Proliferation of PVC‐U replacement windows and the ramifications for domestic vernacular detailing

Abstract

PVC‐U replacement windows are being installed in domestic property across the developed world. It could be argued that this is a result of vigorous marketing, a need for energy conservation and possibly creative advertising. Citizens in Europe, the USA, even former Soviet countries are embracing this material as a suitable remedy for corroded mild steel and decayed timber original sash windows within residential properties. This paper seeks to try to quantify the phenomenon of PVC‐U replacement windows and also to explore the aesthetic effects of such replacements and argues that they constitute a permanent heritage loss to vernacular architecture in maturing towns and cities within the UK and examines the implications across Europe.