This article is part of a blog series on new building materials used in the construction industry, exploring what they are, why they are cheaper and why they are more durable than traditional materials.
Sustainable construction is now a global trend, and renewable energy is a top priority for countries all over the world. The growing driving factors of these trends are consumer requirements, environmental governance, and improving construction.
The worldwide green construction market size will grow to more than $ 769 billion by 2032, increasing at a growth rate of 10.7% from 2023 to 2032.
Green buildings allow you to construct structures using environmentally friendly processes and materials through the life cycle of the construction, to reduce any possible negative impacts on the environment. If you plan eco-friendly features from the design stage to the assembly stage, they will materialize during the in-use stage of the asset.
Green building materials are made of renewable resources, and their impacts on the environment are measured throughout their life cycle. For example, building materials like wood, steel, and concrete, have the biggest potential adverse impacts on the environment. The processes used during their production may cause deforestation, pollution, and carbon emissions.
You could lessen the negative impact on the planet if you were choosing friendly natural materials. But to maximize their impact, it would be important for you to understand how they are manufactured, prepared, discarded, and disposed of.
Using good-quality and alternate materials during the construction phase will require fewer restorations, reconstruction, or replacements when the asset is in use.
According to the Sustainable Living Association, the three most environmentally friendly building materials are:
On top of using green materials, you could choose to add environmentally friendly features to your construction.
For example, you may include in your construction smart windows to protect against heat loss, improve natural light, and cut energy costs. Also, installing LED light bulbs in the lighting of your buildings is energy efficient.
You could be awarded more projects if you incorporated green-building practices, which are popular amongst owners.
For instance, sustainable green materials help minimize greenhouse gas emissions, avoid biodegradable waste, and reduce the construction industry's carbon footprint.
According to the latest construction market data from Upmetrics the global construction industry in 2023 was valued at $15.5 trillion and will grow by 6.5% annually until 2028.
Construction companies need to continue improving their sustainability practices, to achieve, such a high growth rate, and perform at a high-quality level.
The use of cloud-based solutions like Plannerly or Procore could help you to manage and execute the delivery of your projects, using real-time data accessible anytime, anywhere, and on any device connected to the internet.
Technologies play a key role in green building processes.
For instance, using a combination of smart thermostats, solar panels, and green materials when renovating old buildings can save energy and improve sustainability.
Construction companies using systems management software on the cloud can track and control costs, avoid construction issues by identifying them early in the construction life cycle, organize documents, and manage their sustainability programs effectively.
The worldwide housing crises and global climate change are encouraging the building industry to find ways of reducing energy consumption. This might include new construction materials to construct structures that do not damage the environment by producing, using, disposing, and eventually recycling them.
We have always used natural materials in the construction industry. We can now replace traditional materials with more eco-friendly alternatives with the emergence of new techniques, .
For example, concrete can be made of debris.
A few of the techniques describe below were used in the past and are resurgent in the construction industry.
Here are 11 impressive eco building materials that transform the construction industry.
An alternative to concrete, it is made of 97% recycled materials. Ashcrete's main component is fly ash this is a viable alternative to traditional cement.
AshCrete is twice the strength of cement, thanks to its smaller pores. It is made of borate, a chemical from the chlorine family, and bottom ash. It is known to be cost-effective.
It is the perfect sustainable alternative to wood, and it is a perfect green material choice to use in construction.
Although it is like wood aesthetically - bamboo is not wood, it is grass - it is one of the fastest-growing plants. So, it regenerates more quickly than trees.
Thanks to its significant fiber Bamboo is 100% biodegradable, antibacterial, strong, and eco-friendly, if not chemically processed.
Cob (rounded mass, lump, or heap) is an eco-friendly natural building material used to construct organic houses.
Cob is a mix of clay, sand, and usually straw mixed if used as a building material. It is an alternative to bricks and can be purchased cheaply and easily. You can recycle its components found on almost any construction site.
Cob has been used in construction for over 10,000 years and is making its re-entry into the industry.
Cob is environmentally friendly, a very energy-efficient isolation material, suitable for houses, and easy to use as you can create all sorts of shapes with this material.
The cork oak tree is a highly renewable and eco-friendly resource.
For example, you can find cork in ceiling panels, acoustic walls, and flooring.
Cork is resistant to moisture and any liquid.
Ferrock is an iron-rich ferrous rock, made from recycled materials like waste steel dust, and silica from ground glass.
In construction, it is used as an alternative to cement mainly in marine applications, such as structures exposed to seawater.
Ferrock is a hard and resilient material. It is great at absorbing binding CO2, and reducing pollution.
It is 10 to 25 percent lighter in weight than a structure made of bricks.
Earth is one of the oldest long-lasting techniques used in construction. Dr. Rongrong Hu, a professor at Xi'an University of Architecture + Technology and an expert on rammed earth said:
When I step on the thousand-year-old Great Wall of China built with rammed earth, or when I see the old and beautiful vernacular rammed earth houses in China, a question about rammed earth construction always comes to my mind: what is the future of this disappearing ancient construction technique with such a long history in China?
Rammed earth walls or floors can be used as thermic repositories, absorbing solar energy to heat them in daylight, and gradually delivering warmth at night.
The technique uses low carbon emission mixing soil in layers and squeezing it into a solid surface.
For example, you can use watershed blocks made of recycled materials as an alternative to masonry blocks needing less cement.
Plastic will take an exceedingly long time to disintegrate in waste yards - up to 1,000 years - so to protect the planet it is important to recycle it.
In construction, if you use materials made from recycled plastic you can reduce carbon dioxide and methane gas emissions compared to concrete blocks.
For example, ByBlock, has the same dimensions as standard concrete blocks (16x8x8 inches), but generates 41% less greenhouse gas emissions than concrete blocks during manufacturing, and holds the same thermal resistance value despite being 10 pounds lighter.
Recycled plastic is a long-lasting and robust material, great for soundproofing and reducing waste.
Steel when recycled does not lose its characteristics, It is the main reason more steel is recycled each year than all recycled plastic, paper, aluminum, and glass combined.
Steel is solid, dependable, and energy efficient.
Wood is one of the most used types of building material.
Recycled wood is beautiful, easy to use, better for the environment than new timber, and improves well-being .
Straw bales are a renewable material, allowing the isolation of walls, attics, and ceilings and help keep the temperature stable. The straw material is procured from farmers.
It is a safe way for them to avoid releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burning it after harvest and make money repurposing this waste by-product, into compressed material.
Straw is resistant to fire, aesthetic, 100% recyclable, and 100% biodegradable.
It is a natural and eco-friendly material that can be regrown quickly.
Wool is an exceptional home insulator.
For example, it can be used in ceilings, walls, or attics. Aside from purifying indoor air and regulating moisture, it is easy to procure, it is a sound insulator, easy to process, renewable, and beneficial to human health
You can use these alternative materials as well:
Sourcing and using alternative sustainable materials for products you use in construction, is good for protecting the planet. It is also part of your environmental responsibility and helps to prioritize profit-driven business innovation.
Focus on sustainability, purchasing and using alternative materials will help you to meet your social responsibility goals, mitigate risks, and drive profitable growth.
You can cut resource use without losing productivity, make operations and processes more efficient, and dramatically reduce costs and waste.
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