More sustainable construction materials include those obtained from natural sources, such as the rammed-earth walls of this building in Nepal (above), as well as recycled materials, like the doors used to clad this 10-storey block in South Korea.
Well into the twentieth century, the vast majority of buildings in the world continued to be built by hand using mainly natural materials obtained locally, such as earth, stone, wood, and grass. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that industrial materials like cement, steel, and glass truly began to dominate construction worldwide.
And with growing awareness of environmental issues, since the 1960s there has been a global movement to revive, or reinvent, natural building materials. It’s not a question of going back to how we used to build in the past, but drawing inspiration from the past to go forward to a sustainable future.
As this 750-year-old cob house in Devon, UK, shows, earth is a very durable material that’s widely available all over the world.
Wood is another traditional material that’s now being used in innovative ways to build carbon-neutral houses and even skyscrapers.
Straw is used worldwide in traditional building, especially in thatched roofs. Like wood, it stores carbon in the building envelope. It is light in weight and has high insulation value, but may be susceptible to moisture and fire.
Nowadays, the most common use of straw in building is as wall insulation, which can also be load-bearing, in the form of straw bales or prefabricated straw panels.
The use of recycled materials in construction is increasingly common. Recycling centres for building materials now exist in many parts of the world. Some types of non-construction waste are also used in building, such as car tyres, which can be used for building retaining walls.
Great overview! It’s encouraging to see natural and recycled materials making a strong comeback in construction. Using earth, wood, and straw not only helps reduce carbon footprints but also connects us to sustainable building traditions in a modern way. Recycling materials like tires adds another layer of innovation. Thanks for sharing!