Sustainable Building Materials to consider for your house construction

The thing that I champion is sustainability, my fear is that suddenly we see it as a luxury, not as essential. That is the danger. – Kevin Mc Cloud. 

  

Historically homes and dwelling were made keeping in mind the topography, climatic conditions and available material at hand. People who lived in these homes did not need modern facilities and could acquire the desired effect just by a thorough understanding of their surroundings and using building materials appropriately.

In a globalized universe where everything looks like the other, whether they are airports, malls or homes, the knowledge and understanding of indigenous materials have diminished. However, there are many environmentally conscious individuals and conservationists who use eco-friendly materials for their projects. There are abundant sustainable building materials to choose from before starting the construction of your project. 

1. Bamboo is an extraordinary material to consider while constructing a home. Considered a traditional material, Bamboo grows abundantly and rapidly. It produces oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide, which makes it perfect for climate change. Bamboo has been very sustainable, cost-effective and durable and should be considered to build a sustainable and eco-friendly home.  Bamboo is also very versatile and can be used for flooring, roofing, concrete reinforcement, scaffolding, piping and walls.  There are numerous advantages of bamboo. Not only is it very flexible and can take the shape and form of your desired pattern but also it absorbs shock and is perfect for earthquake resistance homes. Due to its lightweight, installation, and transportation, the basic cost of construction comes down. Lastly due to longevity it is a perfect choice for people who desire a house that emulates their natural surroundings. 

 2. Earth construction is basically constructing and working with raw earth/dirt. There are various techniques to use earth depending on the quality and composition of soil. In the realm of sustainable homes, we can categorize earth constructions under the following categories. 

Ø Cob Buildings is the most archaic method yet most cost-effective and efficient for building homes. Cobs are made of moist soil and straw and kneaded into mud loaves that are joined together by the hands to create the desired design. Once Cob dries it becomes almost as hard as concrete. One can create walls up to six feet wide, which can be finished with lime plaster or clay.  

Ø Rammed earth is also an option for sustainable homes. It is a technique of constructing foundations, floors and walls using natural raw material such as earth, chalk, lime, and gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived. Rammed earth is simple to manufacture, non-combustible, strong and durable. There are shortcomings with rammed earth such as they are can be damaged by water leakage if not maintained but if used efficiently, this is a good solution. 

Ø Wattle and Daub is the method of building vertical wooden stakes or wattles with horizontal branches and then daubing it with clay or mud. This technique has been used for nearly 6000 years and is still an important construction method in some parts of the world.

Ø Light Straw Clay is essentially composed of straw and clay and is much lighter than walls made of cob and rammed earth. Light straw is an excellent choice to build a sustainable home since it can be filled in nearly any kind of wall framing, be it timber, lumber or pole framing. Also, Light straw-clay is less time consuming than cob and rammed earth so using it can be cost-effective.

Ø Earth bricks are made from earth and straw mix and placed in molds to form bricks and then dried in the sun. These bricks are load-bearing but have very poor insulation. 

Ø Earthen floors are constructed with sand, finely chopped straw and clay. The mixture is thickened and spread on the surface. A drying oil like linseed oil is usually used to seal the floor and protect it from wear and tear. Earthen floors have a long life and were prevalent in 14-century Europe. In medieval times, nearly all the peasants had earthen floors.

 3. Recycled Concrete is a fantastic method of reducing your carbon footprint in this world since layers and Layers of construction debris such as concrete; asphalt, gypsum, bricks, metals, etc. accumulate in landfills. In this method, concrete aggregates are put through a crushing machine so that it can be reused. Concrete used in this method should not contain trash, paper or wood. However, there are magnetic methods to extract metal from the debris. Recycled concrete is becoming very popular and is used as gravel in many construction projects. With the ever-growing population, there is a constant need for construction. Small buildings give way to high-rise ones. Breaking down these buildings creates construction waste which most often ends up in landfills. Hence if adequate measures are taken and this waste is recycled, not only is it cost-effective but also reduces the pressure on the world resources. 

4. Terracotta Roof Tiles are environmentally friendly and a must be used if you are planning a sustainable home. Research has revealed that 39 percent of energy cost goes into cooling and heating a house, thus by using Terracotta tiles one can easily cut down this energy cost. These tiles have a long shelf life and date back to 700 BC. The spread of Terracotta roof tiles was directly linked with rise in architecture in ancient Greece. These tiles have a fantastic aesthetic appeal as well. 

5. Use of Plaster / Paint is natural, non-toxic, biodegradable and sustainable way to treat your walls. This treatment allows the wall to breathe so that the moisture inside the house can escape. If you are looking for a home which aims to look after the planets wellbeing then consider some important factors while choosing your paint. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the paints cause skin, nose and eye irritation, the stench of this new age paint is unbearable and they need touch-ups very often. While making an educated choice you should look for paints that have low VOC or ‘Zero VOC’.

With such a wide range of naturally available material, it becomes imperative as a concerned and informed individual to make the correct choices while making your dream home. 

Imagine in a world where every single person is conscious and uses available natural resources optimally, don’t you think our carbon footprint will reduce? Don’t you think we can change the tide and have a greener less cluttered world for our children? Don’t you think we can sleep at night knowing we have done our bit not only for ourselves but also for our planet. 

Examples:

1. A home like Hombelaku is a great example of an eco-friendly home. Karunaprasad Kanavi and his Vishakha Kanavi, an artist, along with their son Kushal, are the residents of this beautiful house. Amongst many of the houses’ salient features are the handmade mud blocks. Clay and mud blocks have been used for construction instead of bricks. The walls are plastered to avoid usage of lead and simple kota tiles and Give the example later)

2. The need of the hour is to reduce the use of plastic and what better way than to use it as pillars for strengthening your build while designing your home.  In the Philippines, Gonzales created an incredible movement called the ‘Plastic solution’.  It is an environmental initiative that hopes to encourage individuals and businesses to put this into action. The campaign was to encourage people to stuff as much of non-biodegradable trash into plastic bottles tightly, until its too full to squeeze, then leave these bottles at a drop off site where people could collect it to reuse it as bricks for construction. This campaign did very well and the community came together to make eco-friendly homes with plastic bricks. [1]