Is concrete a sustainable material
Concrete is a widely used material in modern architecture due to
its resilience, structural strength, and minimalistic qualities. However, is it
a sustainable material?
To see if a material is sustainable or not, we need to look at few
points. But first of all, the tolerance of concrete gives it a great advantage
of being a sustainable material as the main idea of sustainability is making
the current situation available for future use. Therefore, the averagely long
lasting material, concrete, that can stand at least 40 years, gains credit to
be a sustainable material under this point of view.
There are few basic questions to ask for the sustainability of a
material:
· What is its real value
-- for initial use and long term?
· Does it provide optimal
performance for its application?
· Is it widely available?
· How ubiquitous are the
source materials? Or, do they regenerate and how quickly?
· What is needed to
process it into a usable form? Did this process produce/release toxins or
destroy habitat?
· How much energy and
water did it take to make it?
· How much waste material
did it generate?
· What does it need to
operate – maintenance inputs, operating energy?
· Were the people
involved in producing, delivering, and installing it fairly compensated? Were
they provided with safe and healthy working conditions?
· How long will it last?
What happens at the end of its service life?
Considering the raw materials to make concrete contains water,
cement and sand, which are widely available, and the building being built can
last for a long time, concrete is a sustainable materials. In addition to this,
the strength of concrete allows us to make change to existing structure, giving
it extra flexibility to adapt to different future use. With the aid of modern
technologies, the possibilities in the shape of concrete provides a lot of
advantage to sustainable living through increasing daylight access and natural
ventilation.
References:
1. What is a Sustainable Material?
2. The Sustainable Value of Concrete
http://www.sustainableconcrete.org/?q=node/2
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