Emerging Eco-Materials For Construction - 221012 - 091338
Emerging Eco-Materials For Construction - 221012 - 091338
Emerging Eco-Materials For Construction - 221012 - 091338
2.STRAW BALE
Everything old is new again! The pioneers used straw bale construction for their homes in the Great
Plains. Now this technique has been updated for the 21st century.
Straw bales are made from the waste of the agricultural industry. It is a substitute for lumber and still
sequesters carbon. Just be aware that the walls will be thicker than a conventional stick frame home.
These thick well insulated walls offer a very high R Value. Contrary to what you might believe,
straw bale homes are resistant to fire and can match your favorite aesthetic.
David Arkin, director of the nonprofit California Straw Building Association (CASBA), sums it
up “People will be impressed with how comfortable these homes are. The buildings keep warmer in
winter and cooler in summer.”
Straw-bale and Watershed Block home, Photo by Edward Caldwell, Courtesy of Arkin Tilt
Architects.
3.BAMBOO
Bamboo just might be the perfect sustainable alternative to wood. Although it resembles wood
aesthetically, bamboo is actually a member of the grass family — meaning bamboo regenerates
extremely quickly as compared to trees. In fact, bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on the
planet — depending on the type of bamboo and the region, sometimes up to 3 feet per day!
It’s not just the speedy growth rate that makes bamboo sustainable. For construction purposes,
bamboo can be harvested up to every 3 years; in contrast, trees can only be harvested every 25-50
years (depending on the tree species). The rise in popularity of bamboo has helped allow forests to
regenerate, and will continue to do so.
Bamboo is a sustainable alternative in many different applications, such as tiles, trim &
flooring, lumber, countertops, decking.
4.WOOL INSULATION
There are a number of different companies now offering sheep wool insulation. At Black Mountain
USA, insulation can be purchased in rolls and batts, much like fiberglass insulation. Yet wool has a
10% greater insulating factor and is able to absorb, retain and release moisture and still keep its
thermal properties. You will be warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Caragreen explains how wool can improve your indoor air quality by pulling harmful chemicals such
as formaldehyde, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide out of the air. They carry Havelock
Wool insulation in batt and also loose fill. Wool is also naturally flame resistant, sound deadening,
non-toxic, and biodegradable at end of life.
The manufacturing process for wool insulation, is sustainable in production, safer in installation (no
“space suits” needed), superior in its useful life. And when it reaches end of life, wool insulation is
compostable.
.BIOCOMPOSITES
There was a time when it was hard to imagine new buildings utilizing weeds, mutant fruits, or
invasive alien plant species as building materials. But the use of these materials, generally known as
“bioplastics” or “biocomposites,” is on the rise. Bioplastics are products that are derived from plant,
animal, fungal, and bacterial sources — and some of these materials can now be used for
construction applications. Development of new technologies means these biocomposites are
becoming easier and easier to produce, and at a higher quality. When it comes to sustainable
building, plant-based building materials are an incredibly exciting prospect!
.WOOD
Wait! Wood isn’t a new material. It’s true that wood is an old standard, but it is appearing in building
materials in innovative new ways. There are new ways to make use of scrap material or process the
wood for longevity and strength.
The wood itself is sequestering carbon in your building, and when coupled with sustainable forestry
practices can be a great choice for the planet.
MASS TIMBER
Cross-laminated-timber (CLT) and Glue-laminated timber (glulam) are increasing being used in
place of steel or concrete. With CLT, many smaller pieces of wood are glued together in layers which
are perpendicular to each other. Glulam positions the grain parallel with length. These mass timber
techniques (and others) result in a wood-based material with many compelling attributes.
SUSTAINABLE
Steel and concrete manufacturing are both high in carbon dioxide emissions. By comparison,
sustainably sourced timber is low net carbon. Also, cross-laminated-timber makes use of smaller
pieces of wood which allows for efficient usage of timber.
STRONG
Mass timber has very high strength to weight ratio. This allows mass timber to perform well in
seismic activity. There are even skyscrapers being built with mass timber.
FIRE RESISTANT
When exposed to fire, the char on the outside of mass timber forms an insulating layer which protects
the interior wood from damage. This allows it to retain support even in a fire.
COST EFFECTIVE
Mass timber buildings are faster to construct than concrete buildings due to prefabrication of the
elements offsite.
.LIVING ROOFS
Living roofs, or green roofs, are defined by the General Services Administration (GSA) as vegetated
roofs consisting of “a waterproofing membrane, growing medium (soil) and vegetation (plants)
overlying a traditional roof.” It’s a bit of a stiff definition, but these are anything but boring.Whether
you hire a pro like LiveRoof or go for DIY, they’re beautiful! The image below shows the green
roof The Goodson House (a living green demonstration building).
Smart Glass windows offer a solution to this problem. Smart glass (or smart windows) refers to glass
or glazing whose light transmission properties change depending on how light or heat is applied. In
general, the glass becomes translucent in the summer months to block certain wavelengths of the sun,
and transparent in the winter to let in the warming rays. This translates to yearly cost savings in terms
of both heating and cooling, as well as avoiding the cost and hassle of installing light screens or
blinds. Smart glass can even reduce fabric fading, as it blocks up to 99% of harmful UV light.
RAVENWINDOW
Smart Glass transitioning technology is at the heart of RavenWindow smart windows. The
RavenWindow thermochromic filter is applied to the inside surface of the exterior glass pane of a
double pane window. An air chamber separates the filter from both the interior glass pane and the
standard Low-E coating. It’s an unbeatable combination to keep buildings energy efficient year
round.
HALIO
Enjoy the view, but not the glare, or the heat. Now you can dispense with blinds and shades and still
control how much light enters your home. This could save you up to 20% on your energy bills.
Halio begins to tint in just 15 seconds and reaches maximum tint within 3 minutes with uniform
tinting. And you can choose almost unlimited tint level options as well as control of individual panels
of glass.
They offer two products, Halio and Halio Black. Halio Black can block up to 99.9% of visible light
for enhanced privacy and light reduction. Halio passes more light in the “clear” setting and is ideal
when you want to maximize natural light coming in to a space.
10.SHIPPING CONTAINERS
Shipping containers are a great example of some truly high-quality waste in our society. There
are millions of containers around the world, and they’re typically only used for shipping for about 20
years; at that point they’re often retired and disposed of, even though they’re still in great condition.
Not only are the containers plentiful — they’re inherently durable, relatively inexpensive, and eco-
friendly (since they’re reclaimed material). It comes as no surprise that these highly durable
containers are making their way into the green building scene. Containers have been used to build
houses, stores, artist studios, emergency shelters, school, hotels, labs, apartment buildings, and just
about anything else you can imagine.
Shipping containers made of aluminum or steel are inexpensive, and stronger than average, building
blocks — like giant, super-strength Legos. They can be modified and re-arranged to accommodate
endless design possibilities. Due to their durability and resistance to natural forces, containers are
naturally suited for post-disaster housing and community centers. But the design versatility and
sustainable nature of containers have captured the imagination of architects, designers, and
homeowners worldwide.