FACULTY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Title: Sustainable Construction Materials

Name of Course: CIV-1102
Lecturer: Mr. Maxwell Jackson
Student: Sachin Harriram
Due Date: 10/09/19

CONTENT PAGE

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Contents Page #

Introduction............................................................................................3

What Are Sustainable Construction Materials? .................................... 4

Basic Properties of Sustainable Construction Materials.........................5

Advantages of Using Sustainable Construction Materials.....................6

Examples of Sustainable Construction Materials....................................8

Advantages and disadvantages of the following: Bamboo, Cork,

Wood, Straw bales, Glass, Hemp, Clay, Lime and Cob...........................8-10

Conclusion...............................................................................................11
Bibliography.............................................................................................12

Introduction

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I would like to introduce this assignment to Mr. Maxwell Johnson. This
assignment addresses sustainable materials; their properties, and
advantages of using these materials in building and construction. The
reader will be exposed to various construction materials that in used in
building and construction and the different application of each such
material.

What are Sustainable construction materials?

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 Sustainability is the ability to exist constantly. Sustainable materials are
materials used throughout our industrial economy that can be produced
without depleting non-renewable resources and without disrupting the
equilibrium of the environment and its natural resource systems.
A sustainable construction material makes effective use of our natural
resources while enhancing and preserving biodiversity

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BASIC PROPERTIES OF SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
MATERIALS

Sustainable construction materials exhibit one or more of the following

properties:

1. Durable
2. Renewable
3. Reusable
4. Recyclable
5. Low environmental impact

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ADVANTAGES OF USING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
MATERIALS

Durable Structures: Durable structures are those that are able to

withstand wear, pressure, or damage; hard-wearing. Examples include
timber and bamboo. Bamboo has a high strength-to-weight ratio
and even greater compressive strength than brick or concrete — so it
can take a beating without being replaced very often. This makes
bamboo a viable choice for flooring and cabinetry.

Renewable: Renewable materials are those which can be manufactured or

generated quickly enough to keep pace with how fast they are used up.
Renewable materials are sustainable materials, which means,
according to the Rutgers University Centre for Sustainable Materials,
these materials do not use up non-renewable resources. They can also
be produced in high enough volume to be economically useful.
Architects tend to think of timber as the renewable building material.
But there are a host of renewable materials that are in common use.
Examples include bamboo, straw, cork, tar etc. What makes these
materials renewable is that they are sourced from living plants and
animals, not from mineral deposits or fossil deposits of organic material
such as oil, gas, coal, peat and asphalt.

Reusable: This refers to materials that are capable of being used again or
repeatedly. An example of such is glass. According to the EPA, 90
percent of recycled glass gets reused to make new glass products.
Recycled crushed glass, called cullet, is mixed in with raw materials to
produce new glass. Cullet is less expensive than raw materials and uses
less energy to melt.

Recyclable: Recycling construction and demolition materials generated at

a construction site is increasingly important. The environmental benefits
of recycling can be significant. Recycling also keeps materials out of
landfills. Examples include concrete and wood. Concrete can be recycled
into many markets that currently use crushed stone. Clean, untreated
wood can be re-milled into lumber or chipped or ground and used to
make engineered board, boiler fuel and mulch.

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Low Environmental impact: Apart from caves, all human habitation
damages nature to some extent. Low-impact development (LID) has
been defined as development which through its low negative
environmental impact either enhances or does not significantly diminish
environmental quality. Building materials can be manufactured and
delivered, or natural and local. Materials that don’t require factories to
manufacture them, and don’t need to be transported large distances will
have the lowest environmental impact. Natural low-impact building
materials include timber, clay, lime, cob, straw, hemp and stone.

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Examples of Sustainable Construction materials

1. Bamboo
2. Cork
3. Wood
4. Straw bales
5. Glass
6. Hemp
7. Clay
8. Lime
9. Cob (made from subsoil, fibrous organic material, and sometimes lime)

Bamboo: Bamboo is a renewable and versatile resource, characterized by

high strength and low weight, and is easily worked using simple tools.
Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing woody plant. The use of bamboo
for foundation is rather restricted. This is mainly due to the fact that like
timber when in contact with damp ground, they deteriorate and decay
very quickly unless treated with some very effective preservatives.

Cork: Cork is an impermeable buoyant material. The material properties

combined with a favourable ecological footprint allow designers,
architects and engineers to meet some of the Green Building demands.
Cork's elasticity, combined with its near-impermeability, makes it the
perfect material for making floor tiles, insulation sheets, bulletin boards
and other similar products.

Wood: Wood has many positive characteristics, including low embodied

energy, low carbon impact, and sustainability. It acts as a carbon sink.
The energy needed to convert trees into wood and hence into structural
timber is significantly lower than that required by other structural
materials such as steel and concrete

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Straw bales: Straw bales also have high insulation qualities, keeping the
building warm in winter and cool in summer. It is also relatively cheap,
made from an agricultural by-product. Another advantage of straw bale
construction is that it is a relatively easy method for novice builders,
meaning that it can be utilized by owner-builders without extensive
experience or volunteer crews. However Straw bale walls are susceptible
to mould and deterioration unless protected from moisture, and allowed
to ‘breathe’ and there is no thermal mass for passive solar heating
and/or cooling

Glass: Glass is transparent allowing visual connection with the outside

world. However Glass making is an energy extensive process. One tonne
of glass production requires 4 gigajoules of energy. Glass is a brittle
material but with the advent of science and technology, certain
laminates and admixtures can increase its resistance to rupture.

Hemp: One of hemp’s most innovative and applicable uses today is in

building materials sector. Hemp can be used for all sorts of building
materials, replacing or supplementing traditional materials including
wood and concrete. As a plant, hemp traps carbon dioxide as it grows
and buildings made from hemp are effectively carbon sinks. Hempcrete
compares quite favourably in this way with cement, which produces high
amounts of carbon dioxide when it is cooked up.

Clay: The reason for the high popularity of clay building materials is its
stable value, its durability and the versatility of the natural resource.
Clay building materials can reduce the energy consumption of buildings
due to their excellent insulation properties and their heat storage
capacity. Owing to their favourable insulation properties, clay building
materials also help to save energy costs.

Limestone: Limestone is a common rock composed of the mineral calcite.

Limestone has become a popular building material for fireplace hearths,
tile, and other areas where stone can be used. Limestone allows the
building to be vapour permeable, thus allowing breathing. This reduces
the chances of trapped moisture and the damage of the building. It is
also used for construction of wall structures like wells, fountains and
water channels. It has great cementing capability due to carbonation
with carbon dioxide.

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Cob: Cob is comprised of a mixture of clay, coarse sand, fine sand, silt, and
water; it also uses a binder of fibrous or organic material such as straw.
Cob is environmentally friendly; Low carbon footprint and embodied
energy. It is relatively inexpensive and easy to build for owner builders
and unskilled labour. It has excellent sound insulation and can be easily
recycled. However building with cob is relatively slow and cob walls
cannot be laid during wet or freezing weather.

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Conclusion

The researcher found the information compiled within this portfolio to

be very informative. The various sustainable materials widely used in
construction and their properties are now known by the researcher along
with their applications, advantages and disadvantages.

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Bibliography

1. Https://www.constructionbusinessowner.com/law/regulations/recycling
-construction-materials-important-part-construction-process
2. https://www.lafargeholcim-foundation.org/about/sustainable-
construction

3. Https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/most-eco-friendly-building-
materials-world-bamboo-cork-sheep-wool-reclaimed-metal-
wood/526982/
4. Https://www.activesustainability.com/construction-and-urban-
development/sustainable-building-materials/

5. Ecosalon.com/a-handy-reference-guide-to-the-20-greenest-materials/

6. Https://www.lowimpact.org/lowimpact-topic/0-natural-building-intro/
7. Https://www.heritagepci.com/blog/home-construction-building-
materials-pros-and-cons/

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