Concrete is a well known gray building material that is widely used in almost every construction project – right from residential apartments to commercial buildings to pavers, sidewalks, viaducts, bridges etc. But very of us know the other side of this well-known building material.

Do you know the production of commercial concrete material releases tons of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas into the atmosphere each year that contributes to climate change on a large basis? But we have got alternatives to that too.

Here we have jotted down some of the major green building materials that are way better and effective than concrete. Keep scrolling to know more.

Straw Bales

Straw bales are back in trends for being a natural and locally occurring material. Straw bales are mainly used to build the inner frame of the walls of a home by replacing other building materials like concrete, gypsum, fiberglass, plaster, wood or stone. Straw bales, if sealed properly, offers a high level of insulation properties. Straw bales not only affordable but also sustainable because of their renewable properties.

Rammed earth

Nothing can be more natural than the dirt you find under your feet. Rammed earth is a well-known technology used by humans for more than thousands of years and it can last for a very long time as well. In fact, to give the walls a similar feel to concrete, rammed earth can be really a great alternative. Modern rammed earth buildings can be made safer by use of rebar or bamboo, and mechanical tampers reduce the amount of labor required to create sturdy walls

Bamboo

Bamboo, in spite of being a trendy material, is, in fact, a locally sourced building material in some regions of the world for millennia. The reason for bamboo being a reliable building material is its light weight, a combination of tensile strength, and fast-growing renewable nature. Bamboo can replace heavy and expensive imported materials and provide an alternative to rebar and concrete construction, particularly in post-disaster rebuilding, difficult-to reach areas, and low-income areas with access to natural locally-sourced bamboo.

Wood

Wood comes with a lot of advantages when compared to other industrial building materials like steel or concrete. It does not only absorb carbon dioxide as they grow but also consumes less energy intensive procedures to process into construction products.

Recycled plastic

Researchers are manufacturing concrete instead of mining, extracting, and milling new components which include ground up recycled plastics and trash. It does not only lowers down the greenhouse gas emissions but also decreases weight and provides a new use for landfill-clogging plastic waste.

Mycelium

Mycelium is a completely naturally occurring building material comprising of the root structure of fungi and mushrooms. Mycelium can be encouraged to grow around a composite of other natural materials such as ground up straw, in molds or forms, then air-dried to create lightweight and strong bricks or other shapes.

Ferrock

Ferrock is a new building material that is made of recycled materials that include steel dust from the steel industry to create a concrete-like building material that is even stronger than concrete. Ferrock is a unique kind of material that absorbs and traps carbon dioxide as part of its drying and hardening process which makes it not only less CO2 intensive than traditional concrete, but actually carbon neutral.

These building materials are way better than concrete and can be considered as some best green building materials. They don’t only contribute to saving our environment but also turns to be sustainable and worthy in the long run.

Authored by a Building Expert from Wienerberger India

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