Environmental Sustainability in Construction: Selection of Low Carbon Construction Materials

This article discusses the selection of low carbon construction materials for environmental sustainability in construction. It outlines factors to consider before selecting building materials, innovative construction processes, energy consumption management, renewable energy sources, and recycling and reuse. The article also highlights the feasibility and challenges of implementing net-zero energy homes.

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Environmental Sustainability in Construction
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Selection of Low Carbon Construction Materials
We often need building materials to carry out the construction processes of structures
successfully. These materials include items such as steel, cement, building blocks, and many
others. These materials often undergo many procedures to make them ready for consumption
on the construction sites. While assessing these processes, it is relevant to conclude that every
single process involved in material production and delivery to the construction site requires
energy. This energy would be measured regarding carbon emission. Embodied carbon of a
structure would, therefore, be an inclusive combination of all the carbon emissions generated
during the manufacture and transportation of the building materials used to construct the
structure. Designers are required to make selections of materials of less embodied emissions
to build a Net Zero Building. Designers should make considerations about the recyclability of
the materials chosen for the construction of the structure.
Below is a list that outlines the factors that should be considered before the selection of the
building materials to be used in the building of a structure.
 Distance is directly proportional to the carbon emissions of the materials. Hence,
designers should consider the distance between the site of use and place of
production.
 There should be less raw materials used in the production of the materials selected
 The complexity of production is directly proportional to the carbon emissions of the
material; hence, designers should choose materials whose production processes are
simple.
 There should be a minimum wastage of materials during construction

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 There should be a possibility of recycling the materials selected since it reduces the
energy consumption that would rather be used up in the reproduction of new
materials.
 These materials used should be sourced from renewable energy as it lowers the
consumption of energy hence low emission.
 These materials should have a high energy efficiency to contribute to the building
energy rating.
Researchers have spent decades trying to unmask the concept of materials that are of low
carbon emission. A result of this research has been manufacturing more law carbon emitting
materials. Some of these materials have been used in the Redesign House as well.
 Autoclaved Aerated Concrete: this is concrete that has low embodied energy. It also
acts as a sound and thermal insulation. This concrete is manufactured by heating a
mixture of foaming agents and general concrete with steam. This concrete is
lightweight since it has many closed air spaces making it energy efficient and with
sound and thermal insulation properties.
 Recycled Metals: The recycling of already manufactured and used metals produces
these recycled metals. Production of metals consumes a high amount of energy at the
initial manufacturing hence emitting a lot of carbon. Recycling these metals reduces
the embodied energy by exponent amounts.
 Insulating concrete forms: they the segmental components that are made by filling
concrete with polystyrene foam. They form blocks by interlocking with each other.
Joining and stacking these materials together with insulations makes them gain
structural support and thermal mass as well. Such materials stand a better chance in

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favoring projects that are after gaining zero carbon and thermal performance of high
value.
Low carbon materials make a significant contribution to the construction industry.
Construction designers have a full mandate of implementing the usage of these materials as
they make the budgeting to the clients. There should be a policy to make such materials
locally available to increase their usability in projects.
Innovative Construction Process
All sectors of life have been affected by the raise awareness of sustainable development and
increased climatic changes. Every area of life is struggling to limit the rate and amount of
carbon emissions and the production of greenhouse gasses. This has led to new innovative
equipment and implementation of advanced techniques and methodologies in construction.
Major advancements have been reached in the sector of construction as a result of high
research. Government policies concerning energy ratings have affected the way new
buildings are carried out leading to processes that are conscious of low carbon emissions.
This has changed the production sector as more materials produced are of low carbon
emission. Materials that have been created in this line are not only low carbon but also reduce
the amount of energy consumption since they are energy efficient.
There has been an adoption of Precast Construction methods which reduce onsite
construction wastes and the in-situ construction carbon emissions. This type of construction
requires a different casting of members in a different place and have them relocated and
placed at the needed sites.

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Implementation of Passive Solar and Radiant Heating in construction is a masterpiece
technique that includes the diversion of the sun rays to various parts of the structure to raise
the interior temperatures during winter. During summer, there is a similar diversion of a cool
breeze to different interior parts of the structure to lower the temperatures.
There has been an adoption of better thermal insulation materials which reduce the cooling
and heating load of the structure. Double glazed windows are getting preference over the
single glazed ones; triple glazed windows have also shown a higher preference. There has
also been the manufacturing of better glass which is improved to have low emission, a better
u-value with a higher gain of solar heating. There has been processing and production of
materials that are of better R-value which has increased the general insulation of structures.
Management of Operative Energy Consumption and Consumption Behavior
In the construction of structures, energy administration is a technique of checking, controlling
and decreasing the rate of energy consumption. Refined policies get implemented after a
record of energy consumption has been taken. This implementation is vital in meeting the
energy efficiency strategies in sustainable development in the construction sector. These
policies help construction companies move towards better energy usage patterns. In structural
construction, there should be a minimal application of materials that require high initial
capital. Major equipment that needs top operative energy such as elevators, lighting systems,
etc. needs to be selected wisely during the design phase of the project.
Taking measurements of energy demand encourages less usage of energy by the consumers.
Tactical consumption of energy would be implemented by variation in the timing of
consumer demands more so at peak hours. This type of management would not implicitly
reduce the total energy demands but would significantly reduce the peak demand.

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Designing structures in such a way that they utilize the natural light during the day is a vital
method of managing energy consumption. The important factors to be considered in making
this mode of management possible include building orientation, windows and doors
placement. In managing the internal temperatures of the house, the house should be
surrounded by trees which in return provide a serene atmosphere and also absorbs carbon
(IV) oxide emitted from the structural appliances.
During construction, it is vital to select materials that consume less energy. In well-spaced
areas, designers should construct hollow walled building which provides a good thermal
insulation of the structure. Plasterboards and insulating materials would be used for
constructing interior and exterior walls in regions that have large temperature variations in a
day. In addition, energy saving appliances like water heaters, lighting systems and escalators
should be used in structures to minimize energy consumption.
Renewable Energy Sources
The everlasting benefits of renewable energy sources call for usage and promotion in the
construction sector. Renewable energy reis sourced from sources that rapidly get replaced by
natural processes such as solar or wind.
Solar energy: The photovoltaic effect makes use of the photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight
into electricity. Panels can be installed on roofs of structures where maximum sunlight can be
harnessed. Some technologies that make use of solar energy include PV systems, solar
electricity, house lighting, and solar hot water system.
Wind energy: wind has been used to run turbines that convert wind energy into electricity.
Windmill turbines can be used as single entities or grouped to produce higher electric power.

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To install windmills, designers need to assess previous weather data to select an appropriate
location favored by high wind velocity. This data will also be useful in determining the
viability of installing windmills.
Recycle and Reuse
Recycling and reuse are essential processes in the process of construction as they lead to
proper utilization of resources. These processes also reduce the usage of energy and water
while limiting contamination. The processes also eliminate usage of new products. Products
that could be recycled and reused include metals, timber, and plasterboards.
Feasibility and Challenges in implementing Re-design Home
The fore discussions have highlighted the importance of redesigning our homes one Net Zero
Energy homes. A critical assessment shows that the process of adoption of the new design is
easy and would eventually lower carbon emissions and will make homes energy efficient.
These procedures should be followed during the construction of new structures as a strategy
to make them sustainable to the environment, cost effective and energy efficient.
Considering the initial cost process, it is evident that there is a high initial investment on the
processes adapting net-zero energy and low carbon emission materials and there is a tendency
of avoiding these costs. Nevertheless, these costs would be paid back for a building's since
surplus energy would get sold to the grid. Lack of such benefits would be caused but
ignorance of the public about the avenues of compensations that would be earned from such
structures.

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Proper awareness campaigns should be fostered to curb the rate of ignorance. People should
be educated on the everlasting benefits of net-zero energy process. The government should
implement more policies that are strict to ensure re-designed homes a must for all citizens.

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