BUILDING

MATERIALS
ASSIGNMENT :1

1 . EXPL AI N THE BUI L DI NG

MATERI AL S YOU HAVE
W I TNESSED SO FAR I N
THE L I GHT OF HOW
ENVI RONME NTAL LY
RESPONSI VE THEY ARE?
2 . L I ST OF BUI L DI NGS
W HERE THEY ARE USED
AND ARE
ENVI RONME NTAL LY
RESPONSI VE OR
DETERI ORATI NG?
INTRODUCTION

Purpose of this study: The purpose of the work is to give an overview

and to understand deeply the concept of ―Environmental Impact of
Construction Materials and Practices‖ which is defined and
interpreted in theory.
Most human activities that impact on the environment have
backwards or forward linkages to the construction industry and their
impact can be mitigated through changes in the practices of the
construction industry. The industry‘s environmental impact is the
most measurable, but its socio-economic impact should not be
negated. Sustainable construction in the developing countries tends
to focus on the relationship between construction and human
development, often marginalizing the environmental aspects. The
environmental impact of the construction industry as an industry
sector is probably larger in developing countries than it is in
developed countries. This is due to the fact that the developing
countries are virtually still under construction and that they have a
relatively low degree of industrialization, making the construction
industry one of the biggest factors impacting on the biophysical
environment. The physical environment and the construction sector
are linked principally by the demands made by the latter on global
natural resources, and this assumes huge environmental significance
with the rapid growth in global population and the attendant
implications for natural resources. This is especially the case with
housing and infrastructure, which are very resource-intensive. The
call and desire for sustainable construction is in realization of the
construction industry‘s capacity to make a significant contribution to
environmental sustainability because of the enormous demands it
exerts on global resources. The simplest point at which to begin
evaluating the impact of the construction industry is to look at its
consumption of energy and greenhouse gas emissions. The biggest
culprits in terms of climate change are the materials that form the
basis of modern construction – concrete and steel. Twice as much
concrete is used in formal construction around the world than the
total of all other building materials – including wood, steel, plastic
and aluminum. Cement production is, after the burning of fossil fuels,
the biggest anthropogenic contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Cement kilns have been identified as a stationary source of nitrogen
oxides, releasing more than 25 tons per year. Although cement makes
up only 12-14% of the final concrete
 CONTINUATION………
◦ mix, further embodied energy comes from the transportation and extraction of
aggregates and, in the case of reinforced concrete, the manufacturing of steel.
Steel is one of the most energy-intensive materials. Together, the production of
iron and steel is responsible for 4.1% of global energy use. The manufacturing
and final use of both these materials can also be very water-intensive.
Construction activities, whether through the manufacturing of construction
materials, or through the operational activities of actual construction, also lead
to a number of other environmental problems. These include noise pollution,
dust, and hazardous contamination through toxic waste. Apart from the energy
embedded in building materials and products, and the associated greenhouse
gas emissions, massive environmental pollution also occurs during processing of
the raw materials and manufacturing of the product. Toxic gases and effluents
are discharged into the environmental media with devastating effects on aquatic
and marine life, as well as contributing to atmospheric pollution. The production
of iron, steel and non-ferrous metals, as well as the production of other
construction materials such as cement, glass, lime and bricks, is responsible for
20% of annual dioxin and furan emissions. This exclude emissions due to the
production and use of PVC and other chlorinated substances used in the
construction industry as paints, sealants, plastics and wood preservatives, for
which specific figures are not yet available. Road transport infrastructure,
especially road paving with asphalt, contributes a further one percent of annual
dioxin emissions. The bulk of dioxin emissions (69%) come from the incineration
of municipal waste. The incineration of treated waste wood, floor coverings and
electrical wiring from demolition sites makes a significant contribution to this
Table.
Construction and demolition waste is another important issue, as waste is often
dumped illegally in dams, river courses and any available hollow. If left unchecked,
dumping sites become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and vermin. High material
consumption rates are due to high material wastage, both as waste and as material
unnecessarily incorporated in the building. (Material wastage can be defined as the
amount of material consumed in addition to the planned amount.) The highest rates
of wastage are recorded for Portland cement and concrete and ceramic blocks, all
materials which significantly contribute to climate change through their manufacture.
The building materials manufacturing industry is also responsible for the pollution of
watercourses and filling up of landfill sites. The raw materials for building materials
are often extracted from the rural hinterlands, where they cause degradation of land
and ecosystems. The processing and production of these usually take place close to
the city, where they produce air and dust pollution and consume a great deal of
energy. Any discussion on the environmental impact of construction would not be
complete without the inclusion of the mining and mineral-related industrial sector.
Pollution, 40 land degradation and widespread disruption of natural terrain are direct
impacts that are exacerbated by the lack of programmers and regulations regarding
the rehabilitation of mining sites.
 LETS TALK ABOUT HOW
CONCRETE HAS AN IMPACT ON
THE ENVIRONMENT IN
BUILDINGS AND SEPERATELY:
Does cement manufacturing generate CO2? As with all industrial
processes requiring energy, manufacturing cement does result in the
generation of CO2.Cement is manufactured from a combination of
naturally occurring minerals - calcium (60% by weight) mainly from
limestone or calcium carbonate, silicon (20%), aluminum (10%), iron (10%)
and small amounts of other ingredients and heated in a large kiln to over
1500° C (27000 F) to convert the raw materials into clinker. For the most
part, CO2 is generated from two different sources during the cement
manufacturing process: - Use of fossil fuels in the burning process; -
Calcination The most commonly used cement is called Portland cement. It
contains about 92% to 95% clinker by weight. Some companies produce
blended cements that
incorporate other industrial byproducts that have cementitious
properties, thus reducing the amount of clinker in the cement. Other
parts of the manufacturing process such as operating mining equipment
for extracting the raw materials and transportation of the raw materials to
the cement plant emit relatively small amounts of CO2. According to the
Department of Energy, cement production accounts for 0.33% of energy
consumption in the U.S. The current level is low compared with other
industries, such as petroleum refining at 6.5%, steel production at 1.8%
and wood production at 0.5%. According to EPA, between 900 and 1100
kg (1984 and 2425 lbs) of CO2 is emitted for every 1000 kg (2205 lbs) of
portland cement produced in the U.S. This depends on the fuel type, raw
ingredients used and the energy efficiency of the cement plant.
Between 50% and 60% of the CO2 emitted is a result of calcination of
calcium carbonate raw materials, a necessary part of the manufacturing
process. The remaining CO2 emitted is a result of burning fossil fuels such
as coal and natural gas to heat the raw materials in the kiln. The U.S.
cement industry accounts for approximately 1.5% of U.S. CO2 emissions,
well below other sources such as heating and cooling our homes (21%),
heating and cooling our buildings (19%), driving our cars and trucks (33%)
and industrial operations (27%).
Global CO2 emissions from cement production (377 million metric tons of
carbon in 2007) represent 4.5% of global CO2 releases from fossil-fuel
burning and cement production. In 2010, the U.S. cement industry
manufactured about 62 million metric tonnes (Mt) (68 million tons) of
cement and imported about 5.5 Mt (6.1 million tons).In 2010, the U.S. was
the third largest cement manufacturing country behind China, 1,814 Mt
(2,000 million metric tonnes) and India, 191 Mt (210 million tons.) Total
global cement production in 2010 was 3084 Mt (3,400 million tons). U.S.
cement manufacturing capacity is 4.3% of global capacity.
Does concrete manufacturing produce CO2? Water,
sand, stone or gravel, and other ingredients make up
about 90% of the concrete mixture by weight. The
process of mining sand and gravel, crushing stone,
combining the materials in a concrete plant and
transporting concrete to the construction site requires
very little energy and therefore only emits a relatively
small amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. The
amounts of CO2 embodied in concrete are primarily a
function of the cement content in the mix designs. It is
important to note that structures are built with
concrete and not cement.
How much CO2 is embodied in concrete? Concrete uses
about 7% and 15% cement by weight depending on the
performance requirements for the concrete. The
average quantity of cement is around 250 kg/m3 (420
lb/yd3 ). One cubic meter (m3 ) of concrete weighs
approximately 2400 kg (1 cubic yard weighs
approximately 3800 lb). As a result, approximately 100
to 300 kg of CO2 is embodied for every cubic meter of
concrete (170 to 500 lb per yd3 ) produced or
approximately 5% to 13% of the weight of concrete
produced, depending on the mix design. A significant
portion of the CO2 produced during manufacturing of
cement is reabsorbed into concrete during the product
life cycle through a process called carbonation. One
research study estimates that between 33% and 57% of
the CO2 emitted from calcination will be reabsorbed
through carbonation of concrete surfaces over a 100-
year life cycle.
 EFFECT OF ALUMINIUM,STEEL
AND CONCRETE
CONTINUATION.....
With the construction sector experiencing a resurgence in growth, it’s bound to have a
detrimental impact on the environment. According to the U.K. Green Building Council,
the construction sector uses more than 400 million tons of material a year, many of
which has an adverse impact on the environment. Additional research by Construction
Products says that the products used during a particular construction job can also have
an impact on the surrounding environment, due to the “extraction of raw materials”.
Similarly, in the U.S., a number of tools and resources regularly used by contract
workers and construction firms, such as chemicals on site and even the Diesel used by
diggers and trucks, can significantly “harm public health and the environment,”
according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Furthermore, the U.S.
construction industry accounts for 160 million tons, or 25 percent, of non-industrial
waste generation a year, according to the agency. With this in mind, let’s take a look at
the impact in more detail, and investigate the possible solutions.
The Stats
According to new research by construction blog Bimhow, the construction sector
contributes to 23% of air pollution, 50% of the climatic change, 40% of drinking water
pollution, and 50% of landfill wastes. In separate research by the U.S. Green Building
Council (USGBC), the construction industry accounts for 40% of worldwide energy
usage, with estimations that by 2030 emissions from commercial buildings will grow by
1.8%.
Furthermore, according to the EPA, construction activity can “significantly change the
surface of a land” due in large part to “clearing of vegetation and excavating” which is
common on many construction projects. According to the agency, the result means
surrounding environments can be heavily polluted, particularly surrounding water
pools, which have experienced an increase in pollution as a result of various
construction projects in recent years. Additionally, research by Kleiwerks says that
building material, such as concrete, aluminum, and steel, are directly responsible for
“large quantities of CO2 emissions” due to high contents of “embodied energy
content”, with 9.8 million tons of CO2 generated from the production of “76 million
tons of finished concrete in the US.” The research also says that the construction
sector’s current practices at reducing pollutants, or omissions, are massively ineffective
and may even “generate high levels of greenhouse gas pollution.” Worryingly enough,
construction activities consume “half of all the resources” extracted from nature, and
account for one-sixth of global freshwater consumption, one-quarter of wood
consumption, and one-quarter of global waste,” according to the research.
In the U.K., these numbers have not gone unnoticed, with the publication of the Green
Guide, the work of Oxford Brookes and the UK construction industry, that lays out how
construction firms can use materials in order to help the environment. Following the
publication of the guide, 230,000 construction projects have improved their
environmental standing, with over a million construction firms awaiting certification
worldwide, according to the agency. In the U.S., the EPA oversees the protection of the
environment and have a number of rules and regulations in place to ensure the
construction industry can reduce its negative impact on the climate.
EFFECT OF BRICKS IN
BUILDINGS AND SEPERATELY
ON ENVIRONMENT:
The effect of brick industry on air was also studied. Kshipra village was
chosen as control site and sampling sites were Tapobhumi and Bhukimata.
At all sites, suspended particulate matter, SOx, NOx were analyzed and
results show that all three parameters were significantly higher than the
contrsampling sites. The results of this analysis are shown in Table.
NOx was 2.3 fold higher than that of control. The results indicate that
presence of brick industry increases the concentration of suspended
particulate matter, SOx and NOx in the environment. The effect of brick
industries on soil, vegetation and human health was also studied. For this,
survey was conducted at Triveni, Tapobhumi, Bhukimata, and Ramghat
sites where brick industries are located. It was observed that due to
excessive digging for clay the vegetation has been cut at these sites which
have lead to soil depletion. Moreover, after digging the sites are left as
such and fresh plantation is not done, which leads to land degradation
and depletion of vegetation. The survey showed that respiratory disorders
were present in the workers but they could not be correlated with the
brick industry environment. However, literature showed that respiratory
disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, silicosis
and pneumonocosis were common in workers of brick industries
From the study, it appears that discharge from raw material used in bricks
may be affecting the water quality. However, more studies are needed to
identify the types of pollutants. Brick industries also increase air pollution,
which may be due to open burning of bricks which has also been reported
by other worker
7. Therefore, Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) process is an alternative,
which is energy efficient method of firing. It produces better bricks and
reduces pollution14. Efforts should be made to urge brick industries to
adopt VSBK process so that environmental pollution is reduced and step is
taken towards sustainable development. Further, use of calcium
carbonate and calcium hydroxide as desulfurizing agents in coal briquettes
could also be an efficient and economical way to control the pollution
from the use of high sulfur containing coals
 HOW GLASS IN BUILDINGS WILL
ATTACK THE ENVIRONMENT:
Ahead of the major 2 day conference on Advanced Building Skins, which is taking place 10 -11
October in Bern, Switzerland, Andreas Karweger examines how modern skyscrapers and their glass
facades can create dangers in the built environment…
Architects like to use highly reflective glass because it is particularly energy efficient: most of
the sunlight is therefore not able to penetrate the building, which reduces the heat
development inside. The natural surroundings are reflected in the glass façades; birds don’t
see them as an obstacle.
In North America, around one billion birds die every year due to collisions with glass panes.
The American Bird Conservancy has developed a programme together with the Green
Building Council which should motivate architects to not use as much glass or to use façades
which are equipped to protect against bird collisions.
However, people and buildings can also become ‘victims’ of the glare effect which comes
from glass façades or photovoltaic modules. Particularly in cities which are located at the
latitude of Seattle or London and the position of the sun is 20° or less in summer, the
reflection from glass façades is disruptive for motorists, explains Vicente Montes -Amoros
from the American engineering firm Curtain Wall Design & Consulting.
Attack on cars, hotel guests and neighbouring buildings
In past years concavely formed façades in particular have received a lot of criticism, as its
glass, metal or steel reflect the sunlight onto one place like a magnifying glass.
As a result, temperatures of over 100°C can be reached. Concave facades exist because
real estate companies enlarge the space of the more expensive, upper levels, in order to
achieve higher rental incomes.
The upper levels then project far over the floor plan of the building. The arched façade of the
Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas was hot enough to singe the hair of hotel guests in the area of the
pool deck and melt plastic chairs. The hotel was designed by the architect Rafael Viñoly.
Viñoly is also responsible for a building on Fenchurch Street in London, which also has an
arched façade. The sunrays bundled together from the façade deformed cars on a
neighbouring street and melted plastic. To show the intensity of this, journalists used the
concentrated heat to fry eggs. Several parking spots had to be closed off on the street.
Since then, aluminium slats were attached to over thirty floors on the south side of the
façade, which stop the solar reflection. The refitting cost approximately £10 million. Despite
the massive glare effect, the building on Fenchurch Street had received an excellent
evaluation by the British BREEAM.
Sustainability certificates are awarded because of the energy efficiency of a building “without
considering the adjoining microclimate”, criticises architect Julie Futcher and town planner
Gerard Mills from the University College Dublin.
Due to the increasing number of skyscrapers with reflecting glass façades, these
characteristics of buildings, which influence the microclimate of their surroundings and
intensify the “Heat-island” effect in cities, should also play a role in the sustainability
assessment of a building.
The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles has shown just what kind of effects buildings
can have on the microclimate. The building designed by Frank Gehry has a façade with
concave shaped surfaces made out of polished stainless steel. The façade raised the ground
temperature on the pavement so much, that plastic began to melt.
The temperature in the neighbouring houses rose to above 9°C,
with the neighbours having to set up their air conditioning. The
energetic balance of the neighbouring buildings deteriorated
significantly. Similarly the 42-storey Nasher Sculpture Museum
in Dallas, Texas, was also affected. The façade of a
neighbouring building was fitted with photovoltaic modules,
which directed sunrays directly into the museum and damaged
sculptures.
Attack on pedestrians
Façades are not only able to reflect the concentrated light
downwards, they can also direct the wind downwards in a
bundle, which leads to a so-called wind tunnel effect. The wind
meets the façade and “then just goes straight down to the
ground because it can’t go around the building,” explains
Lindsay Smales from Leeds Beckett University in the UK.
In Leeds the 32 floor high Bridgewater Place has led to strong
wind gusts, which at wind speeds of 130 km/h didn’t just throw
passers-by to the ground. In March 2011 a lorry swirled through
the air as it drove out of the slipstream of Bridgewater Place.
One pedestrian died as a result.
Curbing the effects of glare
What are the possibilities of curbing these effects?
“When the skyscraper is first built, there’s not much that can be
done to mitigate the problems with the microclimate and the
effects of the wind”, reveals Lindsay Smales. “Ideally the glare
effect of a façade should be determined during the building
planning, with help from fluid mechanics (Computational Fluid
Dynamics, CFD),” explains Vicente Montes-Amoros from the
American engineering firm Curtain Wall Design & Consulting.
CFD tools can determine solar reflections with the movement of
the sun. 3D models and precisely calculated predictions are an
enormous help for the design of sophisticated façades. In
addition, building shapes and building orientations, road
conditions and material can all be included in the analysis and
create the condition for a complete picture.
“In Sydney, Australia, a prior analysis of the glare effect must be
implemented. The reflection of building materials is restricted to
20% in Sydney and Singapore,” explains Montes-Amoros.
EFFECT OF PAINTS ON THE
ENVIRONMENT :
Issues:
Low-VOC and other environmentally preferred
paints
Volatile organic compounds are gases emitted by
various solids or liquids, many of which have short-
and long-term adverse health effects. Solvents in
traditional paints often contain high quantities of
VOCs. Low VOC paints improve indoor air quality
and reduce urban smog. The beneficial
characteristics of such paints include low odor,
clean air, and safer technology, as well as excellent
durability and a washable finish.
Low-VOC paint types include latex (water-based),
recycled latex (water-based), acrylic, and milk
paint
The labels of paint cans can be checked for the
following information:
•To be considered low-VOC, the paint should
contain <50 g/l of VOC.
•To be considered zero-VOC, the paint should
contain <5 g/l of VOC.
•Solid content usually ranges from 25–45%, higher
solid percentages indicate less VOCs
Heavy metals
Heavy metals are used in paints and have raised
concerns due to their toxicity at high levels of
exposure and since they build up in the food chain.
Lead
Main article: Lead paint
Lead paint contains lead as pigment. Lead is also
added to paint to speed drying, increase durability,
retain a fresh appearance, and resist moisture that
causes corrosion. Paint with significant lead content
is still used in industry and by the military. For
example, leaded paint is sometimes used to paint
roadways and parking lot lines. Lead, a poisonous
metal, can damage nerve connections (especially
in young children) and cause blood and brain
disorders. Because of lead's low reactivity and
solubility, lead poisoning usually only occurs in
cases when it is dispersed, such as when sanding
lead-based paint prior to repainting.
Chromium
Primer paint containing hexavalent chromium is still
widely used
for aerospace and automobile refinishing
applications. Zinc chromate has been used as a
pigment for artists' paint, known as zinc yellow or
yellow 36. It is highly toxic and now rarely used.
 PART -2: HOW BUILDING MATERIALS USED IN
BUILDINGS RESPONSIVE OR DETEROITING THE
ENVIRONMENT?

Buildings are large entities and, as such, they impact upon the environment in
various ways. Present-day designs clearly consume large quantities of physical
resources such as materials, energy and money in their construction, maintenance
and use; but they also can result in effects such as loss of amenity and biodiversity
which are much more difficult to assess.
If we are going to build in ecologically-sustainable manner, or even substantially
reduce the environmental impacts of current building approaches and practices, it
will be necessary to consider the impact of a building over its full life-cycle,
sometimes described as a 'cradle-to-grave' analysis. ('Cradle-to-reincarnation' may
be more appropriate, as it more clearly raises the issues of re-use and recycling of
materials.)
The life-cycle of a building material can be considered to have five stages:
- mining/extraction/harvesting
- manufacture
- construction
- use
- demolition
For most building materials, the major environmental impacts occur during the first
two stages but as waste-disposal problems increase, we are also being made
increasingly aware of the impacts associated with the demolition stage. It is
apparent that the energy used to produce the building material (its embodied
energy) is only an approximate indicator of its environmental impact.
An Australian system, BMAS (Building Material Assessment System), based on
life-cycle analysis, has been developed to compare the relative ecological impacts
of various types of wall, floor and roof assemblies. Some indicative results are as
follows (NB: High numbers indicate greater environmental impact; lower numbers
indicate lesser impact):
One thing suggested by these figures is that relatively small quantities of
materials that have high impact (eg, steel), may be preferable to large
quantities of materials that have lower impact (eg terracotta tile).
As always, designers, builders and building owners have to seek a
balance between often conflicting considerations, appearance, comfort,
ease of construction, maintenance costs, capital costs etc. Now,
environmental impact is an added variable. However, it has been shown
that if environmental considerations are included early in the design
process, it is possible to incorporate them without incurring additional
costs.
The twentieth century has been one of incredible technological and
social change, yet as a general rule, the theme current in the Modern
movement in architecture at the beginning of this century remains valid
today, albeit for different reasons...
"Less is More!"
Guidelines for Assessing and Choosing Materials
Methods for assessing and choosing materials are based on the following
guidelines:
1. Environmental factors
2. Local materials and transport needs (savings)
3. Needs of occupants of dwellings
4. Need for appropriate building design for marketing
5. Need for financial viability/affordability
6. Need to make best use of current technology, through the Building Material
Assessment System (see above).
Each material is assessed at five stages of its life:
- mining/extraction
- manufacture
- construction
- use
- demolition.
The assessment is covered by 14 different parameters:
a) The damage to the environment during mining or harvesting of the basic material.
b) How much damage in relation to the quantity of materials (what else is disturbed or
damaged?).
c) The source, size, or renewability of the basic material.
d) The recycle content.
e) Waste residue, solid or liquid, in production.
f) The air pollution due to manufacture and production.
g) The embodied energy
h) The energy consumed during transportation to site of usage.
i) The energy consumed on-site for erection or assembling.
j) The on-site waste and packaging.
k) The maintenance required during the life-cycle.
l) The environmental impact during the life-cycle (ie, toxic emissions).
m) The energy and effects associated with demolition/disposal at the end of the life-
cycle.
n) The recyclability of the demolished/dissembled material.
NB: Each parameter is assigned a weighting between 1 and 5, and all the weightings
must total 42. This method allows users to stipulate any personal priorities. The
weightings can be altered according to the philosophies of the client.
Hazardous construction materials, commonly known as toxic
building materials, are natural or synthetic chemical substances that
are harmful to humans or the environment.
Though highly toxic, the chemicals can hardly be tasted or smelt but
they are present in living spaces and get into human bodies through
ingestion, inhalation or contact with the skin.
The nature and extent of health risks posed by these materials is
dependent on the duration the person is exposed to the toxins and
the level of exposure.
Based on the ever advancing scientific knowledge, the list of
dangerous construction materials changes periodically, but the
International Living Future Institute (ILFI), a US based sustainable
building certification program, currently lists the following as the
most toxic building materials:
1.) Lead
Lead is a heavy metal commonly found in roofing materials, paints,
plumbing pipes. It is highly poisonous and is rapidly absorbed into
the blood stream and simulates calcium enabling it to cross the
blood-brain barrier.
It slowly accumulates in bones and soft tissues eventually destroying
the nervous system. Close contact with lead also causes blood
disorders, brain disorders, blindness, reproductive health
complications, damage to the kidneys and eventually death.
SILICA

FIBER GLASS ASBETOS

LEAD
CASE STUDY OF A PATICULAR BUILDINGS
THAT HOW ITS BUILDING MATERIAL ARE
RESPONSIVE TO THE ENVIRONMENT:
we explore just a few of the world's most endangered heritage sites
in several categories, separated by the general nature of the hazards
they face. One of the most severe and looming threats to ancient
heritage is posed by the byproducts of industrial contamination of the
environment in which these sites endure.

Acid rain, a byproduct of the large-scale burning of sulfates and

nitrates, has been an observed phenomenon since the very earliest
years of the industrial revolution in 1872, when English
scientist Robert Angus Smith wrote of its corrosive effect on buildings
and plants. As large amounts of these chemicals are released into the
atmosphere through such processes as the burning of coal, they
become bonded with water vapor held in clouds and are
subsequently released to the Earth in the form of highly acidic
rainfalls. While acid rain only causes indirect damage to living human
beings, primarily through its reactions with Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) to form ground-level Ozone (smog), it causes
tremendous damage to soil fertility, aquatic life, and durable
inorganic materials such as stone and metals. Some of the greatest
measurable effects of acid rain can be observed on human
constructions, particularly old buildings with facades built of
corrosion-prone metals such as copper and porous stone such as
limestone.

Unfortunately, buildings and monuments at most of the world's most

important heritage places were not built to withstand such toxic
punishment, and as many ofthese great sites are located in or near
burgeoning industrial cities, they have sustained considerable
damage. In our modern global economy, as developing countries such
as China and India become increasingly industrialized without
implementing the stringent pollution controls mostly adopted
decades ago by older industrialized nations, many of their greatest
cultural treasures are at risk from their own runaway national
economic success. These hazards are not, however, limited in any
sense to the rapidly-industrializing world; countries such as Australia
have also experienced terrible conflicts between cultural preservation
and industrial concerns, while the chemical-laden clouds themselves
know no borders and have the potential to float over a large area.
 HERE IN THE CASE STUDY THE BUILDING
MATERIAL[STONE:MARBLE,SAND STONE AND ROCKS] OF
THE STRUCTURES ARE RESPONSIVE TO ENVIRONMENTS
ACID RAIN AND WE WILL DISCUSS ITS EFFECTS:
1. LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA, MOUNT EMEI (China, Buddhist)
Towering above the sheer river gorges of China’s Sichuan province, Mount
Emei, one of the “Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China”, represents the
main seat of Chinese Buddhism. It is home to the country's first Buddhist
temple, built in the 1st century C.E., and contains numerous other temples,
monasteries and religious shrines, including the 8th century Leshan Giant
Buddha. This Tang Dynasty-era masterpiece is the world's largest Buddhist
statue, reaching an awe-inspiring 71 meters in height and is 28 meters in
width. Carved out of a face of a sandstone cliff facing Mount Emei, the Leshan
Giant Buddha is surrounded by spectacularly lush and breathtaking
subtropical and subalpine forests, and rests atop the confluence of three
major rivers, the Minjiang, Dadu, and Qingyi. This site is a place of invaluable
religious, artistic and natural significance.

The Leshan Buddha has fallen victim to pollution emanating from unbridled
development in the region. In this case, the culprit has been determined to be
the growing number of coal fired power plants located near the Giant
Buddha, specifically, the toxic gases that their smokestacks spew into the air;
these eventually return to the earth as acid rain. Over time, the Buddha's
nose has turned black and the curls of his hair have begun to fall from his
head. The local government has shut down several factories and power plants
in close proximity to the Leshan Giant Buddha, which has stopped the
blackening of his face from soot; however, acid rain continues to compromise
the structural integrity of this masterpiece. The Leshan Giant Buddha, which
was designed carefully to survive millennia of floods and earthquakes, is now
at high risk of rapid deterioration from the unbridled pace of industrial
development in western China.

2. ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS (Greece, Ancient Greek)

While there are many Acropolises in Greece, it is the Acropolis of Athens that
is, without question, the most quintessentially important monument that
carries the name; indeed, when historians refer to simply “the Acropolis”, it is
the one in Athens that is being referenced. Located atop a flat rock rising 150
meters above the city of Athens, its three hectares of standing monuments
from the Classic Periclean period (460-430 BCE) include the Parthenon, the
Propylea, and the Erechtheum, as well as a few earlier Mycenean edifices
such as the Cyclopean Circuit Wall that helped to defend the Acropolis from
numerous invasions over the centuries. As the foundational center for Golden
Age Athens and its way of thought, the Parthenon is widely considered to be
the crucible of democracy and Western culture as we know it. In recent
decades, as Greece has experienced substantial economic expansion and
development, pollutants and heavy vehicle emissions from the booming
modern city of Athens have contributed to acid rain in the region. The
monumental and sculptural stone of choice for the ancient Greeks, marble, is
highly susceptible to heavy surface degradation from even low levels of acid
rain. The Parthenon’s magnificent marble relief frieze panels, for instance,
have been chemically transformed by acid rain into soft gypsum. As details
are lost and the chemical transformation soaks deeper into the marble on
these vital monuments, pieces of them have begun to crack and fall off, with
structural collapse a possibility in the not-so-distant future. Further
complicating the situation is the seismically-active nature of the region, as
earthquakes would have a far greater effect on marble constructions that
have slowly transformed into gypsum than with unaltered marble.
1. LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA,
MOUNT EMEI (China, Buddhist)

2. ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS (Greece,

Ancient Greek)
3. TAJ MAHAL (India, Mughal Islam)
Located in Agra, India, the Taj Majal is a huge mausoleum built between 1631 and 1648 in the
Mughal architectural style, combining elements of Turkish, Indian, Persian, and Islamic design.
Considered to be the penultimate masterpiece of Islamic architectural art in India, it was built by
Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and both are interred in it in a simple crypt.
The Taj Mahal is India’s preeminent tourist destination, attracting between two and four million
visitors annually. In an effort to control the deleterious effects of pollution, tourist traffic is not
allowed near the site, with most visitors riding in by electric bus from nearby carparks. This has
not, however, slowed down the degradation of the Taj Mahal’s marble facades from acid rain
generated from local foundries and an oil refinery. The once brilliant-white Taj has been losing its
luster, dulling into a sickly pale shade.

4. DAMPIER ROCK ART COMPLEX (Australia, Australian Aboriginal)

The Dampier Archipelago, located in northwestern Australia and stretching into the Indian Ocean
from the Burrup Peninsula, is home to a magnificent collection of Aboriginal petroglyphs carved in
rock faces and outcroppings. With around a million carvings across 400 square kilometers, these
engravings constitute the largest corpus of rock art in the world. Some of the most ancient
carvings date to tens of thousands of years into the past, when people first settled Australia, and
depict sacred spirits, rituals, and animals – including several that are extinct (Tasmanian Tigers) or
are no longer found in the region (Emus).
Iron Mining in Dampier, 2003. This mine directly abuts important rock art sites, and produces
emissions that contribute heavily to acid rain that is degrading them.
The Burrup Peninsula’s rock art sites have been listed as endangered by the National Trust of
Australia, but industrial expansion since 1963 across more than 25% of the rock art area has
posed severe threats to the site. Much of the heaviest (mining and petrochemical) industry is
located immediately adjacent to some of the most sensitive collections of artwork. Acid rain from
this has begun to erase many of the carefully, but often shallowly, engraved rock surfaces, and
studies by archaeologists and geologists have postulated that most of the rock art will disappear
completely by the middle of the 21st century.

5. LONGMEN GROTTOES (China, Buddhist)

The Longmen Grottoes are arguably the most famous ancient sculptural site in China. Located in
Henan Province and positioned on two opposing bluffs above the Yi River, most of the artwork is
Buddhist in nature and dates to the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316 -907 AD). 2345
niches were carved from the rock, densely worked over the space of approximately a kilometer to
the north and south, and they house more than 100,000 statues (also carved from the rock).
Accompanying inscriptions bear more than 300,000 Chinese characters and are a treasure trove of
historical and linguistic data. The Longmen Grottoes are a masterpiece of Buddhist art and are
considered one of the world`s most important sculptural sites.
Through the centuries, natural and manmade factors have damaged the niches, sculptures and
paintings. Crevices across the rock base are causing instability and have resulted in the collapse of
some niches and the destruction of their contents. This process has been greatly accelerated by
increased saline sediments resulting from acid rain, a major problem across much of China. Salt
deposits have also built up in the niches themselves from slow permeation of acid rain into the
rock, which then seeps into the niches through fissures in the rock, severely damaging and rapidly
eroding many sculptures and paintings.
Taj Mahal, India, 2004
 SUMMARY OF THE
ANALYSIS IN PART-1 AND
PART-2
MOST OF THE COMMON BUILDING MATERIALS THAT HAVE EMERGED DUE TO TECHNOLOGY IN
THE NINETEENTH CENTUARY HAS AN BAD IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT FROM THE BEGINNING
{MANUFACTURING} TO APPLICATION,SO WE SHOULD MOVE TOWARDS OLD TRADITIONAL
BUILDING MATERIALS THAT HAVE HIGH ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINIBILITY.
-BY DEVAGYA GANDHI AND ‘’LESS IS MORE’’.

Construction and demolition waste is another important issue, as waste is often

dumped illegally in dams, river courses and any available hollow. If left unchecked,
dumping sites become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and vermin. High material
consumption rates are due to high material wastage, both as waste and as material
unnecessarily incorporated in the building. (Material wastage can be defined as the
amount of material consumed in addition to the planned amount.). Additionally,
research by Kleiwerks says that building material, such as concrete, aluminum, and
steel, are directly responsible for “large quantities of CO2 emissions” due to high
contents of “embodied energy content”, with 9.8 million tons of CO2 generated
from the production of “76 million tons of finished concrete in the US.” The
research also says that the construction sector’s current practices at reducing
pollutants, or omissions, are massively ineffective and may even “generate high
levels of greenhouse gas pollution.” Worryingly enough, construction activities
consume “half of all the resources” extracted from nature, and account for one-
sixth of global freshwater consumption, one-quarter of wood consumption, and
one-quarter of global waste,” according to the research. The effect of brick industry
on air was also studied. Kshipra village was chosen as control site and sampling
sites were Tapobhumi and Bhukimata. At all sites, suspended particulate matter,
SOx, NOx were analyzed and results show that all three parameters were
significantly higher than the contrsampling sites. Ahead of the major 2 day
conference on Advanced Building Skins, which is taking place 10-11 October in
Bern, Switzerland, Andreas Karweger examines how modern skyscrapers and their
glass facades can create dangers in the built environment…
Architects like to use highly reflective glass because it is particularly energy
efficient: most of the sunlight is therefore not able to penetrate the building, which
reduces the heat development inside. The natural surroundings are reflected in the
glass façades; birds don’t see them as an obstacle.
In North America, around one billion birds die every year due to collisions with
glass panes. The American Bird Conservancy has developed a programme together
with the Green Building Council which should motivate architects to not use as
much glass or to use façades which are equipped to protect against bird collisions.
However, people and buildings can also become ‘victims’ of the glare effect which
comes from glass façades or photovoltaic modules. Particularly in cities which are
located at the latitude of Seattle or London and the position of the sun is 20° or less
in summer, the reflection from glass façades is disruptive for motorists, explains
Vicente Montes-Amoros from the American engineering firm Curtain Wall Design &
Consulting.
Attack on cars, hotel guests and neighbouring buildings
In past years concavely formed façades in particular have received a lot of criticism,
as its glass, metal or steel reflect the sunlight onto one place like a magnifying
glass.
As a result, temperatures of over 100°C can be reached. Concave facades exist
because real estate companies enlarge the space of the more expensive, upper
levels, in order to achieve higher rental incomes.
Acid rain, a byproduct of the large-scale burning of sulfates and nitrates, has
been an observed phenomenon since the very earliest years of the industrial
revolution in 1872, when English scientist Robert Angus Smith wrote of its
corrosive effect on buildings and plants. As large amounts of these chemicals
are released into the atmosphere through such processes as the burning of
coal, they become bonded with water vapor held in clouds and are
subsequently released to the Earth in the form of highly acidic rainfalls.
While acid rain only causes indirect damage to living human beings, primarily
through its reactions with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) to form
ground-level Ozone (smog), it causes tremendous damage to soil fertility,
aquatic life, and durable inorganic materials such as stone and metals. Some
of the greatest measurable effects of acid rain can be observed on human
constructions, particularly old buildings with facades built of corrosion-prone
metals such as copper and porous stone such as limestone.
Unfortunately, buildings and monuments at most of the world's most
important heritage places were not built to withstand such toxic punishment,
and as many ofthese great sites are located in or near burgeoning industrial
cities, they have sustained considerable damage. In our modern global
economy, as developing countries such as China and India become
increasingly industrialized without implementing the stringent pollution
controls mostly adopted decades ago by older industrialized nations, many of
their greatest cultural treasures are at risk from their own runaway national
economic success.

BIBLOGRAPHY:
1.] See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this
publication at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290427381
Environmental Impact Of Construction Materials And
Practices
Thesis · May 2014
1 author:
Sanket SURESH Petkar
National Institute of Construction Management and
Research.
2.] Journal of Environmental Research And Development
Vol. 2 No. 3, January-March 2008
421
A STUDY OF IMPACT OF BRICK INDUSTRIES ON
ENVIRONMENTAND HUMAN HEALTH
IN UJJAIN CITY (INDIA)
Rizwana Khan and Harish Vyas*
Govt. Kalidas Girls College, Ujjain (INDIA)
3.] wikepidia.com
 THANK
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