Ecology has long since ceased to be fashionable subject matter for academic discussion and a riveting topic for dinner party chit-chat. It is challenge facing all of us, governments, organisations, companies and citizens alike. We are slowly drawing closer to solving the crisis of global heating. One small step at a time. One of those steps, and it is a decisive one, is achieving low, and eventually, zero greenhouse gas emissions. What does that involve? Why is it so crucial? And what solutions does Polish company ALUPROF S.A., a European leader in the aluminium joinery sector, offer its clients?

Without energy, nothing at all can be produced. Without heat, no energy can be produced. Moreover, every object requires energy, sometimes more and sometimes less, during its life cycle. And when its life cycle comes to an end, energy will be essential to recycling it or disposing of it. All that energy adds up and it doesn’t just die away. It generates global heating and depletes non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels, for instance.

Roughly speaking, then, we can divide the objects around us into low-emission and the rest. Low-emission items are those which require little energy to produce, consume little energy in use and cost little in terms of energy when it comes to disposing of them or recycling them.

Now let us turn to aluminium. First of all, it is the fourth most common element in the Earth’s crust. Second, the deposits lie close to the surface. Third, it can be extracted by means of electrolysis. Fourth, it is almost 100% recyclable. Aluminium has come a long way since Napoleonic times, when it was a scientific curiosity and appeared in the form of plates for serving exquisite dishes. Two hundred years later, its role is that of the twenty-first century’s most widely used metal. Is this simply a matter of chance?

Not really. Aluminium’s superb mechanical parameters, lightness and resistance to corrosion make it an ideal material for all sorts of purposes. One of those purposes is the production of window profiles and frames. Since the general move away from single-pane windows in favour of multi-pane vacuum systems, nothing has threatened the supremacy of aluminium as a construction material. In fact, its dominance seems infinite!

What does this mean for the people designing homes and other buildings? That they should make friends with aluminium and, in particular, with aluminium joinery. Here are a few of the reasons why:

• it is cheap, especially when we are talking not about absolute numbers, but about the quality-price relationship;
• it is durable. In fact, it is virtually indestructible;
• it is airtight, which makes it energy efficient;
• it is beautiful and millions of designer variations are available;
• last, but not least, it looks good on paper.

On paper? Yes. After all, from the initial design stage right up to the final energy audit of actual, real-world building, every component has to meet exacting standards for aspects that include toxicity, mechanical durability, insulation and low emissions. Using aluminium joinery simplifies matters; it is safe, durable and has impeccable green credentials, holding all the eco-friendly certificates, especially if it comes from Polish company ALUPROF, a technological titan on the European market.

One of the company’s flagship products is the MB-104 Passive window and door system, which features a thermal break and attains the highest possible level of thermal insulation, meeting every requirement for materials employed in passive building. The solution is used for exterior architectural elements such as various types of windows, doors, vestibules, shop windows, other expanses of glass and spatial structures where superb thermal insulation is only part of the story and there are also requirements for excellent acoustic insulation, watertightness, airtightness and high structural durability. The profiles for the MB-104 Passive come in two variants, the SI and the AERO, designed to meet different demands for saving thermal energy. The system is a solution developed specifically for energy-saving and passive building, which is why the parameters of the windows and doors produced using it go beyond the requirements set out in the strictest of the applicable regulations and standards.

When in search of solutions while designing or constructing buildings, it is certainly worth turning to aluminium joinery because it is, quite simply, the best. And when choosing between manufacturers, it is equally as advantageous to trust the brand that is blazing an innovative trail in the sector; in other words, ALUPROF!