Materials for a Healthy, Ecological and Sustainable Built Environment

3

Building materials

Brenda Vale,    Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

This chapter looks at many commonly available building materials and discusses their environmental impact and potential for recycling and reuse. It groups materials into those that are grown, those that are extracted and those that are made, accepting that there are overlaps as grown materials are normally further processed. The chapter also attempts to trace changes in materials, such as the move from animal- and plant- to oil-based glues, to show how as buildings have moved away from the vernacular traditions their environmental impacts have increased.

Keywords

Building materials; grown materials; extracted materials; made materials

3.1 Introduction ...