Material Use
Materials Use explains the environmental and health impacts of the materials used to build and furnish a home. Choosing "environmentally preferred materials" can reduce harmful health effects, minimise waste, reduce embodied energy consumption and eliminate other off site issues.
THE KEY ISSUES
- * Examine the economic and environmental cost of various commonly used materials.
- * Identify and explain various tools available for measuring these costs over total lifecycle.
- * Outline principles for choosing materials and systems to reduce or eliminate these impacts.
- * Demonstrate the application of these principles with case studies and examples.
Informed decisions about materials and contruction systems can reduce
the environmental impact of a home without adding to the cost.
To reduce the total amount of materials consumed and their environmental impact:
- * Make more efficient use of existing materials.
- * Minimise the amount of waste.
- * Use materials with least environmental impact.
- * Consider both operational and whole lifecycle performance of materials and designs.
- * Use fully recycled materials or materials with recycled content.
- * Re-use whole buildings or parts thereof to reduce consumption of new materials.
- * Choose materials with a lifespan equivalent to the projected life of the building.
- * Design to extend building lifespan (current average 50 years - aim for 100+).
- * Design and build for de-construction, re-use, adaptation, modification and recycling.
- * Encourage development of new, efficient, low impact materials and applications by creating demand.
- * Consider how and where the materials are sourced and the impacts this causes.
- * Minimise the energy used to transport materials by using locally produced material. Use of lightweight material where appropriate also reduces transportation energy.
- * Minimise the energy used to heat and cool the building by using materials that effectively modify climate extremes.
- * Understand how chemicals used in the manufacture of some materials might affect your health.
- * Minimise or eliminate emissions during use and manufacture.