In a world that has an ever-increasing environmental responsibility, we must find ways to reduce CO2 emissions. Green building materials aim to change this fact.
Green building materials are eco-friendly and are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint on your next construction project. Involving these in a sustainable building can minimize water usage, reduce air pollution, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Main Benefits of Green Building Materials
Because the aim is to lower carbon emissions, green building materials help to improve air quality in an area. It won’t just be you who’ll get to work in a healthier environment, but your employees as well.
Much research goes into creating green building materials. With the benefit of modern technology in the hands of researchers, the result is an eco-friendlier product that is more durable than traditional construction materials, meaning you’ll enjoy your building for longer. A perfect example of this is by using a plastic access panel. Plastic is lightweight and durable, but you can take it to a recycling facility and see it reused for other purposes.
In the long term, preserving our planet for future generations to enjoy is the goal. Through green building materials and practices, we can reduce our ecological footprint while providing a healthier living and working environment for us today.
Hemp Crete
Hemp Crete is a mixture of hemp fibers (specifically the inner woody core) and a limestone binder. While it can’t function as a structural component, it brings other benefits to your building.
Firstly, its insulation properties. Concrete typically has an R-value of 0.5 to 1.5 per inch. On the other hand, Hempcrete has an R-value of 2.5 to 3 per inch, making it an excellent insulating material for your project.
Additionally, the industrial hemp used in constructing Hemp Crete absorbs carbon from the atmosphere in the 2-3 months it spends growing before harvest. So not only are you spending less overall on insulation, but you also actively help the environment by trapping atmospheric carbon in buildings where it becomes harmless to humans.
Reclaimed Wood
Sustainability is about maintaining a system with little to no input for an extended period. Currently, the construction industry isn’t sustainable as it requires much intake from raw materials. A way you can contribute to changing this is by using reclaimed wood.
Simply put, reclaimed wood is taking wood from older systems and repurposing them to fit in newer ones. In the past, the wood used for structures would be headed straight to the junk pile and left to rot. Nowadays, you can reuse it as flooring, decorative panels, tables, countertops, and even structural beams.
Cork
Cork as a building material is nothing new, and we have been using this in buildings for hundreds of years. With the shift towards more sustainable construction materials, cork is one of the best materials you can use.
Because it’s impermeable to fluids and returns to their original shape, you often see them as wine bottle caps. This attribute makes cork a perfect material for external cladding, giving your building extra protection from the elements. In addition, it’s lightweight, has high thermal and acoustic insulation, and resists compression well.
With a combination of these unique factors, being a renewable resource means that you’ll be seeing cork featured in more buildings in these coming years.
Shifting Towards a Better World
Using more eco-friendly construction materials is becoming more popular as people understand due to the negative impact that traditional construction brings to the environment. With the increasing availability of green building materials, coupled with the demand for green buildings, it becomes easier for you to do your part in protecting the environment and satisfying your clients’ needs simultaneously.
