Introduction
The concept of sustainable or green building integrates & incorporates a wide range of approaches during the design, construction & execution of building projects. The utilization of green building products & materials signifies an important approach in the design of a building.
Green building materials provide certain benefits to the building occupants & building owner:
- Energy conservation.
- Reduced maintenance/replacement costs over the life of the building.
- Better design flexibility.
- Enhanced occupant health & productivity.
- Lower costs associated with changing space configurations.
Construction & building activities globally utilize raw materials of 3 billion tons each year or 40% of total worldwide use. Using green building products and materials encourages conservation of dwindling nonrenewable resources internationally. Moreover, integrating green building materials into building projects can help in decreasing the environmental effects following the extraction, processing, transport, fabrication, installation, recycling, reuse, & dumping of these building industry source materials.
Rather than nonrenewable resources, green building materials are composed of renewable resources.
What is Green Building?
“Green building,” or sustainable design & construction provide a chance to use resources more efficiently, while creating healthier & more energy-efficient residential homes & commercial buildings. Fruitful green buildings have lighter effects on the environment by conserving resources, and at the same time harmonizing cost-effectiveness, energy-efficient, low-maintenance products for construction needs. Green-building design also comprises finding the subtle balance amongst home building & a sustainable environment.
Overall material/product selection criteria:
- Indoor air quality
- Resource efficiency
- Water conservation
- Affordability
- Energy efficiency
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Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is improved with materials that satisfy the following standards:
- Minimal chemical emissions: Material that have negligible productions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Products that also maximize resource & energy efficiency whereas reducing chemical emissions.
- Low or non-toxic: Materials that discharge few or no carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, or irritants as showed by the manufacturer through appropriate testing.
- Moistureresistant:Â Products & systems that prevent moisture or obstruct the evolution of biological contaminants in buildings.
- Low-VOC assembly: Materials fixed with minimal VOC-producing compounds, or no-VOC mechanical attachment methods & minimal hazards.
- Systems or equipment:Material that stimulate healthy IAQ by identifying indoor air pollutants or augmenting the air quality.
- Healthfully maintained: Materials, components, & systems that need only non-toxic, simple, or low-VOC approaches of cleaning.
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Resource Efficiency can be stretched by the materials, which satisfy the below mentioned criteria:
- Natural, renewable: Materials reaped from sustainably managed sources and rather have an independent certification (e.g., certified wood) & are certified by an independent third party.
- Recycled Content: Products with recognizable recycled content, counting postindustrial content with a preference for postconsumer content.
- Locally available: Building materials, components, & systems available locally or regionally saving energy & resources in transportation to the project site.
- Resource effective manufacturing approach:Material manufactured with resource-efficient processes with reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste (recyclable, recycled & or source reduced product packaging), & reducing greenhouse gases.
- Recyclable or reusable:Choose materials that can be easily dismantled and reused or recycled at the end of their beneficial life.
- Refurbished, remanufactured, or salvaged: Comprises saving a material from disposal & renovating, repairing, restoring, or usually refining the appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or value of a product.
- Durable: Materials that are long lasting or are similar to conventional products with long life prospects.
- Recycled or recyclable product packaging: Products packaged with recycled content or recyclable packaging.
Materials having following criteria can be said to be Water Conservative:
- Systems & products that help preserve water in buildings & decrease water consumption in landscaped areas
Affordability can be measured when building product life-cycle costs are akin to conventional materials or as a whole, are within a project-defined percentage of the overall budget.
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Energy Efficiency can be made the most by using materials & systems that have below property:
- Materials, components, & systems that help preserve energy consumption in buildings & facilities.