Overview:

Solid timber internal shutters with adjustable louvres suitable for residential and commercial purposes.

Product Description:

Internal Plantation Shutters are solid timber shutters custom-designed with adjustable louvres.  Shutters can be made to fit any opening, and consist of louvred leafs, which can be connected by hinges or on a folding or sliding track system. 

Obeche is the standard timber species for internal shutters, however, other timbers such as teak or mahogany are available.

Louvers are typically 90mm wide and adjustable by means of a push rod.  The louvers can be opened or closed to block sunlight, and prevent conditioned air from coming in contact with windows and transferring heat.

Click here for Supplier contact details or make an enquiry directly to the supplier using the Product Enquiry Form at the bottom of the page.

 

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Options	Shutters are custom made for particular opening, no standard size.  To ensure the frame and louvre, the maximum width of each shutter leaf is 600mm and the maximum height is 4.5 metres.
Colours	11 standard finishes including: 9 stained finishes, 1 clear, 1 Satin White
Warranty	5 years for any defaults in materials or workmanship, will be replaced free of charge
Expected Life	12 to 15 years for both Residential and Commercial applications
Indicative Costs	Average R2,500/m2 including VAT and installation
Purchase Options	No financing options are available
Constituents	Timber 85% - sourced from Ghana Paint 10% - Italy Iron - mongery 4% – Locally produced Running gear, and other hardware 1% - Locally produced and imported
Technical Specifications	None
National & International Standards	None
Country of Origin	Manufactured in South Africa from timber sourced in Ghana
Projects	Phinda Game Lodge Arabella Sheraton Long Beach Guest House Steenburg Hotel Hout Bay Hotel The Constantia Hotel Various wineries and residential projects around the country
Preparation	Shutters are retrofitted into an opening.  For a track solution, the bottom track can be installed prior to installation of floor covering but this is not essential as it can still be recessed into the floor on installation.

 

ECOSPECIFIER LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENT

 

INTEGRATED DESIGN AND POLICY ISSUES

The operational efficiency of shading devices significantly depends on whether they are fitted to create a trapped air space between the glass and the system. Shutters are most efficient when installed closely into (or onto) a reveal or within a close fitting frame.

This snug fit can decrease heat loss during winter by preventing the warm air from moving behind the shutter and cooling down when it contacts the cold glass (and vice versa). The reduction of heat entering buildings may contribute to reductions in energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions, through reduced need for air conditioning, and hence reduced plant size and operating costs. These thermal benefits may also contribute to improved operational efficiency and reduced operating costs.

Shutters and blinds can reduce glare by directing light upwards as it enters a building.  Used in combination with other elements such as reflective surfaces, shutters can increase the use of daylighting by reducing glare and making occupants more comfortable.  Properly designed daylighting measures can reduce the number and/or the power of lighting fixtures needed to provide a comfortable level of lighting.  This benefit can assist in lowering first cost and life cycle cost from lightbulbs and energy use.

Timber products can store carbon in the built environment when they are sourced from sustainably managed forests.  Timber product should be used where they have appropriate durability, such as interior shutters, and long life expectancy to maximize the benefits of using timber rather than high greenhouse intensive, equivalent products.

 

HUMAN HEALTH

Health

Products are made from solid timber rather than some plastics that can have health risks during manufacture.  All coatings used are specified to have less than 10% VOC content, thus reducing health impacts during operation.  The pigmented finishes and waterborne coatings contain butyl glycol which has associated R-phrases stating it is harmful by inhalation (R-20); harmful by contact with skin (R-21) and harmful if swallowed (R-22), however risk is isolated to manufacturing where coatings are spray applied.

Shutters that keep out light pollution at night also preserve sleep quality. Loss of sleep quality due to overlight evening conditions in urban environments is a significant stressor of immune system and brain function with the potential to affect quality of life, health and daytime productivity at work or elsewhere, e.g. driving.

Paints may contain titanium dioxide at different levels.  In 2006 The IARC reclassified titanium dioxide as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). This issue relates to the inhalation of pure powdered and ultra-fine titanium dioxide dust during manufacture and is not considered a risk, as the Ti02 is not in a respirable form when bound into the product.

Accordingly the sanding, grinding and other occupational production activities of products containing titanium dioxide, may present issues if appropriate precautions are not taken. Precautions for workers such as reducing exposure to product in dust form and using appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) mitigate potential issues to low risk in accordance with an ecospecifier Risk Assessment. Refer to Material Safety Data Sheet for further information.

Comfort

This product will aid the reduction of thermal heat transmitted into and out of buildings, and greatly improve internal comfort both visually and thermally through the reduction of light and heat that enters the building interior.

Indoor Environment Quality

Shutters reduce unwanted glare, heat and light entering buildings, improving indoor environment quality.  All coatings are low VOC, thus reducing negative effects to indoor environment quality.

Because products are ready painted they do not trigger Green Star IEQ credits- however any building owner looking to deliver high quality IEQ outcomes and consequent potential productivity gains- should seek to use low VOC products whether credits are gained in the rating system or not.

Electromagnetic Radiation

Not Applicable

Safety

Product does not display any safety concerns during installation or operation.

Accessibility

No Applicable

 

ECOLOGICAL QUALITY

Terrestrial

Emissions – Land pollution results from emissions from forestry equipment, such as oils and chemicals.

Physical – Impacts to the terrestrial environment from forestry include loss of topsoil and reduced soil productivity due to nutrient loss. Further land impacts are derived from transport and processing of wood and extraction of metal ores used in the manufacturing of ironmongery and hardware.

Aquatic

Emissions – Aquatic pollution occurs from nutrient losses associated with deforestation.

Physical – The siltation and erosion created by uncontrolled runoff from deforested areas can create significant damage in creeks, estuarine and marine environments.

Atmosphere

Greenhouse (GHG) Fossil fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of this product result from forestry operations, transportation of wood and wood processing and drying.

Shutters can reduce heat losses and gains through openings and reduced demand for heating and cooling, thus the greenhouse gases produced by building operation may be reduced.

Responsibly grown and managed forests sequester more CO2 than they emit during their growing phase. Wood products are carbon sinks, whereas most other products produce net carbon emissions such as aluminium, plastic and steel, thereby reducing the toxic and pollutant impacts of wood on the terrestrial environment.

Greenhouse intensity – 6.73kgCO2e/m2*

*Calculation is based on data sourced from Bath University, UK.

Transport intensity – Product is manufactured in South Africa from timber sourced in Ghana

Table below provides land transportation greenhouse intensity figures to help calculate the greenhouse gas intensity of land transportation from shipping port.

Light commercial vehicle	Rigid Truck	Articulated Truck
0.001451kgCO2e / kg.km	0.000195kgCO2e / kg.km	0.000169kgCO2e / kg.km

Transport intensity figures sourced from Australian National Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990, 1995 and 1999 and WWF International, Inland Navigations and Emissions, 2005.

Operational efficiency – The thermal benefits generated by this product can contribute to improved operational efficiency and reduced operating costs if properly installed and managed.

Re-use Efficiency – Plantation shutters can easily be removed and reused. Reusability is an important issue when considering carbon storage benefits from using timber products.  The more life cycles a product can endure, the longer it stores carbon, which is released when timber biodegrades or burns.

Toxics and Pollutants – There are no known toxics or pollutants to the atmosphere during use of this product.

Ozone Depletion – There are no uses of ozone depleting chemicals in the manufacturing of the shutters.

Urban Heat Island Effects – Not Applicable

Noise – Shutters could prevent a nominal amount of noise transfer.

Biodiversity

Timber and wood products can be among the most environmentally destructive from a biodiversity and ecological quality point of view, due to some forestry practices that lead to the loss and fragmentation of vegetation and habitat for ecological communities and permitting toxic baiting of animals.

The timber is sourced from Ghana, where a majority of wood is harvested illegally for export and domestic use.  The manufacturer claims timber is sourced from legally and forested timber, however the sources do not have any forestry management certification or chain of custody certification.

See Ecospecifier Red Lights and Issues of Concern below.

 

RESOURCE DEPLETION

Resource Efficiency

Plantation shutters are typically made from Obeche (Wawa).  Obeche is a plentiful species and is also successfully used in timber plantations in Ghana, often as a pioneering species because of its low growth requirements.  However, the species only produces seeds every 3-5 years, so supplies of saplings are limited.  Obeche is one of the most commonly exported timber species from Ghana, where current forestry practices are unsustainable.

Embodied Fossil Fuel Energy

109.15 MJ/m2*

*Calculation is based on data sourced from Bath University, UK.

Transport intensity – Product is manufactured in South Africa from timber transported from Ghana by ship.

Embodied Water

3 litres per m2 of shutters

Durability

Product has good durability with a lifespan of 15 years

Reusability

Reusability has been limited as shutters are manufactured to suite specific installations.  However interior timber shutters have high durability and could be reused after the initial life cycle has expired due to surface wear of finishes and paints or degradation of ironmongery and hardware. 

Reusability is an important issue when considering carbon storage benefits from using timber products.  The more life cycles a product can endure, the longer it stores carbon, which is released when timber biodegrades or burns.

Repairability

Timber shutters are relatively easy to repair, and any parts damaged beyond repair can be easily swapped out.

Design for Dematerialisation

Not designed for dematerialisation.

Design for Disassembly

Not designed for disassembly

Recyclability

Wood products are recyclable, however, the timber shutters would first have to be disassembled, stripped of paint or finishes and transported to a recycling station and this is unlikely to happen given the labour intensity of the process.  The manufacture does not offer any specific service to facilitate recycling of its product.

Maintenance

Standard cleaning such as dusting is required.

Product Takeback Scheme

No

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

No

 

CORPORATE AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Audits and Environmental Reporting

None

Convictions

None

Environmental Policy

No

Social Enhancement Programs

No

Technology Transfer Programs

No

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

No

 

ECOSPECIFIER ISSUES OF CONCERN / RED LIGHTS

None

 

ECOSPECIFIER GREENRATE GREEN BUILDING SCHEME PRE-ASSESSMENT

Green Star SA™ Office Version 1(see disclaimer below)

ENERGY

Ene: Conditional Requirement

Ene-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

 

Green Star™ SA Retail Centre Version 1 Compatibility

ENERGY

Ene-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Green Star SA is a registered mark of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).  Assessments shall not be reproduced in part at any time.  This listing constitutes an ecospecifier Technical Opinion and is not endorsed by the GBCSA or its agents.  For detailed technical information about Credit requirements refer to Green Star SA Technical Manuals.  Rating Tools and Technical Manuals are subject to change by the GBCSA, and any decision regarding the award of credits towards a Green Star SA rating is at the sole discretion of the GBCSA.

 

NOTE: the following tools have not been adopted in South Africa but are included for information purposes:

Green Star™ Australia Multi Unit Residential Version 1 Compatibility

ENERGY

Ene: Conditional Requirement

Ene-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

 

Green Star™ Australia Interiors Version 1.1 Compatibility

ENERGY

Ene-1: Energy Efficiency

Ene-2: Energy Improvements

 

Green Star™ Australia Education Version 1 Compatibility

ENERGY

Ene: Conditional Requirement

Ene-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

 

Green Star™ Australia Industrial Compatibility

ENERGY

Ene: Conditional Requirement

Ene-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

 

Green Star™ Australia Healthcare Compatibility

ENERGY

Ene: Conditional Requirement

Ene-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

 

ASSESSMENT COMPARISON

Non-timber internal shutters

KEYWORDS / ALTERNATIVES

Internal Shading, Shutters, Blinds, Sunscreens, Daylighting, Glare, Window Treatment

RELATED TOPICS

 

RELATED KNOWLEDGE BASE ARTICLES

Eco Priority Guide: Timber and Wood Products

Eco Priority Guide: Internal Window Glare Control

Technical Guide: Timber and Wood Products

 

CSI / SPECPACK CATEGORY & NUMBER

12 23 00 Interior Shutters

 

NATSPEC CATEGORY AND NUMBER

0574 Window Coverings

Availability:

South Africa

Other information:

Information last verified on 17/11/10.

Assessment Criteria Satisfied

ENERGY/GREENHOUSE

Low energy in production Potential less GHG/ODP down stream

RESOURCE DEPLETION & EFFICIENCY

Reuse potential Least processed materials

POLLUTION TO ENVIRONMENT

Reduced chemical toxicity through Life Cycle Low/no carcinogens through life-cycle Reduced smog-forming potential

OTHER VITAL SIGNS

MSDS Independent Verification

© ecospecifier 2012