industry-leading target requires a focused effort within voestalpine Metsec together with the co-operation of suppliers and others in the value chain. The company has created its own 'Roadmap to Net Zero', which establishes targets and strategies for achieving net zero carbon across all its operations in the UK. The multi-faceted approach includes investigating areas where energy can be saved and processes optimised, as well as exploring ways to source green electricity and even generate its own renewable energy.
Green electricity
To date, this initiative has seen voestalpine Metsec move its electricity requirements to 100% renewable sources, resulting in a 67% reduction in its carbon footprint, from 1500 tonnes of CO2 to 500 tonnes of CO2 per year. Further measures include the installation of solar panels on the roofs of the company's manufacturing facilities. Arrays totalling more than 4600 photovoltaic panels and covering some 9300sq m of roof space will generate up to 1.4MWh of electricity per annum.
In total, the solar panels are expected to provide 40% of voestalpine Metsec's total electricity requirements. They will not only reduce the company's reliance on electricity from the National Grid but will also return unused electricity to the Grid at times when the facilities are not in operation, such as evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
More energy-saving
Further measures aimed at reducing the company's impact on the environment and achieving net zero carbon include a host of energy-saving schemes throughout its operations. These include, replacing company cars with hybrid and electric vehicles, the introduction of fully electric fleet vehicles, installing charging points across the company site, reducing gas consumption and investment in sophisticated, state-of-the-art energy management systems.
Green steel
At the core of the voestalpine business, an investment of around €1.5billion is being made into constructing electric arc furnaces at each of the group's two steel production sites in Austria. As part of its 'greentec steel' plan, construction will start in 2024, and commissioning of the two units will take place in 2027. This will allow the voestalpine group to reduce its CO2 emissions by up to 30% from 2027.
EPD
Supporting these industry-leading initiatives, and underlining voestalpine Metsec's commitment to providing designers and specifiers with unequivocal information on which they can base their design and specification decisions with confidence, is the company's publication of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its purlins and framing systems.
The EPD encapsulates the quantifiable environmental impacts of a product's lifecycle, from manufacture and transport to end of life, in a single, comprehensive report. It includes a lifecycle assessment and environmental impact data comprising core environmental impact indicators, use of natural resources and end of life information.
Commercial benefits of net zero carbon
"As construction industry regulations increasingly incorporate requirements for sustainability," adds Chris. "Building design together with the materials and processes used in construction will need to meet ever more rigorous standards. Along with other parties invested in the project, materials manufacturers will need to state and prove the environmental credentials of their products and systems.
"As the UK's largest designer and manufacturer of constructional steel systems, we have always been at the forefront when it comes to setting, adopting, maintaining and verifying the most rigorous standards across all of our operations. Our net zero carbon initiative, together with EPDs and other environmentally responsible measures puts sustainability at the very heart of our operations, assuring designers and specifiers can be confident in the green credentials of voestalpine Metsec products and systems."
For more information visit: www.metsec.com
Images; 01-04. The road to net zero carbon is one that every business is travelling including voestalpine Metsec which has a range of green initiatives including the installation of solar panels on the roof of the company's manufacturing facilities
