The materials used to build our homes can have significant health and
environmental effects, these often extend far beyond the specific context of
their end-use. Usually the impact of materials used is dictated by the
processes adopted to extract, process and transport them to the site.
Careful analysis and selection of the materials used and the way they are
combined can yield significant improvements in the comfort, cost effectiveness
and energy efficiency of a home. In our sustainable housing developments, we
strive to reduce the total amount of materials consumed and their
environmental impact. To the end we aim to:
- Make more efficient use of existing materials
- Minimise the amount of waste
- Use materials with least environmental impact
- Consider both operational and whole lifecycle performance of materials
and designs
- Use fully recycled materials or materials with recycled content
- Choose materials with a lifespan equivalent to the projected life of the
building
- Design and build for de-construction, re-use, adaptation, modification
and recycling
- Encourage development of new, efficient, low impact materials and
applications by creating demand
- Consider how and where the materials are sourced and the impacts this
causes
- Minimise the energy used to transport materials by using locally
produced material
- Use lightweight material where appropriate to reduce transportation
energy
- Minimise the energy used to heat and cool the building by using
materials that effectively modify climate extremes
- Understand how chemicals used in the manufacture of some materials might
affect your health
- Seek suppliers of materials that minimise or eliminate emissions during
use and manufacture.
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