Assist me! The top five characteristics that architects and designers prioritize in the context of sustainable flooring.

[ABISHEK]

I am an MSc Management student. I require assistance with sustainable flooring. Would you be able to specify the factors that you would prioritise when selecting sustainable flooring, such as carbon emissions, EPDs, and recyclability? Additionally, how would you prioritise the following factors when selecting a flooring material: aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, cost, and durability?

[nod]

Cost 

[saveasteading]

Nobody wants floor covering really. But they need it for comfort or warmth or cleanliness. So all 3 of these are top of the list: functionality.

After that the rest also depend on circumstances. Except that sustainability probably comes last for most people. 

[ABISHEK]

Tam an MSc Management student. I require assistance with sustainable flooring. Would you be able to specify the factors that you would prioritize when selecting a sustainable flooring, such as carbon emissions, EPDs, and recyclability? Additionally, how would you prioritize the following factors when selecting a flooring material: aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, cost, and durability?

[SteamyTea]

Welcome Tam

 

Sustainability, the migrating metaphor, it can mean whatever you want it to mean.

 

Personally, my take on the use of timber (in all forms) needs to be from new development, on old industrial wasteland (we have a lot of that here.

Cutting down old stock and replanting is carbon dioxide equivalent release positive (generally released more CO2) and causes other environmental problems.

Production needs to be in countries that have the lowest CO2 emissions (lots of renewable energy) and must be done at the largest scale that is practical. Midern mass production is generally the lowest environmentally damaging, old infrastructure and work practices are generally the worse.

There are some crops, like bamboo, that can be in effect  coppiced, and make a hard wearing product, so I would tend towards them.

Retail price has very little to do with quality, more to do with marking and PR (I could employ a recent graduate at £25k or £70k per year to do the same job, the product would be the same).

One problem with end of life usage is that timber burns, and that is how most will be disposed off, hopefully in a waste to energy plant (have a large one if those in Cornwall). Trouble is, regardless of how recently, or distantly, the tree was grown, and how long it took to grow, burning it release CO2, and that is a bad thing for a CO2 saturated atmosphere. But there is no system, that I know off, that will take used flooring and reprocessed it into a useful product that will sequester the embodied energy and carbon for a century.

Transport cost do not bother me in the slightest, they are such a small fraction of the whole they are not worth considering. Transport is getting much 'cleaner' by the year.

I recently had the latest round robin email from Craig Jones about ICE, I really need to look at the database again and see what has changed, it is usually surprising what has low processing emissions, and what does not.

 

So to answer your question, I can't really.

My preference would be floorboards, or chipboard, and carpet. 

I do like a bit of parquet though.

 

One area I have never looked into is the processing of timber composites (I worked with plastic composited). I suspect they use very little 'chemicals' in reality and most, if properly controlled, do not pose a large scale environmental problem.

[SteamyTea]

I have just replied to this on another post.

Take it you are the same person.

[jack]

23 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

I have just replied to this on another post.

Take it you are the same person.

 

Posts now merged.

[ToughButterCup]

3 hours ago, ABISHEK said:

... Additionally, how would you prioritize the following factors when selecting a flooring material: aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, cost, and durability?

 

Whatever my wife says.

 

That was not a flippant answer. I'm deadly serious. 

[JohnMo]

1 hour ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Whatever my wife says.

 

That was not a flippant answer. I'm deadly serious. 

Exactly same for me, I built the house, she chose how it was furnished and finished. It's all good quality so should there for the next 20+ years, so really depends on what you define as sustainable. 

[G and J]

8 hours ago, ABISHEK said:

I am an MSc Management student. I require…

You require.  
 

I take it you missed the first year lecture series Manners: An Introduction. 
 

And I take it you repeated your demand because you didn’t get the response you hoped for instantly.  
 

May I suggest that if you asked in a more appropriate and courteous manner more of the many helpful peeps on this site might be happy to respond.  

[saveasteading]

I looked up require. 

I wouldn't use the word in this context,  but it means need, which perhaps is the case.

 

Please could you provide your opinion?, will work better though.

[saveasteading]

@ABISHEK please respond. Knowledgeable people have put time into this.

What do  you  think of the responses? Otherwise you won't  get any more.

[ToughButterCup]

8 hours ago, G and J said:

You require.  ....

 

Reading between the lines: an ESL speaker under pressure perhaps? 

[G and J]

25 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Reading between the lines: an ESL speaker under pressure perhaps? 

Good point, and very possibly a factor.  

 

I also think it’s easy to forget on the net that it’s actually people at the other end of our messages, and like a smile in a shop, a little courtesy makes everyone feel better.  

[G and J]

Just now, G and J said:

Good point, and very possibly a factor.  

 

I also think it’s easy to forget on the net that it’s actually people at the other end of our messages, and like a smile in a shop, a little courtesy makes everyone feel better.  

In the meantime I REQUIRE it to stop flippin raining.   Sigh. 

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, G and J said:

In the meantime I REQUIRE it to stop flippin raining.   Sigh. 

 

Well stop frowning then.😒

[ABISHEK]

7 hours ago, saveasteading said:

@ABISHEK please respond. Knowledgeable people have put time into this.

What do  you  think of the responses? Otherwise you won't  get any more.

sorry for my inappropriate manners and late reply. I am in a tight schedule.Could you please help me further with the question? And thank you guys for your valuable answers.

[ABISHEK]

Apologies for my inappropriate manners. It would be immensely helpful for me if you could give your valuable opinion. Thank you

16 hours ago, G and J said:

You require.  
 

I take it you missed the first year lecture series Manners: An Introduction. 
 

And I take it you repeated your demand because you didn’t get the response you hoped for instantly.  
 

May I suggest that if you asked in a more appropriate and courteous manner more of the many helpful peeps on this site might be happy to respond.  

 

[ABISHEK]

20 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

Welcome Tam

 

Sustainability, the migrating metaphor, it can mean whatever you want it to mean.

 

Personally, my take on the use of timber (in all forms) needs to be from new development, on old industrial wasteland (we have a lot of that here.

Cutting down old stock and replanting is carbon dioxide equivalent release positive (generally released more CO2) and causes other environmental problems.

Production needs to be in countries that have the lowest CO2 emissions (lots of renewable energy) and must be done at the largest scale that is practical. Midern mass production is generally the lowest environmentally damaging, old infrastructure and work practices are generally the worse.

There are some crops, like bamboo, that can be in effect  coppiced, and make a hard wearing product, so I would tend towards them.

Retail price has very little to do with quality, more to do with marking and PR (I could employ a recent graduate at £25k or £70k per year to do the same job, the product would be the same).

One problem with end of life usage is that timber burns, and that is how most will be disposed off, hopefully in a waste to energy plant (have a large one if those in Cornwall). Trouble is, regardless of how recently, or distantly, the tree was grown, and how long it took to grow, burning it release CO2, and that is a bad thing for a CO2 saturated atmosphere. But there is no system, that I know off, that will take used flooring and reprocessed it into a useful product that will sequester the embodied energy and carbon for a century.

Transport cost do not bother me in the slightest, they are such a small fraction of the whole they are not worth considering. Transport is getting much 'cleaner' by the year.

I recently had the latest round robin email from Craig Jones about ICE, I really need to look at the database again and see what has changed, it is usually surprising what has low processing emissions, and what does not.

 

So to answer your question, I can't really.

My preference would be floorboards, or chipboard, and carpet. 

I do like a bit of parquet though.

 

One area I have never looked into is the processing of timber composites (I worked with plastic composited). I suspect they use very little 'chemicals' in reality and most, if properly controlled, do not pose a large scale environmental problem.

Thank you so much! Very helpful indeed.

[saveasteading]

I should warn you that many academics only want to hear you agreeing with them.

For example , they believe Breeam to be a sensible guide to sustainability.

You might want to establish what your examiner expects / wants you to say. Or give two conflicting points of view.

[SteamyTea]

22 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

should warn you that many academics only want to hear you agreeing with them

I fell out with my PhD supervisor for that reason.

[G and J]

3 hours ago, saveasteading said:

I should warn you that many academics only want to hear you agreeing with them.

For example , they believe Breeam to be a sensible guide to sustainability.

You might want to establish what your examiner expects / wants you to say. Or give two conflicting points of view.

Ah!  So that’s why I haven’t got a PhD!  Now it all makes sense.

[SteamyTea]

45 minutes ago, G and J said:

Ah!  So that’s why I haven’t got a PhD!  Now it all makes sense.

You have to do some real studying as well.

[Jilly]

On 02/07/2024 at 14:21, ABISHEK said:

I am an MSc Management student. I require assistance with sustainable flooring. Would you be able to specify the factors that you would prioritise when selecting sustainable flooring, such as carbon emissions, EPDs, and recyclability? Additionally, how would you prioritise the following factors when selecting a flooring material: aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, cost, and durability?

Cost (within reason) is surprisingly low on the list as the labour to fit the floor is similar.

 

[G and J]

2 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

You have to do some real studying as well.

Spoilsport.