Hardie Plank and Green Building
James Hardie Plank is an unusual name, and very undescriptive as well, but it is an important element in ZEN green building. The sturdy planks are used as attractive and functional exterior cladding on our ZEN homes. Made from fibre cement, the thick and hard boards are fire resistant, and will stand up to whatever Mother Nature has to throw at them.
"James Hardie Plank doesn't dent or break in a hail storm, and won't shatter in the extreme Alberta winter temperatures," explains Avalon Master Builder's Construction Manager Neil Hawkins. "It is water resistant and won't fade during hot summers."
This list of advantages goes on...
Due to the long lasting and durable nature of Hardie Plank (it comes with a 30 year warranty) it is part of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building practices.
"Hardie Plank is part of a strong exterior building envelope and is part of Avalon's promise to deliver healthy and sustainable green buildings," says Hawkins.
Sustainabilty is a word people us a lot and Hardie Plank is a good example of what the term means. It is environmentally sustainable because it lasts for such a long time and will not need replacement or repair, so less material needs to be produced, and less lands in our landfills.
Interesting fact about James Hardie, he was an actual person. In 1888 James Hardie immigrated to Australia from Scotland and started a company making construction materials. The company is now headquartered in Ireland and is traded on the Australia Stock Exchange.