Jan 2011

Sustainable homesWhich materials will you choose for your starter home?

Big issue in building materialsThe construction of homes in the UK uses a huge

amount of materials.

How can you choose materials that have less impact on the environment for your starter home?

Choosing your materials…Firstly, you could find out whether the building

material is renewable or non-renewable Renewable materials – are those that can be

replenished naturally. Here are a few examples,

Can you find out which renewable materials are available in your area?

straw bamboo wood

hemp

Non renewable materials… Non-renewable materials - means that once we’ve used

them, they will not be replenished

Will your company prefer to choose renewable or non renewable materials?

Scarce or plentiful?How much of the materials are left in the world? Scarce materials – are those where there is less available,

such as copper and lead.

Plentiful materials – are those that there is a lot more available to use, such as clay and earth.

Find out more about scarce and plentiful materials.Which materials do you think are more sustainable to use?

Embodied energy..Building materials often use lots of energy throughout their lifecycle.This use energy is called ‘embodied energy’.Look at the materials below and think about the energy used to;extract (take from the ground/sea, grown, etc).produce (the process involved in making the materials usable)transport (at each stage from extraction through to the building site).

Which materials do you think uses the most and least ‘embodied energy’?

Reuse and recycleThe building industry in the UK throws so much away each

year. It is estimated that building material accounts for 25% of materials in landfill sites.

So, can you design your starter home to: Include some material that may have otherwise be

thrown away? Choose building materials that are easy to reuse or

recycle, rather than those that will end up in landfill sites?

To sum up… Reduce…Building materials can have a massive impact on the environment.Choose your materials for your starter home wisely by thinking Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Reduce environment impact by selecting materials that are:

–Renewable and in plentiful supply.

–Less processed and are available locally, so that less energy is required to transport the materials to your site.

Reuse and recycle..

Consider how you could Reuse and Recycle materials.

Reuse: Use materials that may have ended up in landfill where possible in the construction of your starter home...

Recycle: Consider the use of materials that are biodegradable or are recyclable to avoid materials ending up in landfill sites.