New CAB Director Headford vows to drive sustainability message

Deceuninck Aluminium’s Director Nigel Headford has joined the board of the Council for Aluminium in Building (CAB), where he plans to share his experience and knowledge on modern thermally efficient aluminium window and door design while driving the sustainability agenda.

CAB aims to educate and inform users, specifiers and clients of the features and benefits of aluminium as a sustainable building material, and to promote technical excellence in the use of aluminium in building.

“We’ve been a CAB member for three years, and we’ve found it to be extremely valuable, especially because their values are so closely aligned to our own,” said Nigel, who has personally been involved with the organisation for 20 years.

“Since we launched the Decalu88 Bi-Folding Door in 2019, Deceuninck Aluminium has pushed quality and sustainability to the top of the agenda in all our communication with suppliers, fabricators and end users. Having a seat on the board at CAB will allow us to not only learn from other like-minded individuals and businesses, but to share some of the key lessons we’ve learned over the last five years – all for the industry’s benefit.”

Nigel, who comes from an architectural background, has been instrumental in delivering aluminium windows and doors that can meet and even surpass the requirements of the ever-tightening Building Regulations. He has also been the driving force behind designing technically superior systems that simplify both fabrication and installation.

The Decalu88 Bi-Folding Door was ahead of its time when it achieved U-values as low as 1.3W/m2K with a double glazed unit – 0.8W/m2K triple glazed – which was followed by a suite of other energy efficient products, including most recently the Decalu88 Flush Casement Window.

When it comes to the bigger issues in the industry, Nigel is passionate about energy efficiency and sustainability, arguing that they should be a priority for window and door manufacturers.

“I think recycling and sustainability should be taken more seriously by more businesses,” Nigel said. “There are good schemes out there, like the closed loop scheme from CAB, but no-one is really grasping them. It’s the same with Net Zero. The Future Homes Standard is driving the energy efficiency of products to greater levels than ever before, but it is still treated too much like a buzzword, which is disappointing. 

“As an industry, we have so much to offer because we have such a great understanding of the building process. Yet, we always seem to be responding rather than leading.

“In my role as a CAB Director, I want to help drive sustainability, and use my knowledge to help bring more business leaders on the journey with me and be a positive force for change.”