Earthen building materials

Environmental impacts of natural and

conventional building materials

1-This study compares the environmental impacts

of earthen plasters (based on clay) with
those of conventional industrial plasters (based on
cement or hydraulic lime) from a life cycle perspective.

2- Results show that the environmental performances of

earthen materials, whose production is based on simple
processes requiring relatively small amounts of energy,
are substantially better than those of conventional
plasters.

3- This highlights the importance of finding local sources

of raw materials to avoid nullifying the environmental
benefits of natural building products.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652614005514
Old buildings VS New buildings

Old Buildings: Modern buildings:

1. Old buildings are built with
large and spacious areas
and they are also
environment friendly.
2. Old buildings are constructed
using minimum energy and
they used to create less
waste compare to the
modern buildings.
3. Old buildings are built with
thicker wall which makes
them strong and durable
4.  trees are planted minimum
two meter away from the
periphery of the old building,
so the roots or any other part
of trees will not affect the
building in future
5. Old buildings comprise
strong base and they are
built with better quality of
materials
1. modern buildings are made
with thin partition wall or
partition board which are
more prone to the cracks
and they do not ensure the
longer life of the buildings
2. Modern buildings have
amenities like (gymnasium,
swimming pool on upper
floor, inside car parking),
though they are designed for
each loud, sometime the
faulty design and drawing
may lead to the problems
like cracks and corrosion.

 From the aforementioned comparison of new building vs old buildings, we can

say that modern buildings are more prone to cracks compared to the old
buildings. Nowadays so many old buildings are being renovated or restored to
get the maximum economic benefits from them.
 New emerging building materials should be replaced with the old ones to
improve and helps in recycling of the materials and save energy and make
countries pollution free.

https://gharpedia.com/cracks-in-buildings-contemporary-old-buildings/
 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING MATERIALS
These are the ecological materials that can make architecture
sustainable.

1. Timber is the material with the lowest environmental impact on its

production and life cycle and has to be certified so that we can be
sure about its sustainable production and origin.

2. Isolation renewable materials: These are completely recyclable

and compostable, such as cellulose, which can be derived from
newspapers or paper that are discarded. They cannot generate
wastes and must attain the highest efficiency when regulating the
temperature, paper-based insulation is a superior alternative to
chemical foams. Both insect resistant and fire-retardant thanks to
the inclusion of borax, boric acid, and calcium carbonate (all
completely natural materials that have no associations with health
problems), paper insulation can be blown into cavity walls, filling
every crack and creating an almost draft-free space.

3. Paints and wood treatments: These have to be natural with no

substances harming the ozone layer and without solvents or any
other chemical products.
https://www.activesustainability.com/construction-and-urban-development/sustainable-
building-materials/

4. Wool Bricks: sustainable, non-toxic, using abundant local materials that would
mechanically improve the bricks’ strength’, these wool bricks are exactly what the
name suggests. Simply by adding wool and a natural polymer found in seaweed to
the clay of the brick, the brick is 37% stronger than other bricks, and more resistant
to the cold wet climate often found in Britain. They also dry hard, reducing the
embodied energy as they don’t need to be fired like traditional bricks.
5. Solar tiles: Traditional roof tiles are either mined from the ground or set from
concrete or clay – all energy intensive methods. Once installed, they exist to simply
protect a building from the elements despite the fact that they spend a large portion
of the day absorbing energy from the sun. With this in mind, many companies are
now developing solar tiles. Unlike most solar units which are fixed on top of existing
roofing, solar tiles are fully integrated into the building, protecting it from the weather
and generating power for its inhabitants.

http://thisbigcity.net/five-sustainable-building-materials-that-could-transform-construction/
 What are Ancient Builds building materials

The Egyptian Pyramids (2500 B.C.)

 imestone, granite, basalt, gypsum (mortar), and
baked mud bricks

Roman Colosseum(Rome, 80 A.D.)

 different types of stone- Bricks- iron- Marble-
Lime(binder for the cement)- Cement

Great Wall of China (Northern China, 210 B.C)

 stone, brick, lime, and wood

Theatre of Marcellus (Rome, 12 B.C.)

 Tuff (Stone)- concrete- limestone

https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/g2606/most-impressive-
ancient-builds/
 How do buildings affect climate change?

A milder climate will reduce the durability

of building materials and affect the
indoor climate of buildings. ... Higher
groundwater levels, higher water levels in streams
and watercourses, and greater risk of storm
surges along the coastline, make it pertinent to
safeguard buildings against seepage and flooding

Construction sector is considered as one of the main sources of

environmental pollution in the world. It has massive direct and indirect
effects on the environment. Gaza Strip is witnessing widespread
construction projects which increase the pressure on the ecosystem and
generate various pollutants. Gaza Strip is suffering from weak and
deteriorating ecosystems due to limited natural resources, deteriorating
economic and political situation, escalating population growth, and lack of
awareness of environmental issues. The aim of this paper is to assess the
environmental impacts due to construction projects activities in Gaza
Strip and propose some suggestions in curbing down these adverse
impacts. A total of 50 questionnaires were distributed to professionals
The environmental
working in the construction industry.
impacts are categorized into three safeguard
subjects: ecosystems, natural resources and
public impacts. The results of this study revealed
that dust generation, noise pollution, operations
with vegetation removal, and air pollution are the
most significant environmental impacts of
construction projects. The results also revealed
that labors and those who are working in
construction sector are the most slices of people
exposing every day to health problems such as
respiratory problems, liver, cancer, hearing
impairment, hypertension, annoyance, sleep
disturbance, and other cardiovascular adverse
effects. In addition, the public impact was found as
the most important category that affects the environment in Gaza Strip.
It is recommended to enhance the knowledge and awareness of
construction participants with regard to environmental impacts of
construction and enact strict laws to attempt curbing down the adverse
impacts of construction such as enforcing institutions to conduct
environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the early stage of the projects.
The results of this study can help decision makers to identify major
construction impacts on environment and make environmentally friendly
construction plans in the early stages of construction.