As climate-conscious consumers become more aware of the distance food travels to get to their plates, some people are starting to consider where building materials come from. Locally Sourced Building Materials and Their Benefits
Using sustainable materials sourced locally reduces transportation costs and emissions. This approach also helps support local economies and promotes vernacular design styles.
1. Reduced Carbon Footprint
Using materials that are sourced from the immediate surroundings of your construction site reduces transportation-related carbon emissions and energy consumption. This also limits the damage that could be caused during transit. This helps to minimize waste and contributes towards a sustainable future.
Choosing locally sourced building materials is an excellent way to support the local economy, keeping money in the community and helping its growth. It is important to choose local suppliers that have a good reputation in the area, as they will be more likely to provide high-quality products.
Incorporating local materials into architectural projects adds cultural and aesthetic value. For example, timber, stone, and clay can be used to create unique structures that integrate well into the environment.
Choosing green building materials that are renewable, non-toxic, and safe for the environment is essential. These types of materials protect the environment from degradation over time, which is often associated with metals and alloys. Additionally, it is important to use sustainable materials that are certified to be free of chemicals and contaminants. These certifications are usually provided through a life-cycle assessment.
2. Better Quality Control
Local suppliers understand the needs of construction projects and produce materials that are tailored to them. This helps minimize quality issues resulting from long transportation distances and ensures better control over the quality of the finished product.
Incorporating locally sourced materials also enhances the cultural and aesthetic appeal of a building. Local culture and heritage are reflected in the architectural style of buildings constructed with these materials, which helps preserve them for future generations. In addition, these materials are often tested and proven to work well in the local climate, which reduces maintenance costs and increases durability.
When you choose to use local materials in your next construction project, be sure to look for those that have been sustainably sourced and certified. This means that they have been sourced within a specific geographic region, which can be defined by the number of miles or even a state boundary. In addition, look for products made with recycled materials or those that have been certified to meet certain environmental standards, such as recycled content or green certifications.
3. Supporting Local Businesses
In addition to reducing carbon emissions, using local building materials supports the local economy. By purchasing from local suppliers and contractors, builders are keeping their money within the community. This recirculation of funds helps reduce economic inequality, promotes job creation, and fosters sustainable development.
It’s important to communicate clearly with suppliers and contractors about your desire to use local sustainable materials. Often, they are not used to working with clients who require these specific requirements. It may also be necessary to bring in a green construction specialist who can help you communicate your needs and specifications to the team.
When it comes to sustainable building, it’s crucial to choose low-impact, natural materials such as timber, adobe, and rammed earth that minimize environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle of a project. It’s also important to consider a building’s embodied energy, which refers to the amount of energy required to extract, manufacture, transport, and install a material. Recycled products also tend to have less of an impact than new ones. It’s also important to choose materials that have been independently verified to ensure they are sustainably produced.
4. Enhanced Aesthetics
Incorporating local materials into communication constructions can be a beautiful and environmentally-friendly way to design a building. It can also be cost-effective and support the local economy. Additionally, it can enhance cultural preservation and promote a sense of community.
Locally sourced materials can be attractive because they reduce the need for long-distance transportation. This helps minimize greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. In addition, these materials can be more affordable because they eliminate transportation costs and import fees.
Furthermore, many sustainable materials are designed to be durable and resistant to weathering. This can significantly reduce maintenance costs in the long run. It’s worth noting that vernacular and indigenous building traditions have largely relied on local materials—igloos were made from snow, cliff dwellings were carved into the rock, and log cabins weren’t built with imported lumber.
Incorporating natural elements into buildings is known as biophilic design. This practice can contribute to stress reduction, well-being, and overall health. This is why many architects and designers are exploring the use of locally-sourced natural building materials. These materials can be integrated into communication constructions in a variety of ways, from green roofs to self-healing concrete.
5. Resilience
Resilience is a property that maximizes the ability of a community to maintain the functions that society relies on during disruption or disaster. These functions include shelter (buildings), commerce, governance, healthcare and education. The resilience of a community is dependent on the integrity of its building and infrastructure systems, which are vulnerable to both everyday wear and tear as well as acute hazard events such as earthquakes or hurricanes.
Locally sourced materials can improve the overall resilience of construction by reducing embodied and lifecycle carbon. Choosing local materials reduces the environmental impact of extraction and processing as well as travel distance, which makes them a smart choice for sustainability-focused projects.
By purchasing local sustainable materials, builders can help preserve cultural heritage and create a more cohesive connection between the built environment and surrounding natural features. Local materials are also often more cost-effective, as they eliminate transportation costs and import fees. This allows builders to build more with less while increasing the efficiency and functionality of a building. Additionally, the use of local materials provides opportunities to incorporate a variety of unique and distinctive aesthetics into a communication structure’s design.