The choice of materials during building specification and design significantly impacts a building’s health and environmental performance. Carbon plays a crucial role in this context, and in this blog we’ve narrowed the focus to materials commonly discussed in construction. Selecting the right materials is paramount for a building’s environmental performance. To simplify this discussion, we’ve categorized them below. It’s essential to be mindful of materials in the “red” category and consider potential substitutes.
CONCRETE
Concrete is widely used because of its strength, durability, and versatility. These properties make it a sturdy and long-lasting option for numerous domestic and commercial settings.
STEEL
The construction industry uses steel for more than 50% of the world’s demand for steel. It’s very flexible in design, affordable, and strong, but the carbon footprint that is produced from the manufacturing process to delivering is immense.
INSULATION
Foam-based insulation products such have high embodied carbon. Consider natural insulation alternatives, such as wool, cork, denim or hemp.
ALUMINUM
Aluminum is an abundantly available natural resource, and we use it very often because it has a high strength to weight ratio, easy to use, low transportation cost, and low maintenance.
GLASS
Glass exists in pretty much every single building on the planet as it is the material that best allows to bring natural light into a building.
PLASTERBOARD
Plasterboard is made out of sturdy core materials, most commonly, gypsum. It is fast and easy to install.
STRUCTURAL TIMBER
One tree removes up to 22 kg of CO2 per year. Unlike concrete and steel, which are made from carbon-intensive fossil fuels, timber is a renewable resource that actually helps to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
HEMP FIBER
It is used as a lightweight and insulating construction material for walls, floors, and roofs. Made from strong fibers from the hemp plant.
Stay tuned for next week’s topic: Operational Carbon Hot Spots.
