The Most Sustainable Demountable Wall on the Planet…
To become the most sustainable demountable wall on the planet a company or product must go beyond dealing with simple concepts such as simply stating that “we use recycled and recyclable content”. You must go beyond images of trees, grass, animals, etc., as marketing backdrops that might leave individuals believing a strong commitment to the environment. To be the most sustainable demountable or “eco-friendly” demountable wall on the planet, you must rely on substance…and this is exactly what NxtWall does!
Before we get to the issues that are easily understood, it is important to consider the most important aspect of being a sustainable solution: to be realistically or affordably sustainable to a company. As we know, all companies who strive for the triple bottom line of people, planet and profits must show allegiance to all facets. Note in the often seen concentric circle image of the triple bottom line, the sweet spot of sustainability is achieved at the integration of people, planet and profits. The intersection point delivers a truly viable sustainable product solution.
Triple Bottom Line Diagram
Without being sustainable and affordable, demountable walls will take a back seat to the bigger items associated with larger building system line items that are provide bigger point valuations than a demountable wall system that can be sacrificed due to its price position. NxtWall will deliver one of the most competitive and realistic price positions of any wall system in the industry!
There are other substantive issues associated with being an “eco-friendly” demountable wall system beyond price. These features must provide some realistic benefit to the facilities managers charged with managing the millions of square feet of office buildings today. The issues in play are as follows and are placed in order of importance by an un-official, yet anecdotally accurate accounting or surveying of facilities management professionals:
1. Product Reuse
2. Ease providing or introducing light emitting material for daylight harvesting
3. Easy and cost effective recycling
4. Regional material usage
5. Minimal use of VOC’s
Product Reuse
NxtWall boasts the largest percentage of product reuse of any wall system due to its “field fit” or “field modify” characteristics. NxtWall’s products’ heights, widths, structure, wall board and glass can all be put back to use. Conversely, the “unitized” or “pre-engineered/pre-manufactured” product may not. A single change to a ceiling height, wall width, configuration places a significant planning burden on these earlier generations of walls found in the industry today.
Light Emitting Material for Daylight Harvesting
NxtWall’s demountable field fit approach provides an affordable solution and ease of change beyond compare. A NxtWall solid wall can be changed out over night without buying new panels or special attachment brackets. Further, glass panels need not to have special treatment or detailing at a plant hundreds or thousands of miles away. No manufacturer delivers sidelights, clerestory and glass fronts in such a simple and quick fashion like NxtWall. A solid wall today can quickly become a glass wall overnight.
Ask how your current demountable glass wall can be changed or added… then check out NxtWall.
Easy and Cost-Effective Recycling
The purpose in using a demountable wall is to provide for product re-use as well as enabling a company to perform easy changes to the interior building architecture. These simple and quick changes allow for a strong return on investment. NxtWall’s position is that our field adaptable product can be reused over and over again.
Of course, all facilities managers will ask to have the recycling cost explained. The NxtWall product can be recycled with either a cost neutral position or with a return! All the material can easily avoid the landfill. We are happy to offer a strategy of “return it and we will reuse it or recycle it responsibly”…that’s a promise. Our approach is very different to dealing with labor costs to break product down to get the product into its various material bins, and this costs your customers money.
Our aluminum, steel, glass, plastic, insulation, wall board… all are welcomed and or purchased by recycling centers which are quickly growing around the country.
Regional Material Usage
This is a very simple concept…which minimizes the carbon footprint created from the plants and logistics required to get our competitors product that must be manufactured in a plant hundreds or thousands of miles away.
NxtWall’s demountable wall solution utilizes regionally produced wall board material, glass, insulation and labor (we call this community-based labor). The unique field fit features of these movable walls do not require special detailing of wall material. NxtWall does not require wall material to be shipped to a plant, altered and then shipped back out. There is an easier and less costly way to producing a wall.
Minimize Use of VOC’s
The use of volatile organic compounds is of course being reduced by all or most producers of demountable walls. There is no argument that the “off gassing” of newly produced materials into the environment or breathed in by the office occupants must be eradicated or drastically reduced. NxtWall utilizes the most environmentally friendly production process and finishing materials on the market today.
The providers of interior demountable walls and modular architectural elements have an opportunity to address what facilities managers consider as “the real issues”. A simplistic focus on a single dimension or the materiality aspects of a product solution is short sighted and misses a tremendous opportunity to be more relevant to the customer’s needs. NxtWall has seized on this opportunity.
