Week 12 - Materials

An Australian study of the environmental impact of many different building materials has been summarised in the table below (data from Lawson, 1996).  Notes for table, (1) min = minimal in column 3, (2) Reuse potential (column 7) is for the product and not the material.  Green = Excellent, pale green = very good, yellow = good, orange = fair and red = poor.

In summary, green building materials are those that:

• Produce a healthy indoor environment
• Do not contribute to an unhealthy outdoor environment
• Minimise building energy use
• Have low embodied energy
• Are durable, reusable, recyclable and/or biodegradable
• Are obtained locally