Sustainable building material is an ongoing trend in the construction industry. It not only reduces the costs but it gives another big incentive by reducing the carbon footprint and keeping a clean environment. Concrete is one such building materials that have created its own space in sustainable building material due to its versatile applications and qualities. This article will describe how concrete can be a sustainable building material.
Although new technologies are continually being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective of green buildings is to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by efficiently using energy, water, and other resources,protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity and reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation. However, experts suggest, the concept of concrete is very new for the Indian market, and it is essential to create as much as awareness as possible about the benefits of concrete to encourage developers to start using it over the regular cement.
Concrete is a friend of the environment in all stages of its life span, from raw material production to demolition, making it a natural choice for sustainable home construction.Here are some of the reasons why concrete is a sustainable building material according to the Portland Cement Association and the Environmental Council of Concrete Organisations:
The predominant raw material for the cement in concrete is limestone, the most abundant mineral on earth. Concrete can also be made with fly ash, slag cement, and silica fume, all waste byproducts from power plants, steel mills, and other manufacturing facilities.
Concrete builds durable, long-lasting structures that will not rust, rot, or burn. Life spans for concrete building products can be double or triple those of other common building materials.
Homes built with concrete walls, foundations, and floors are highly energy efficient because they take advantage of concretes inherent thermal mass or ability to absorb and retain heat. This means homeowners can significantly cut their heating and cooling bills and install the smaller-capacity HVAC equipment.
Concrete minimizes the effects that produce urban heat islands. Light-colored concrete pavements and roofs absorb less heat and reflect more solar radiation than dark-colored materials, such as asphalt, reducing air conditioning demands in the summer.
Paved surfaces tend to be impervious and can block natural water infiltration into the soil. This creates an imbalance in the natural ecosystem and leads to problems such as erosion, flash floods, water table depletion, and pollution.
Pervious concrete is a particular type of structural concrete with a sponge-like network of voids that water passes through readily. When used for driveways, sidewalks, parking lots, and other pavements, pervious concrete can help to retain stormwater runoff and replenish local water supplies.
Concrete can be produced in the quantities needed for each project, reducing waste. After a concrete structure has served its original purpose, the concrete can be crushed and recycled into aggregate for use in new concrete pavements or as backfill or road base.
Virtue Industries provides sustainable construction solutions that are environment-friendly.
Modern additives modify precisely that timespan; however, the amount of additive added to the mix is very important. Virtue Industries manufactures ready-mix concrete under high-end expert supervision to ensure high-quality end products.