Types of Green Construction
1.
Cool Roofs
Cool roofs are specially designed
to offer increased solar reflectance and decreased thermal emittance. In
simplified terms, they reflect the sun’s rays in a more efficient manner to
prevent warm or cool air from escaping through your roof. During the peak of
summer, a typical roof can reach temperatures of over 150 degrees, using a cool
roof, you can decrease that temperature by over 50 degrees. Even though the
temperature of the roof is always a plus, the real advantage comes from inside.
The cool roof improves interior temperatures that will save you money on AC
bills and help the environment in the process.
2. Biodegradable Materials
Construction emphasizes the new, so
sometimes we forget about the flip side. To build, you usually have to destroy
at first. The destruction of whatever you are planning to build on top of
usually requires tearing something down and disposing of the leftover
materials. Using biodegradable materials can completely change the disposal
process into something more eco-friendly. Instead of a giant scrap heap of left
over and destroyed materials, waiting to be thrown into waste products and
chemicals, the resulting mess can degrade naturally without contaminating the
soil.
Biodegradable fiberglass insulation is an
excellent example. The materials can break down without releasing toxins into
the Earth. The rest of the world has been using this method for years.
3.
Rammed Earth
“Rammed earth is an ancient
construction technique similar to Adobe that uses raw materials from the Earth
to form sturdy buildings through a simple process.” Rammed earth can be found
in globally recognized structures such as the Great Wall of China, and today,
the building process isn’t as different as you may think. Today, rammed brick
is created with a moist mixture of earth and a few different hard substances
such as clay or gravel. The materials are combined with a stabilizing element,
like concrete, and compressed to form hard and dense walls.
The density of rammed earth makes
it an ideal material for regulating the temperature of a building, similar to
green insulation. It will stay cool during the summer months, and warm in the
winter. Most importantly, the construction of rammed earth produces fewer
emissions than the typical building process.
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