Sustainable Building Techniques and Materials

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MAJOR PROJECT IN CONSTRUCTION
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Executive summary
Buildings normally consume a very high amount of energy and at the same time
generates a huge amount of wastes. The construction methods which are currently
employed in the construction industry tie us into the future patterns of energy and
resources use, waste emission and the environmental damage. When our houses are poorly
designed hey leave a lasting legacy for the coming generations which extends adverse
economic, environmental and social effects through their life cycle (Dhir, 2018, p. 782).
Usually there are many definitions of sustainable buildings in regards to the economic,
social and environmental issues which are commonly referred to as the ‘triple bottom line’;
social in terms of adding quality to the quality of life for the people, economic in terms of
improving wealth and environmental in terms of reducing the effects the building has on
the natural environment. Nevertheless, the ‘triple bottom line' of the sustainability is usually
open-ended and the ecological aspiration greatly vary , more recently focusing on the
aspects which relate to water conservation, transport, and biodiversity in general. A current
significant focus is being placed on the environmental and energy performance of the
building, with certain main aims which involve the reduction of the associated carbon
emission and energy costs. Recognizing and improving many sustainable building materials
and construction practices which can help in minimizing wastes and the ones which are
environmental friendly is identified as the significant aspect of the sustainable building design
(Bryan, 2017, p. 174).
All the sustainable buildings must be resilient to climate change and at the same be
adaptable , durable and flexible in order to increase the life-span of the building. This ‘cradle to
Cradle' approach refers to the building which is designed to be deconstructed and where the

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materials are capable of being recycled . The design parameters for buildings which are
considered sustainable have therefore increased to include more complex performance-
related criteria, and due to that, the architects have been forced to adopt a more holistic
perspective during the design phase of the building. The sustainable buildings still remain,
nevertheless, far from the mainstream products (Lynn, 2015, p. 93). Actually, there are a
limited number of contemporary exemplars and the demonstration projects from which to
learn good practices. Even though this number has greatly expanded in the recent past. The
construction industry can be viewed as a large and a fragmented and slow to respond to
change, preferring the tried and the tested technique . The drivers to a more sustainable built
environment will increase legislation and hence raising the cost , if not ethics.
Introduction
Buildings have a great impact on the environment, whereby buildings consume approximately
40% of the natural resources extracted in industrialized nations, consuming approximately 70%
of electricity and 12 % of the potable water and at the same time generating between 45 and
65% of the wastes which are disposed in the landfills (Gurmel S. Ghataora, 2011, p. 26).
Also, buildings are responsible for the massive amount of the harmful emissions , which
accounts for 30% of the greenhouses , because of their operations and addition for 18 percent
of induced directly by materials used in the construction process (Torgal, 2010, p. 778).
Considerable initiatives have been put in place to find alternative sustainable construction
mat6erails and construction practices which can help in the reduction of the wastes generated
from the buildings and the effects which buildings have on the environment. Adoption of
green construction materials is one of the best approaches to meet the objectives. Selection of the

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construction materials which have minimum environmental impacts is very important in the
construction of sustainable buildings.
Aims and objectives
The main aim of this research is to find out the construction materials and construction
practices which can be put in place to assist in reducing the number of wastes generated in
buildings and the effects of buildings on the environment. With that there was a need to set up
some specific objectives which were to aid in achieving the main aim of the research and they
include;
1. Finding out what are sustainable buildings
2. Establish sustainable construction materials
3. Find out the effects of buildings on the environment
4. To discuss the sustainable construction practices which are required to be adopted
during construction to reduce wastes and impacts on the environment.
Significance of the research
Building materials are a very important component of the buildings. The physical , chemical and
mechanical properties of materials, as well as the correct building design, greatly contributes
to the strength of the building and the impacts which the building has on the environment.
The construction methods which are currently employed in the construction industry tie
us into the future patterns of energy and resources use, waste emission and the
environmental damage. When our houses are poorly designed hey leave a lasting legacy for
the coming generations which extends adverse economic, environmental and social effects
through their life cycle. The findings of this research will be of great importance in assisting

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different parties in the construction industry to select the appropriate material which can assist
in the reduction of waters and impacts which the buildings have on the environment.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Sustainable building techniques
In the current world and state, there comes a need and requirement that the used building
techniques aimed towards conserving the environment and reduction in waste too. This is so for
efficiency in design, be able to avoid wastage of materials for future use and ensure a profit
realization out of it, and also to ensure that after the application of a particular technique, the
environment remains safe and conserved. They include
1. Construction waste management technique.
This technique comes along will a call to responsibility, where everyone has to take up their
primary and apt role to ensure that the management of waste is done to the latter and that the
environment is conserved alongside too. The application of the triple Rs can achieve the
technique; i.e., reducing, recycling, and reusing of waste materials. Thus ensuring that the
materials that would have been waste are used for doing something else; is recycled and thus
transformed into other forms to perform a different function and therefore the environment is
kept clean from the dumping of such waste (Braganca, 2016, p. 983).
This can be done through the creation of laws that would govern the practice of waste
management. The government can enact strict rules that would help in the conservation. In
Kenya, the government came up with a law that banned the use of plastic bags because when
dumped they do not decompose thus pollute the soil; they also cause suffocation to small
children who may not be in a position to know the risk while playing with them, and also affect

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animals by causing indigestion after being eaten accidentally. They instead suggested the use of
woven bags that can be reused again and again; use of paper that can decompose upon being
thrown away.
The government can also put strict penalties that come with a longer jail term of upon breaking
of the rules. These would serve as a lesson to the victims and also to the rest of the citizens.
2. The prefabrication of materials in controlled environments
Prefabrication of materials means that the material to be used in construction is fully or partially
assembled in the factory then brought wholly into the site ready for use. This can also be done
not only on materials but also on the concrete whereby it’s designed in the industry and brought
on site when ready for use (Silva, 2017, p. 40). For concrete, it’s done by pouring the required
concrete structure into an already set formwork in the industry as per the structure to be built.
Then all the setting and curing processes are done and transported ready for use. This saves a lot
of time, and it also improves the quality of output rather than on-site since it may not provide the
required environment to produce the quality needed in concrete.
Nowadays, this is done by the use of Building Information Modelling system to determining the
measurements. The advantage of the use of BIM is that it is accurate, reducing waste of materials
thus conserving the environment by the reduction in waste. It helps maintain the required
standards in construction since it will produce the required measurement of materials that would
fit as commanded and therefore, reduction of wastage that may come as a result missing
inaccuracy.
Benefits of the use of Prefabricated Construction