Environ

entally sound

construction is possible

EVERY, TIME you build a house,
you use 41 trees. Twenty-three go
to the construction of Moors and
walls, 13 to the roof, and five to the
interior.

_A few years ago, this would
have been just an interesting statis-
tic. Today. these numbers serve as a
catalyst for change among environ-
mentally concerned homebuilders.

According to Eric Fines, presi-
dent of the Canadian Portland
Cement Association, today’s home-
builders are looking for construc-

‘tion alternatives that will ease pres-
“sure on’ Canada’s timber resources
.‘ but’still allow for a fair profit.
*. “Homebuilding practices in
Canada using wood products for
walls, floors ‘and roofs have contin-
ued for decades for the simple rea-
son that our lumber supply seemed
” inexhaustible,” he explains. ©
“< “But the winds of change are
upon us and two things have
‘become clear. First, Canada is cut-
ting trees faster than it is reforest-
ing; and second, sustainable devel-
- Opment and environmental account-

_ability are increasingly important to. .

.. gaining acceptance. within the mar-
ketplace of the 90s and beyond.”
«For some homebuilders, coming
to grips with the reality of finite
“timber resources.has meant. re-
“thinking: traditional construction
methods,
» | Recent political disputes « over
timber harvesting. combined with

thé’ wood preduct.industry’s history -_

66 Coming to grips
with the reality of
finite timber
resources has-
meant re-thinking
traditional
construction

methods.

of economic volatility have acceler-
ated the process.

“There's an interplay between
economic and environmental forces
that is causing a shift in thinking
about how we build homes,” said
Fines.

‘As a result, the search is on for
an economical building material
that will allow the industry to build
affordable, energy efficient. homes,
turn a-fair profit, and preserve pre-
cious lumber resources.

“Honiebuilders-also want a mate-
rial that puts little burden of the
environment. One that is versatile,
easy to build with, .and allows. for
the beauty.and creativity of design
that today’s home buyers demand.

Does such a material exist? The

‘answer, both figuratively and liter-

ally, is concrete — the most widely
used building material on,earth.

The
“Heritage
Continues

‘Experts. since “1975, we offer.

B.C.’sLARGEST SELECTION:

of

Wood ae ‘Metal . Entrance - Doers:
‘Interior. & Exterior French’ Doors
‘Closet. & Mirror Doors:
- Wood’ & Vinyl Windows

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Call or visit’ one of our.

SHOWROOMS _

VANCOUVER (NORTH VAN RICHMOND . NANAIMO

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. 2G6-1104 i

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985-9734

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Once considered a cold, grey
material used for building founda-
tions and basements, concrete is
fast emerging as the natural alterna-
live to conventional stick-built resi-
dential construction.

More and more home builders
today are discovering that concrete
is a whole-house building material:
it is used for walls, siding, floors,
roofing, even countertops.

Conerete also holds consumer
value and buyer appeal. For one,
it's environmentally friendly.
Manufactured from common and
abundant natural raw materials,
conerete puts Httle stress on the
environment. [t's also an extremely
versatile material that can take on
virtually any color, texture or
shape.

Concrete is inert and non-toxic.
ft won't burn, rust or rot, and actu-
ally gets stronger with age.

It weathers naturally, requires no
sealer, and never needs painting.
Concrete homes are also energy
efficient since they store and slow
down the passage of heat from the
interior to the exterior, and vice
versa. ; ——
These and. the many other
advantages to using concrete make
it a possible choice to replace wood
in home construction.

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