The construction industry currently finds itself at a green crossroads. As one of the world’s largest and most profitable industries, it’s also responsible for 23% of the world’s air pollution and a whopping 50% of both global climatic change and landfill waste according to research by construction blog Bimhow.
According to the Green Building Council, the UK construction sector uses more than 400 million tons of material a year, most of which has an adverse impact on the environment. However, construction firms can turn things around if they are able to take a serious look at the materials being used.
So how exactly are the most commonly used materials impacting our planet and what alternative materials should we be looking at for a greener future together?
Concrete
Concrete remains one of the most common building materials worldwide and with good reason – it’s cheap, durable, and (so far) plentiful.
However,cement production accounts for almost 5% of worldwide CO2 production, primarily because carbon dioxide is produced at two points during its production – the manufacturing stage and the thermal decomposition stage.
The carbon footprint of 1m3 (1 cubic metre) of concrete is around 150kg
Steel
Of all the metals used in construction, steel is amongst the most environmentally-friendly. It has a lower embodied carbon impact than concrete and generates less waste.
However, it’s still not as sustainable as wood and is heavy enough to require more energy to transport from location to location, which has a knock-on effect when it comes to carbon emissions.
The carbon footprint of 1m3 (1 cubic metre) of steel is around 18.5 tonnes.
Plastic (PVC)
As a building material,PVC is strong and has the added benefit of being quite resistant to weather, sunlight, oil and chemicals. However, it’s far from the most environmentally friendly of building materials. Oil and chlorine are used in its production (neither of which are exactly environmentally renowned) and it’s neither degradable or biodegradable.
Indeed, it’s been reported that PVC is perhaps the material that presents the most direct environmental impact of all building materials and yet over 33 million tons of it are still produced and used every year!
The carbon footprint of 1m3 of PVC is around 5 tonnes
Timber
We’ve already established that more traditional building materials are having a major impact on carbon emissions. Compared to most common alternatives, however, timber is significantly more environmentally friendly, with amaterial ECI per m2 of pile planking or sheet piling of just €0.19 compared to €26.44 for steel and €4.79 for PVC.
Not only that, but timber production has been proven to absorb CO2 and is significantly more renewable than steel and plastic. Indeed, according to Wood for Good, timber homes could effectively be used as ‘carbon banks’ to capture and store almost 4 million tonnes of CO2 every year!
The carbon footprint of 1m3 (1 cubic metre) of timber will depend on the specific wood used. Since timber is mostly made of carbon sucked from the atmosphere as the tree grows, the net result of using timber in your construction project will usually be negative emissions, which means your oak frame, decking, or cladding actually help to store carbon.
As an example: timber from Sweden has a net emission of 13-1502 = -1.49Kg of CO2 for every 1kg used (1m3 of Swedish Pine is about 530kg but it stores 789kg of CO2).
Wooden futures
Of course, the timber sector has suffered from something of an image problem in recent years, with some linking it to widespread deforestation. However, the vast majority of the timber used in construction issourced sustainably, particularly when compared to other more common materials.
Timber is a versatile and surprisingly strong building material that is lighter (so puts greater ease on transportation and foundations), more sustainable and easier to use than many common alternatives. So, why are only25% of new houses in the UK built with timber framing?
Maybe due to deeply ingrained myths and misconceptions surrounding it. But hopefully, we’ve been able to assuage some of those fears and help you to understand the environmental and economic benefits of using timber in future construction projects.
Sources
FAQs
The buildings and construction sector is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for a staggering 37% of global emissions. The production and use of materials such as cement, steel, and aluminum have a significant carbon footprint.
What is the most used building material on the planet? ›
Concrete is the most frequently used building material in the world. This is because the basis ingredients are available everywhere and it is relatively easy and cheap to produce.
What is the most common building material used? ›
1. Concrete. Concrete is one of the most common construction materials.
What are the best building materials that impact the environment? ›
On the sustainability side, mass timber serves as a viable substitute for traditional construction materials like steel and concrete, which have a higher carbon footprint. Using mass timber instead of conventional building materials can significantly reduce emissions.
Which material is used the most in our built environment? ›
Concrete has a low tensile strength, and are usually reinforced by steel bars inside to make is suitable for buildings. Reinforced concrete is the most common material used today for constructing the foundation stages of a building (walls, foundation, columns, etc.)
What are the common building materials and their uses? ›
Concrete: Versatile mixture of cement, water, and aggregates for structural elements. Steel: Strong material for frames, beams, and reinforcement in construction. Bricks: Clay-based blocks used for walls, facades, and partitions. Wood: Versatile and renewable material for framing, flooring, and finishes.
What is earth as a building material? ›
As a building material, earth is natural, recyclable, generally abundant and requires little energy to extract and prepare for use in construc- tion. Earthen structures can be erected quickly, are inexpensive, and have natural resistance to fire and insects.
What is the basic building material? ›
Bricks are one of the oldest and most fundamental building materials used in construction. They are typically made from clay that's fired in a kiln. Bricks are widely used for constructing walls, buildings, and various masonry constructions.
What is the most beautiful building material? ›
Stone/Limestone
You cannot deny the beautiful quality of aged stonework, which tells the story of what was and what has been. Stone buildings that have survived decades or even centuries magnificently present themselves as dominant structures softened and worn down by nature and the elements.
What makes green buildings so great for our planet? ›
Green buildings help reduce negative impacts on the natural environment by using less water, energy, and other natural resources; employing renewable energy sources and eco-friendly materials; and reducing emissions and other waste.
- Resources that are naturally found in the environment and are developed without the interference of humans.
- Common examples of natural resources include air, sunlight, water, soil, stone, plants, animals, and fossil fuels.
- Natural resources are of two types, renewable resources, and non-renewable resources.
Polyester and Nylon: Polyester and nylon are used extensively in fashion, as they're cheap and durable. However they're extremely hazardous to the environment, as they're non-biodegradable and unsustainable. The production of nylon emits nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that triggers the destruction of the ozone layer.
What is the longest lasting building material? ›
Brick. Brick is a sturdy building material that has been used for thousands of years for its durability. The reason brick is such a durable material is that, when heated through a kiln at up to 2,000 degrees, the clay particles fuse together to form a building material that is extremely long lasting.
How do building materials impact the environment? ›
The buildings and construction sector is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for a staggering 37% of global emissions. The production and use of materials such as cement, steel, and aluminum have a significant carbon footprint.
Why are building materials important? ›
These materials serve as the building blocks of our built environment, playing a crucial role in shaping its strength, durability, and overall appearance. The choice of building materials can significantly impact the quality, cost, and environmental sustainability of a project.
What is the number one strongest material on earth? ›
Graphene
The tensile strength and elastic modulus of graphene are 125Gpa and 1.1tpa, respectively, and its strength is 100 times that of ordinary steel. Bags made of graphene, which can hold about 2 tons of weight, are by far the strongest material known.
What is the hardest building material on earth? ›
Diamond is the hardest known material to date, with a Vickers hardness in the range of 70–150 GPa. Diamond demonstrates both high thermal conductivity and electrically insulating properties, and much attention has been put into finding practical applications of this material.
What is the strongest artificial material on earth? ›
The 10 Strongest Materials Known to Man
- Graphene. One-atom-thick sheets of carbon are 200 times stronger than steel.
- Buckypaper. Nanotechnology material made from tube-shaped carbon molecules 50,000 times thinner than human hair. ...
- Metallic Glass. ...
- Dyneema. ...
- Lonsdaleite. ...
- Wurtzite Boron Nitride. ...
- Diamond. ...
- Nanospheres / Nano-Kevlar. ...
Aluminum is one of the materials with the highest carbon footprint and is widely used due to its low maintenance and strength. It generates about 18,000 kg of embodied CO2 per cubic meter.
