In the last few years, the construction sector has wonderfully realised its responsibility towards the nature and has been making conscious efforts to minimize wastage and adverse impact on the environment. It has resulted in the emergence of a plethora of sustainable construction materials, which are, if not better, as good as the traditional building materials. The use of these sustainable construction materials has been increasing day by day. Today, engineers and architects are designing the civil projects considering maximum utilization of sustainable construction materials. Here are a few eco friendly construction materials which have already become mainstream in modern civil construction.
- Bamboo
The use of bamboo as a building material is not new. Since ancient times, it has been in use to provide strength to structures. However, the use of bamboo as a construction material reduced in modern times because of certain limitations exhibited by bamboo. The most common of these limitations is the vulnerability towards termites and other insects. However, nowadays, various chemicals are available in the market which can make bamboos insect-proof. So, naturally this versatile natural building material is regaining its lost glory.
- Cork
Cork is probably one the most multi utility eco friendly construction materials. Cork, which is a produce of the tree bark, can be harvested rapidly and thus, making its production process highly sustainable. The best thing about cork as a building material is that it is highly resilient. It can withstand immense pressure and can regain the original shape once the pressure is removed. Moreover, cork behaves like an excellent insulation. So, it is being currently extensively used for flooring purposes in buildings. Being lightweight also helps cork to be easily transportable from one place to another.
- Recycled plastic
Modern civilization is aware about the perils of plastic use. But, there is no way we can completely do away with the use of plastic. However, we have figured out effective ways to recycle plastic. The recycled plastic can be put to use in a number of ways and the most utilitarian way is definitely being used as one of the eco friendly construction materials. Plastic is a durable material and the use of recycled plastic also brings down the overall cost of construction.
- Recycled steel
Just like plastic, the production of steel is also an energy extensive process. However, the loss of energy cause of steel production can be compensated by increasing the use of recycled steel as one of the eco-friendly construction materials. There is no other material which provides as much strength and resilience as steel and recycled steel does not compromise with the quality of construction. It is a good thing that most construction firms are going for sustainable innovation and consider recycled steel as their prime construction material.
