Sustainable building materials can be defined as materials with overall
superior performance in terms of specified criteria. The following criteria are
commonly used:
• Locally produced and sourced materials
• Transport costs and environmental impact
• Thermal efficiency
• Occupant needs and health considerations
• Financial viability
• Recyclability of building materials and the demolished building
In our current global setting, building construction and operation results in
50% of all CO2 emissions worldwide. Five to ten tons of cement are used
to build the average middle class house, and for every ton of cement
manufactured, a ton of CO2 is released, (Department of Local Government
and Housing. 2007), Thermally efficient, low CO2 emission, structurally
sound and inexpensive materials and technologies exist, some of which
have been used for centuries. Materials that have great potential for
building include adobe, sandbag construction, cob, thatch, brick, stone,
hemp and the use of recycled materials. Other low-cement options,
including SABS approved compressed earth blocks (CEBs) are currently
being investigated and proposed for sustainable neighbourhood designs.
It is important to use local and unprocessed building materials that
minimize transport and manufacturing energy and air pollution. This also
creates local employment. The more localized the project, the more money
stays within the community. The next section explores building options that
use local and recyclable materials which are thermally efficient and cost
effective.
Recycled Building Materials
Recycling is an essential ingredient of green building that reduces non-
renewable inputs, especially mining activities, energy use and
transportation costs. This includes the use of waste products and used
building materials. It is especially important to reuse environmentally
unfriendly materials that leach toxic materials into the soil and ground
water, or release methane into the atmosphere when dumped in landfills.
Earthbag construction has
recently become a popular
natural building technique.
Sandbags have long been used
by the military to create bunkers
and other structures. They are
literally dirt cheap, as they use local sand and low-cost polypropylene or
geo-fabric bags. The technique is ideal in sandy areas such as the Cape
Flats. No bricks or concrete blocks have to be moved, which means there
is no energy embodied in transport.
Eco Beam Technologies in Epping developed a sandbag home building kit
and a process consisting of three steps. A structure is erected using eco-
beams/lattice beams made of two wooden struts connected with zig-
zagged aluminium strips to provide rigidity and strength. The frame is then
fi lled in with sand bags to form the walls. The bags rest on each other and
are not cemented together like
concrete blocks. Plumbing and wiring
are routed through the timber uprights.
The sandbag walls are then covered
with chicken mesh wire, dampened
and plastered. Sandbag walls cannot
crack, are fi reproof, good insulators
and resist water penetration.
Construction is much cheaper than with brick or concrete blocks, and
sandbag houses are ‘eco-friendly’. Sandbag building is adaptable to a wide
range of site conditions and available fill materials. It demands fewer skills,
sandbag construction is easy to learn and sandbag buildings can be built
much faster than conventional brick and mortar buildings. The eco beam
system is suited for housing delivery on scale and provides job
opportunities in local communities. This building method has great potential
in the low-cost housing sector in SA.
PRE CAST CONCRETE
Precast concrete is environmentally sound, economical to use and
contributes to social responsibility. It reduces the amount of materials used,
reusing construction processes like molds and forms while recycling
materials such as concrete aggregates and additives.
For decades,
builders around
the world have
used precast
concrete
sustainably.
Although the
process has
been refined to a
high science, new technology continues to advance materials and casting
processes. That’s exciting as precast concrete’s evolution continues to add
value to sustainable buildings and occupant wellbeing.
Precast concrete production is done off the construction site in climate-
controlled factory conditions where critical factors like temperature and
humidity are tightly regulated. The manufacturing process uses assembly-
line principles where highly skilled and specialized workers automate or
oversee repetitive tasks. They ensure quality control by meeting optimum
conditions and ensuring consistency in concrete contents.
The manufacturing process of precast concrete starts with specific
engineered designs calling for the cast products’ physical dimensions and
internal structural makeup. That includes the span and depth of precast
products along with details like concrete strength through mix design and
reinforcement requirements.
HOW IS PRE CAST CONCRETE SUSTAINABLE?
Precast concrete and environmental responsibility are entirely compatible.
Sustainability in concrete products comes right from the constituent
materials used in making concrete. It doesn’t use scarce resources that are
hard to obtain, expensive to purchase or difficult to work with.
Concrete consists of several naturally occurring ingredients. Portland
cement is a blend of limestone, silica and minute amounts of several
chemicals.
Concrete aggregates consist of naturally occurring gravel, sand or rock
that’s crushed to a particular screen size. Aggregates lend well to recycled
material like old concrete harvested from demolition sites or excess spillage
from the manufacturing process. All sorts of natural mineral compounds are
mined and made into aggregates. Some previously manufactured products
are recycled into concrete mixes, including glass.
BENEFITS:
Precast manufacturing holds tighter tolerances and precise mixture
proportions.
The factory settings greatly reduce waste. That includes waste from
excessive concrete, formwork and bracing, packaging and debris that
accumulates on cast-in-place sites.
Precast manufacturing businesses recycle waste material. That results in
less material sent to landfills or dumped into the environment.
Plant conditions create less dust. This is healthier for workers protected by
ventilation equipment and personal protective equipment like respirators.
Properly designed precast structural members are smaller in size and use
less material than products built on-site. This means less material must be
harvested from the environment and results in less to dispose of when the
building’s lifecycle is over.
The workplace environment is healthier for factory employees than those
who work on construction sites. Internal shop environments have controlled
conditions where air quality, noise and safety hazards are addressed.
Most ingredients used in precast concrete are locally produced, and
aggregates are mined within a short distance of production. Many precast
facilities are located right at the aggregate pit or nearby. This greatly
reduces hauling trips, which decreases highway traffic, fuel consumption
and exhaust levels that present a risk to the public.
Energy conservation is a huge factor in creating sustainability in buildings.
Operating costs are one of sustainability’s key tenets. Precast concrete’s
thermal mass absorbs and releases heat slowly. This can equate to long-
term energy savings through years of cooling and heating the building,
especially when combined with insulation.
Indoor air quality is higher in buildings made with precast concrete
components. Many architects specify precast pieces to serve for interior
finishes, as well as exterior exposure. Exposed interior concrete surfaces
have no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that offgas toxic chemicals.
Concrete finishes inside buildings have an attractive aesthetic appearance
and reduce costs by eliminating other types of finishes.
Precast concrete is truly a sustainable green product, is also highly
durable and uses an extremely low water-cement ratio.
