Riverbend’s founder, Frank Baker, built his first timber frame as a living laboratory for eco-friendly technologies – and that was 30 years ago. But timber framing’s claims to sustainability go back a lot further than that. We hate to brag, but we were “green” before green was cool.
First and foremost, of course, is the wood: it’s a renewable material that doesn’t require gas, electricity or chemicals to create – just sun, soil and time. Trees contribute oxygen and absorb Co2 while they’re growing, and when cut for construction uses that Co2 stays put, harmless in the wood, rather than being rereleased in to the atmosphere as it would if the tree were burned. Milled as timbers rather than two-by-fours, the wood undergoes less processing, further conserving resources and reducing the release of pollutants. And that’s just the wood!
The modern Riverbend timber frame also uses less energy than other homes thanks to the structural insulated panels and insulated concrete forms – SIPs and ICFs – that enclose it. The tight “envelope” formed by the SIPs means you use less energy to heat and cool, so less energy needs to be produced, reducing power plant emissions of greenhouse gasses. And, the EPS foam used in Riverbend’s SIPs and ICFs contains no formaldehyde or CFC’s, chemicals found in some other types of insulation.
Today Riverbend’s corporate parent, PFB Corporation, is committed to sustainability for the long haul. At PFB, we are concerned with the future of the planet and the effects that modern life styles may be having on climate change. PFB Corporation is committed to conducting our operations responsibly, mindful of the economic, environmental and social impacts of our operations. View the 2008 sustainability report to learn more about our sustainability in operations.
All our products coupled with our policy to pursue sustainable development goals in all our activities, will provide economic and environmental benefits to all our stakeholders. To see how Riverbend Timber Frames are a part of the sustainability puzzle, check out the PFB product map.
Riverbend Timber Frame homes have won the silver (2006) and the gold (2008) in the Energy Value Housing Awards. In 2006, a timber- panel home, The Tuscany, designed by Riverbend and built by Fireside Home Construction won a Silver Medal in the cold climate, custom design home category. Learn More Then in 2008, a timber- panel home, The Burnside Inn, designed by Riverbend and built by Fireside Home Construction won a Gold Medal in the same category. Learn More
PFB Corporation recently launched a new web site dedicated to sustainability and its practices. At PFB sustainability.com you will learn about how we are making a difference, our leadership in the sustainability movement, the company’s environmental data as well as the objectives for the program.
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