Written by Jerome Partington, JASMAX: Declare labelling provides low-cost assurance to architects and consumers that your products are healthy for the environment.

The original WERS (Energy Efficiency Rating Scheme) for windows has been supplemented with WEERS — a more targeted system which considers, in more detail, the factors which influence the performance of the 'window element' of an exterior wall.

Company laboratories should be able to create reliable, accurate results, and IANZ accreditation gives customers assurance that these tests can be relied on.

The Environmental Choice labelling scheme is an easy and reliable way to be assured that a specified product meets a number of tough environmental and health considerations.

When the thermal mass of a concrete floor is being used to assist with the heating (or cooling) of a house, in my opinion there are two distinct approaches to designing the insulation of the slab.

Metamerism describes how colours can look different under different light sources and is an important factor to consider when choosing a paint colour.

An internal service cavity solves the common problem of sub-trades pulling out insulation to make space for their work and offers several benefits which outweigh the initial cost of material and labour.

Successfully managing moisture should not have to come at the expense of comfort.

Recreating colours from old, faded and repainted buildings can be a challenge — particularly when faded photographs and paint are the only clues available to designers. 

At a recent Paint Manufacturer’s Association meeting we had some information presented on changes to how asbestos removal will be managed from April 2016.