Sustainable materials focus on energy efficiency, environmentally friendly manufacturing, and durability. They can help reduce carbon emissions and save home and business owners money in the long run by requiring less maintenance.
For example, some companies use reclaimed wood to build green homes and offices. They also offer products that limit energy loss and provide insulation.
Adobe
Adobe bricks are a green building material with a long history. They are durable and energy efficient, able to absorb solar heat during the day and release it throughout the night. Additionally, adobe bricks can be used to insulate buildings, making them even more energy-efficient.
Adobe is made of all-natural materials and produces minimal waste. It also requires less energy to produce than concrete or other forms of brick. Additionally, it can be molded into a variety of shapes and sizes. It can also be reinforced with glass or steel to make it stronger and more resilient against earthquakes.
Adobe buildings are a great option for desert climates, where they provide thermal mass and insulation. They are also resistant to pests, unlike wood structures, which attract insects and rodents at a greater rate. Adobe is also an environmentally friendly choice, as it can be reused or recycled. Additionally, it can be insulate with sheep’s wool, which is a renewable resource that can be harvested without hurting the animal. It can also be insulate with recycled tires, which are a great alternative to using oil-based products.
Straw Bale
Straw bales are a sustainable building material that offer a great deal of flexibility to both the homeowner and designer. They can be used to construct both loadbearing and non-loadbearing walls. They can also be constructed in a variety of shapes. Some can be curved, a feature that is particularly appealing to those who are interested in an organic style of architecture.
Prefabricated straw walls can be built offsite and transported to the site, which can reduce the need for construction on the building site itself, as well as the time it takes to prepare the building envelope. These walls can also come with the services ‘roughed-in’, which can further reduce construction costs.
When constructing straw bale walls, care must be taken to ensure the straw does not get wet. If moisture is allowed to penetrate the bales it can lead to structural problems, including cracking and distortion. It is recommended to utilise a tarpaulin system on the construction site and to regularly check that bales are dry before beginning work with them. It is also recommended to continue render over the tops of walls to minimise the potential for a fire to ignite and draw air through them (which will cause them to smoulder). This is particularly important in bushfire-prone areas.
Rammed Earth
Rammed Earth is a sustainable building material that can be used in a variety of ways. It can be used to create walls, floors and foundations. It also works well for unique fireplace surrounds and bold dividing walls. Rammed Earth structures are able to withstand extreme weather conditions and the natural insulation of the material allows the buildings to ‘breathe’. This provides for more comfortable living spaces and a reduction in energy costs.
Unlike concrete, where the sand and gravel must be hauled long distances, the materials used for rammed earth construction are typically found locally. Using local soil, natural pozzolans such as lime or blast furnace slag and alternative binders drastically reduces the embodied carbon of the materials in a rammed earth structure.
Stabilized rammed earth walls are very durable and comply with UK building regulations. However, the material is still relatively fragile and needs careful design. A roof that carries water away from the structure protects the walls, as does incorporating horizontal stone drip ledges. The walls are usually insulated, but these insulation materials have their own high embodied carbon footprint.
Cob
Cob, which is an ancient building material made of a mix of soil, clay, straw, and in some cases lime, is becoming more popular for sustainable construction. This natural material is very easy to work with and has excellent hygrometric properties, making it suitable for buildings in harsh climates. It is also relatively inexpensive to build and has a long lifespan.
Although cob houses are fairly simple to construct, they may take months to complete because the walls need to be dried before the next layer can be added. To reduce the amount of time required to build a cob house, it is recommended to use it during the warm and dry season.
When compared to unloaded specimens, the shear strengths of the tested samples reached sharp peaks, and did not show much deterioration after the load-unload cycle. This result shows that, even with a forcefully pre-compressed state, the cob bricks can reach high values of shear strength for a raw-earth construction (about 0.5 MPa), even though detailed data are not available for this type of construction.
Cork
One of the biggest challenges in sustainable construction is reducing the embodied energy of the materials used. Embodied energy refers to the amount of energy required to harvest, prepare, and transport a building material. Cork is a renewable and eco-friendly raw material with low embodied energy.
It is harvested from cork oak trees without harming them, and it can be harvested every 9 to 12 years. This process allows the tree to continue growing while absorbing up to five times more carbon than those left unharvested.
This natural material is incredibly versatile and can be used for everything from flooring to ceilings. It also offers superior insulation, making it a great choice for commercial structures in need of sustainable insulation. This material is also extremely durable and can withstand high temperatures. In addition, it contains a substance that acts as a fire retardant and can self-extinguish. This makes it a good alternative to other insulating materials, such as Styrofoam and fiberglass.