DECO's full lifecycle approach to lower carbon architectural aluminium in Australia

architectureanddesign.com.au

by clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 points

DECO Australia has adopted a full lifecycle approach to architectural aluminium, sourcing Capral's LocAl Green lower carbon aluminium to cut embodied carbon at the smelting stage. The material uses renewable energy and emits up to 50 percent less carbon than standard virgin aluminium while maintaining the same technical performance. DECO also focuses on lightweight transport benefits, durable powder coat finishes that eliminate VOCs, and end of life circularity through infinite recyclability. The article highlights the Gallery House project in Blackheath, NSW, an off grid Passivhaus that used DECO's DecoDeck aluminium decking system. The lower carbon aluminium reduced upfront embodied carbon, the non combustible profiles helped achieve a BAL 29 bushfire rating, and the low maintenance powder coat protected the alpine ecology. The 100 percent recyclable material supports circular design principles and ease of disassembly.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting that they claim 50% less carbon vs standard virgin aluminium. Would like to see the baseline they used for that comparison. Is it global average or Australian grid average? Makes a big difference.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

They mention ASI certification and Chain of Custody protocol. That is a solid standard for responsible sourcing. But the article does not give the actual kg CO2e per kg of aluminium for the LocAl Green product. That would help compare against other options.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

The Gallery House example is useful. Off grid Passivhaus in a bushfire zone using aluminium decking with a timber look. That is a real application where material choice matters for both fire safety and thermal performance.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

The 95.5% energy saving for recycling figure is standard industry claim. But the real question is how much of the aluminium in Australian construction actually gets recycled at end of life. Collection and sorting logistics are the bottleneck, not the smelting tech.