What New Building Regulations Mean for Extruded Profiles

The Regulatory Drivers Shaping Extrusion

• Future Homes Standard (2025)

  • Targets a 31% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to current Part L standards.

  • Sets U-value goals as low as 0.8 W/m²K for windows and doors — achievable only through advanced extruded systems

• Building Safety Act (2022)

  • Establishes the Building Safety Regulator.

  • Demands stricter fire-safety compliance, directly impacting materials used in framing, cladding, and partitions

• Part F & Part O (2022 updates to UK Building Regulations)

  • Address overheating and ventilation in homes and workplaces.

  • Require airtight yet breathable components, achievable through co-extruded seals and controlled airflow channels

• Voluntary Schemes (BREEAM, LEED, WELL)

  • BREEAM = Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method.

  • LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

  • WELL = International WELL Building Institute standards.

  • These incentivise low-carbon materials and full lifecycle traceability.

  • Push profiles toward recycled aluminium, circular PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and transparent Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

These frameworks put extrusion design into the spotlight — making profile engineering not an afterthought, but a compliance enabler.

Why Generic Profiles Fall Short

Standard off-the-shelf profiles were never designed with these performance metrics in mind. They typically lack the airtightness, fire resistance, and thermal performance required by today’s regulations.

Custom extrusion changes this. At BWC, we:

• Integrate fire resistance directly into frames and cladding.

• Engineer airtightness with co-extruded seals and gaskets.

• Reduce embodied carbon by optimising design and material choice.

• Deliver compliance by design, not retrofit.

Innovation In Regulation Ready Profiles

We combine manufacturing expertise with advanced digital tools to keep our clients ahead of compliance challenges:

• Thermal Modelling & FEM (Finite Element Modelling) — digital simulation of heat flow and structural stresses across complex profiles, ensuring performance before production

• Fire-Safe Systems — anodised aluminium and fire-rated polymers validated to relevant EN (European Norm) standards

• Lifecycle Data (EPD-ready) — supporting Environmental Product Declarations for projects targeting BREEAM, LEED, or ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting

• Design for Disassembly (DfD) — profiles engineered for easy material recovery and recycling at end-of-life

This proactive approach transforms regulation into an opportunity for performance leadership and sustainability gains.

Final Thought

Regulation is no longer a barrier; it is a driver of smarter design. With BWC Profiles, extruded solutions become not just compliant, but future-proofed for performance, safety, and sustainability.

Working on residential retrofits, curtain walling, or high-rise facades? We’ll design the extrusion systems to meet the next generation of UK standards.

*The Future Homes Standard (FHS) 2025 is a UK government initiative to require new homes to be built with significantly lower carbon emissions and high levels of energy efficiency, moving away from fossil-fuel heating systems by 2025. The standard mandates low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps, and requires improved insulation and ventilation in new homes to achieve a 75-80% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 2013 standards. The FHS is being phased in through changes to the Building Regulations, with a full implementation expected in 2025. 

References

UK Government – Future Homes Standard Consultation (2023)

UK Parliament – Building Safety Act (2022)

BSI – BS EN ISO 10077-2: Thermal Performance of Windows

BRE – BREEAM New Construction (2023)