BAUMATERIALEN

UND
GRAUE ENERGIEN

1
Klimagerechtes Bauen I Baumaterialen und grauen Energien

Dipayan Bhowmik 3189999

Content
- Definition of Grey Energy
- Types of Embodied energy
- Primary Energy Input and The Embodied Carbon of Building Materilas
- Reducing embodied energy
- Low embodied energy materials
- Concrete
- Alternative Green building materials

2
Klimagerechtes Bauen I Baumaterialen und grauen Energien

Dipayan Bhowmik 3189999

Grey Energy
What is Grey Energy/ Embodied Energy?
The energy used during manufacture and hence tied up in the material is known as Grey Energy or
Embodied Energy. This defies the quantity of energy required for the production, transport, storage and
disposal of a product.
Embodied energy is defined as the total energy inputs consumed throughout a products life-cycle. Initial
embodied energy represents energy used for the extraction of raw materials, transportation to factory,
processing and manufacturing, transportation to site, and construction.
Embodied energy is typically expressed in MJ/kg, where a megajoule (MJ) is equal to 0.948 kBtu or 0.278
INTRODUCTION
kWh.
The embodied energy values in Material LIFE have been converted to MJ per construction unit (i.e.
ft2 for flooring, LF for studs, etc.) and are listed for the cradle-to-gate portion of the products life cycle, as
highlighted in green in the diagram.
What is Embodied Energy?
Embodied energy is defined as the total energy inputs
consumed throughout a products life-cycle. Initial
embodied energy represents energy used for the
extraction of raw materials, transportation to factory,
processing and manufacturing, transportation to
site, and construction. Once the material is installed,
recurring embodied energy represents the energy
used to maintain, replace, and recycle materials and
components of a building throughout its life.

Embodied energy is typically expressed in MJ/kg, where

a megajoule (MJ) is equal to 0.948 kBtu or 0.278 kWh.
The embodied energy values in Material LIFE have been
converted to MJ per construction unit (i.e. ft2 for flooring,
LF for studs, etc.) and are listed for the cradle-to-gate
portion of the products life cycle, as highlighted in green
in the diagram below.

intro

HoW t

intEr

CradlE-to-gatE

intEr

intEr

raw material extraction

intEr

Energy used to operate machinery

rEfEr

transportation of raw material to factory

Type of vehicle used and distance traveled affect embodied energy

Product manufacturing
Using raw materials and recycled materials

transportation of finished product to site

Type of vehicle used and distance traveled affect embodied energy

building construction
Energy used to operate machinery

building life-cycle
Energy associated with maintaining and cleaning materials

material disposal
Removal and disposal at end of material life-cycle
2013 Cannon Design. All Rights Reserved.

Types of Embodied energy

1. Initial embodied energy
Where the Initial embodied energy represents the energy used in extracting raw materials, their
manufacturing and their processing. On the other hand a big part of the initial embodied energy is
consumed due to transportation to site and constructing the building. Therefore, the Initial embodied energy
could be divided in two sub chapters, which would be Direct and Indirect energy. The direct energy is used
for transportation and etc. and the indirect energy is used to acquire, process and manufacture the building
materials. Where the indirect energy includes the one used for transportation related to the listed activities.

2. Recurring embodied energy

The Recurring embodied energy is actually the energy used during the life cycle of the building, used to
maintain repair and restore or replace materials. A building becomes more energy-efficient, when the
embodied energy of the building is decreasing due to the long lifespan. There are buildings that claim
to be zero energy but still havent considered the energy used on the construction process itself and
the maintenance after words. That is a very common mistake in the building industry to define a building
with and energy class zero or passive when the amounts of energy used for the production is of great
significance. Architects have thought for decades that since the building is designed so that the tenants
would use small or no amounts of energy to heat, light or ventilate the building, it could be defined as a
zero energy building.

Primary Energy Input

Material
Concrete

PEI(MJ/m)

C 35/40 grade concrete

Reinforced Concrete (2% steel reinforcement)

Masonary

Calcium silicate Brick

Clay bricks

Timber

Structural timber, Pine

Glued laminated timber

Metals

Steel
Stainless Steel
Aluminium

1764
4098
2030
1663
609
3578
188400
411840
753380

4
Klimagerechtes Bauen I Baumaterialen und grauen Energien

Dipayan Bhowmik 3189999

The Embodied Carbon of Building Materilas

Why reduce embodied energy?

Energy consumption during manufacture can give an approximate indication of the environmental impact
of the material, and for most building materials, the major environmental impacts occur during the initial
processes.
The total amount of embodied energy may account for 20% of the buildings energy use, so reducing
embodied energy can significantly reduce the overall environmental impact of the building.
Embodied energy must be considered over the lifespan of a building, and in many situations, a higher
embodied energy building material or system may be justified because it reduces the operating energy
requirements of the building. For example, a durable material with a long lifespan such as aluminium may be
the appropriate material selection despite its high embodied energy.
As the energy efficiency of a building increases, reducing the energy consumption, the embodied energy of
the building materials will also become increasingly important.

Reducing embodied energy

Buildings should be designed and materials selected to balance embodied energy with factors such as
climate, availability of materials and transport costs.
Lightweight building materials often have lower embodied energy than heavyweight materials, but in some
situations, lightweight construction may result in higher energy use. For example, where heating or cooling
requirements are high, this may raise the overall energy use of the building.
Conversely, for buildings with high heating or cooling requirements but where there is a large diurnal (day/
night) temperature range, heavyweight construction (typically with high embodied energy) and the inclusion
of high levels of insulation can offset the energy use required for the building.
When selecting building materials, the embodied energy should be considered with respect to:
the durability of building materials
how easily materials can be separated
use of locally sourced materials
use of recycled materials
specifying standard sizes of materials
avoiding waste
selecting materials that are manufactured using renewable energy sources.

6
Klimagerechtes Bauen I Baumaterialen und grauen Energien

Dipayan Bhowmik 3189999

Use of Natural Materials

Natural materials are generally lower in embodied energy and toxicity than man-made materials. They
require less processing and are less damaging to the environment. Many, like wood, are theoretically
renewable. When natural materials are incorporated into building products, the products become more
sustainable.

Reduction of Construction Waste

Minimal construction waste during installation reduces the need for landfill space and also provides cost
savings. Concrete, for example, has traditionally been pre-mixed with water and delivered to the site.
An excess of material is often ordered, to prevent pouring delays should a new shipment be needed.
This excess is usually disposed of in a landfill or on-site. In contrast, concrete mixed on-site, as needed,
eliminates waste, and offers better quality control. Designing floor intervals to coincide with the standard
lengths of lumber or steel framing members also reduces waste. Taking advantage of the standard sizes of
building materials in the design phase reduces waste produced by trimming materials to fit, as well as the
labor cost for installation.

Local Materials
Using locally produced building materials shortens transport distances, thus reducing air pollution
produced by vehicles. Often, local materials are better suited to climatic conditions,
and these purchases support area economies. It is not always possible to use locally available materials,
but if materials must be imported they should be used selectively and in as small a volume as possible.
For instance, the decorative use of marble quarried halfway around the world is not a sustainable choice.
Steel, when required for structural strength and durability, is a justifiable use of a material that is generally
manufactured some distance from the building site.

Low embodied energy materials

There are many factors that need to be considered when we are defining low embodied energy materials.
Mainly in consideration is taken the energy used to produce the certain material, the energy used to deliver
it and build with it on site and the energy used to maintain it afterwords.
In the past many of the products used into a construction were found and manufactured on site. Such
materials as stone, timber and mud have been the most common to be used in building structure.
Nowadays these materials are to be replaced by concrete, steel and bricks. The newly developed
techniques of building, consume greater amounts of energy due to the usage of heavy machinery. In the
past most of the construction materials were manufactured by hand or used in a raw form, which means no
energy was used to build a house.
A material with low embodied energy can be defined by the following factors:
How far the materials have to travel (local materials are better)
The amount of raw materials used.
How difficult it is to actually manufacture the product (the more complex the process is the more energy is
being used)
The size of the building should be connected with the needs it has to fulfill the waste of space leads to
higher usage of energy due to extra materials needed.
How much waste do you have during production and if the waste could be reused
Recycling possibilities of the given material
The usage of renewable resources is desirable (if possible)
Efficiently design the building so the use of energy and materials is lowered

Concrete

Concrete is the most common material used for

construction due to its properties such as strength,
durability and easy availability. But cement is
commonly used in preparation of concrete.
Cement has excellent binding property but its
production requires large amount of energy which
contributes for pollution and global warming. The
process of cement production starts from mining for
raw materials, crushing, blending and heating these
materials at high temperature of 15000C and finally
creating cement from heated materials.
All the process involved in manufacturing of cement
requires large amount of energy, it involves huge
costs, contributes to increase in CO2 emissions and
other greenhouse gases. The production of cement
contributes to 7% of the emissions of greenhouse
gases and it is likely to double by the year 2014.
As the demand for more and more infrastructures
is increasing day by day, the quantity of cement
requirements is also increasing. With this, the control
the emissions of greenhouse gases cannot be reduced
to prevent global warming.

8
Klimagerechtes Bauen I Baumaterialen und grauen Energien

Dipayan Bhowmik 3189999

Green building materials that are alternatives to concrete

Rammed earth
Rammed earth is a technology that has been used
by human civilization for thousands of years, and
can last a very long time. 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.
There are two types of rammed earth constructions,
stabilized and non-stabilized rammed earth. Nonstabilized rammed earth is made from soil, sand,
and gravel, whereas stabilized rammed earth
contains additives (cement or lime, sand and gravel).
Non-stabilized rammed earth walls are nearly zero
carbon options, but their drawbacks lead to the
addition of additives in real buildings. Reddy and
Kumar [46] monitored the influence of soil grading,
density and cement content on the compaction
energy input. Major conclusions of the investigations
were that the compaction energy increases with
increase in clay fraction of the soil mix and it is
sensitive to density of the wall, the compaction
energy varies between 0.033 MJ/m3 and 0.36
MJ/m3 for the range of densities and cement
contents attempted, the energy expenditure in the
compaction process is negligible when compared
to energy content of the cement; and the total
embodied energy in these walls increases linearly
with the increase in cement content and was in the
range of 0.40.5 GJ/m3 for cement content in the
range of 68%.
9

Bamboo

Bamboo might seem trendy, but it has actually been

a locally-sourced building material in some regions
of the world for millennia. What makes bamboo
such a promising building material for modern
buildings is its combination of tensile strength, light
weight, and fast-growing renewable nature. Used
for framing buildings and shelters, bamboo can
replace expensive and heavy imported materials
and provide an alternative to concrete and rebar
construction, especially in difficult-to reach areas,
post-disaster rebuilding, and low-income areas with
access to natural locally-sourced bamboo.

10
Klimagerechtes Bauen I Baumaterialen und grauen Energien

Dipayan Bhowmik 3189999

Compressed Stabilised Earth Block

The first attempts for compressed earth blocks were

tried in the early days of the 19th century in Europe.
The architect Franois Cointereaux precast small
blocks of rammed earth and he used hand rammers
to compress the humid soil into a small wooden
mould held with the feet.
The soil, raw or stabilized, for a compressed earth
block is slightly moistened, poured into a steel press
(with or without stabiliser) and then compressed
either with a manual or motorized press. CEB can
be compressed in many different shapes and sizes.
For example, the Auram press 3000 proposes 18
types of moulds for producing about 70 different
blocks.
Compressed earth blocks can be stabilised or
not. But most of the times, they are stabilised with
cement or lime. Therefore, we prefer today to call
them Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB).
The input of soil stabilization allowed people to build
higher with thinner walls, which have a much better
compressive strength and water resistance. With
cement stabilization, the blocks must be cured for
four weeks after manufacturing. After this, they can
dry freely and be used like common bricks with a
soil cement stabilized mortar.

11

Sustainability and Environmental friendliness of CSEB

Earth is a local material and the soil should preferably extracted from
the site itself or not transported too far away
Earth construction is a labour-intensive technology and it is an easily
adaptable and transferable technology.
It is a cost and energy effective material.
It is much less energy consuming than country fired bricks (about 4
times less).
It is much less polluting than country fired bricks (about 4 times less).
INITIAL EMBODIED ENERGY PER M3 OF WALL
CSEB wall = 631 MJ / m3
Kiln Fired Brick (KFB) = 2,356 MJ / m3
Country Fired Brick (CFB) = 6,358 MJ / m3
POLLUTION EMISSION (Kg of CO2) PER M3 OF WALL
CSEB wall = 56.79 Kg / m3
Kiln Fired Brick (KFB) = 230.06 Kg / m3
Country Fired Brick (CFB) = 547.30 Kg / m3
ENERGY EFFECTIVENESS
Initial embodied energy (MJ/m3 of materials)
CSEB are consuming 11 times less energy than country fired bricks:
CSEB produced on site with 5 % cement = 548.32 MJ/m3
Country fired bricks = 6,122.54 MJ/m3
Carbon emission (Kg of CO2 /m3 of materials)
CSEB are polluting 13 times less than country fired bricks:
CSEB produced on site with 5 % cement = 49.37 Kg of CO2 /m3
Country fired bricks = 642.87 Kg of CO2 /m3

12
Klimagerechtes Bauen I Baumaterialen und grauen Energien

Dipayan Bhowmik 3189999

Grasscrete
Grasscrete is a method of laying concrete flooring,
walkways, sidewalks, and driveways in such a
manner that there are open patterns allowing grass
or other flora to grow. While this provides the benefit
of reducing concrete usage overall, theres also
another important perk improved stormwater
absorption and drainage.

Straw bale Building

Straw bale building hearkens back to the days when
homes were built from natural, locally-occurring
materials. Straw bales are used to create a homes
walls inside of a frame, replacing other building
materials such as concrete, wood, gypsum, plaster,
fiberglass, or stone. When properly sealed, straw
bales naturally provide very high levels of insulation
for a hot or cold climate, and are not only affordable
but sustainable as straw is a rapidly renewable
resource.

13

Grasscrete
HempCrete is just what it sounds like a concrete
like material created from the woody inner fibers of
the hemp plant. The hemp fibers are bound with
lime to create concrete-like shapes that are strong
and light. HempCrete blocks are super-lightweight,
which can also dramatically reduce the energy used
to transport the blocks, and hemp itself is a fastgrowing, renewable resource.

Wood
Wood still retains many advantages over more
industrial building materials like concrete or steel.
Not only do trees absorb CO2 as they grow, they
require much less energy-intensive methods to
process into construction products. Properly
managed forests are also renewable and can ensure
a biodiverse habitat.

14
Klimagerechtes Bauen I Baumaterialen und grauen Energien

Dipayan Bhowmik 3189999

Bibliography:
http://media.cannondesign.com/uploads/files/MaterialLife-9-6.pdf
https://www.ucviden.dk/student-portal/files/10399766/Low_embodied_energy_materials_in_sustainable_design_by_
Lazar_Petrov.pdf
http://www.level.org.nz/material-use/embodied-energy/
http://www.earthauroville.com/compressed_stabilised_earth_block_en.php
Energy manual: Birkhuser

15