Biophilic design incorporates the innate affinity of humans for nature by including elements of the natural world in building design. Interaction with nature can relieve stress, increase health and encourage a positive mindset. How can you design buildings which are that good for people? It is important to connect living spaces of the home with nature, to bring in natural light and incorporate outside views. Designing well ventilate ..

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Is it really to the advantage of the Victorian economy to cancel the sustainable 80 year rotation of regrowth forest to harvest timber? Do we as window manufacturers have to go off-shore for all our timber? Paarhammer’s main timber is Victoria Ash coming out of the ASH sawmill in Heyfield, Gippsland. It is this very sawmill that has been in the news lately as being forced to close due to insufficient timber supply for future deman ..

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Wood continues to grow as the most loved material among Australians. In a recent survey WoodSolutions found that most Australians are likely to choose wood over other materials for various uses. Wood remains the most loved material and is unmatched on attributes relating to aesthetics and sustainability. Wood is seen as far more natural, warm, timeless, uplifting and versatile than other materials. Almost half of consumers l ..

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A small footprint, passive design, and sustainable products were the focal point when designing this home in inner city Melbourne. With dimensions of just 5 x 4 meters the Haynes Lane Project is an impressive example of what is possible when good design meets client focus and principles. Paarhammer Windows and doors are part of this project. We invite you to watch the show about this interesting building, airing on Foxtel on the 5 No ..

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For numerous reasons wood is making a come-back as building material of choice. Led by the famous award winning ‘Forte’ – the tallest apartment building made of cross laminated timber in the Southern Hemisphere, more and more architects are using timber in a major way. Michael Green and his firm in Canada developed North Americas tallest timber building with a height of 27.5metre, the new home of the Wood Innovation and Design Centre. In  ..

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Good Wood comes from ethical and ecologically sustainable sources. When you choose Good Wood, you support a solution to deforestation and related climate change, you protect unique biodiversity and you help local forest communities find alternatives to poverty and loss of livelihood. FSC - Forest Stewardship Council - promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. ..

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Life cycle analysis (LCA) is a method of measuring the environmental impacts of building products over their whole life. The aim of a life cycle analysis is to identify, quantify and assess the impact of the energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment throughout the life of a building product. There are many life cycle analysis methodologies and all vary in their range and complexity but it all comes back to sustainabilit ..

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Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, emit oxygen and store carbon. About half the dry weight of a tree or wood product is carbon; one ton of carbon represents 3.67 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Australia's native forests, timber plantations and wood products are all net absorbers of greenhouse gases. In 2005, they sequestered (or stored) 56.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, reducing Australia's overall greenhouse ga ..

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