SEMINAR REPORT ON

MATERIALS USED IN GREEN BUILDING

CONSTRUCTION
Submitted by

ABINANDH P T
In partial fulfilment of requirements
For the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Technology
In
CIVIL ENGINEERING

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
KOCHI-682022
2017
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 COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DIVISION OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the seminar report submitted by

ABINANDH P T, 11150005 , is a record of the bonafide work
done in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of
B.Tech Degree in Civil Engineering at School of Engineering
, CUSAT in the year 2016.

STAFF-IN-CHARGE HEAD OF DIVISION

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I, Abinandh hereby declare that the seminar report entitled

Materials used in green building construction is prepared and
presented by me as a partial fulfilment of the requirements of the
award of B-Tech degree in Civil Engineering at School of
Engineering, CUSAT in the year 2017.

Abinandh P T

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 ABSTRACT

Global warming is a serious problem facing the world today. In order

to stop this problem, society must change learning to alter what they
use in order to be less harmful to the environment. Making buildings
GREEN would be a great impact to this problem, there are different
ways this can be done. Green building concepts deals with the
optimum use of natural resources for the development or non-harmful
to the environment in other words green building is the building
which utilizes very less amount of manmade energy and is capable of
reducing ample amount of energy without causing any harmful to the
environment . It also encompasses energy use, water use, and storm
water and waste water reuse. Similarly use of recycled plastic
,recycled aggregates and wastes for the construction and another
method of construction of low carbon building which use sustainable
materials like blended cement , fly ash bricks , low energy intensity
floor and roofing system , mud blocs for the construction.

There are many materials used in the

construction of the green building which utilizes very less amount of
manmade energy and is capable of reducing ample amount of energy
without causing any harmful to the environment here I am discussing
about some of the important materials in the construction like Wool
Brick, Sustainable Concrete, Paper insulation, Straw bale, Grass Crete,
Rammed Earth, Hemp Crete, Bamboo, Recycled Plastic, Wood,
Mycelium, Ferrock , Ash Crete, Timber Crete.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3

ABSTRACT 4

INTRODUCTION 7

WHAT IS GREEN BUILDING AND THEIR GOALS? 8

OBJECTIVITIES OF GREEN BUILDING 10

REASON TO BUILD GREEN 10

ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF GREEN BUILDINGS 10

WOOL BRICK 11

SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE 12

PAPER INSULATION 13

STRAW BALES 14

MYCELIUM 15

HEMP CRETE 16

INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS (ICF) 17

STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANELS (SIPS) 18

FERROCK 19

TIMBERCRETE 20

ASHCRETE 20

CONCLUSION 21

REFERENCES 22

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1.1 Wool Brick .11

Fig 1.2 Sustainable Concrete .12

Fig. 1.3 Paper Insulation ...13

Fig 1.4 Straw Bales. .........................................14

Fig 1.5 Mycelium............................................................................................ 15

Fig 1.6 Hemp Crete 16

Fig 1.7 Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) 17

Fig 1.8 Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS).18

Fig 1.9 Ferrock...19

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 INTRODUCTION

A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that

is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and
resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet certain
objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee
productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently and
reducing the overall impact to the environment
Green Building practices promote construction of buildings that are
healthier for the occupants and healthier for the environment Sustainable
or green building practices can reduce the tremendous impact that
building design, construction and maintenance has on both people and
nature. Energy and material consumption in buildings can contribute
significantly to global climate change.
Buildings are actually responsible for maximum resource consumption
therefore green building is only solution to the present trend of
construction. Green building is described as people with healthy,
comfortable and safe living, working and activities of the space, while the
building full life cycle (material production, construction planning, design,
construction, operation and maintenance ) process to achieve efficient use
of resources (energy, disabilities, the water, materials) with minimum
impact on the environment of buildings, also known as sustainable
building envelope The green building uses locally available building
materials which are energy efficient, sustainable, and durable. Looking at
the availability of local material lime is one of such material which
reduces the internal room temperatures by 4 to 5o C as compare to cement
in plastering work. Using lime in building it absorbs carbon rather than
emitting which also lead to reduce hazardous impact on environment.

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What is Green building and their goals?

The concept of sustainable development can be traced to the energy

(especially fossil oil) crisis and the environment pollution concern in the
1970s.The green building movement in the U.S. originated from the need
and desire for more energy efficient and environmentally friendly
construction practices. There are number of motives for building green,
including environmental, economic, and social benefits. However, modern
sustainability initiatives call for an integrated and synergistic design to
both new construction and in the retrofitting of existing structures. Also
known as sustainable design, this approach integrates the building life-
cycle with each green practice employed with a design-purpose to create a
synergy among the practices used. Green building brings together a vast
array of practices, techniques, and skills to reduce and ultimately eliminate
the impacts of buildings on the environment and human health. It often
emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resources, e.g., using sunlight
through passive solar, active solar and photo voltaic techniques and using
plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens, and reduction of
rainwater run-off. Many other techniques are used, such as using wood as
a building material, or using packed gravel or permeable concrete instead
of conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of ground
water. While the practices, or technologies, employed in green building are
constantly evolving and may differ from region to region, fundamental
principles persist from which the method is derived as follows

Sitting and structure Design Efficiency

Energy Efficiency
Water Efficiency
Materials Efficiency
Indoor Environmental And Quality Enhancement
Operations and Maintenance Optimization
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 Waste and Toxics Reduction

The essence of green building is an optimization of one or more of these

principles. Also, with the proper synergistic design, individual green
building technologies may work together to produce a greater cumulative
effect. On the aesthetic side of green architecture or sustainable design is
the philosophy of designing a building that is in harmony with the natural
features and resources surrounding the site. There are several key steps in
designing sustainable buildings: specify green building materials from
local sources, reduce loads, optimize systems, and generate on-site
renewable energy.

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OBJECTIVITIES OF GREEN BUILDING:
Conserve natural resources
Increase energy efficiency
Improve indoor air quality

REASON TO BUILD GREEN:

Reduced urban island heat effect
Reduced building heating and cooling effect
Reduced air pollution and greenhouse gases
Increased building durability
Increased health factor both inside and outside building
Increased water conservation

ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF GREEN BUILDINGS:

Improving occupant health
Improving comfort, productivity
Reducing pollution and landfill waste

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 MATERIALS USED IN GREEN BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION

WOOL BRICK

Fig 1.1 Wool Brick

The wool fibres were added to the clay material used in the bricks, using
alginate conglomerate, a natural polymer found in the cell walls of
seaweed. The mechanical tests carried out showed the compound to be
37% stronger than other bricks made using unfired stabilised earth. The
objective was to produce bricks reinforced with wool and to obtain a
composite that was more sustainable, non-toxic, using abundant local
materials, and that would mechanically improve the bricks strength.
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SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE

Fig 1.2 Sustainable Concrete

Cement and concrete can be produced according to various recipes and

with different ingredients. Different production methods lead to different
qualities and different environmental impacts. Composing concrete so that
it meets the functionalities required and at the same time causes minimum
environmental impact is a challenge. In most projects, COWI considers
whether the carbon footprint can be lowered. Crushed glass wood chips or
slag a by-product 0f steel manufacturing reduces the emission of co2

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PAPER INSULATION

Fig 1.3 Paper Insulation

Made from recycled newspapers and cardboard then filled with chemical
foam insect resistant and fire retardant Cellulose Made from recycled
paper, cellulose is the second most common insulation material and is
considered a very green choice when used properly. Also, it is relatively
inexpensive, with costs similar to fiberglass

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STRAW BALES

Fig 1.4 House using Straw Bales

Rather than relying on new research and technology, 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.

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MYCELIUM

Fig 1.5 Building using Mycelium

Mycelium is a crazy futuristic building material thats actually totally natural

it comprises the root structure of fungi and mushrooms. Mycelium can be
encouraged to grow around a composite of other natural materials, like ground
up straw, in moulds or forms, then air-dried to create lightweight and strong
bricks or other shapes.

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HEMP CRETE

Fig 1.6 Hemp Crete

Hemp Crete is just what it sounds like a concrete like material created
from the woody inner fibres of the hemp plant. The hemp fibres are bound
with lime to create concrete-like shapes that are strong and light. Hemp
Crete blocks are super-lightweight, which can also dramatically reduce the
energy used to transport the blocks, and hemp itself is a fast-growing,
renewable resource. Good looking, environmentally friendly and 100%
recyclable, Hem Crete is as versatile as it is sustainable. It can be used in a
mind-boggling array of applications from roof insulation to wall
construction to flooring. Hem Crete is waterproof, fireproof, insulates
well, does not rot [when used above ground] and is completely recyclable.
In fact, the manufacturers say that demolished Hem Crete walls can
actually be used as fertilizer

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INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS (ICF)

Fig 1.7 Insulated concrete forms

Insulating concrete forms resulting cast-in-place concrete walls that are

sandwiched between two layers of insulation material. These systems are
strong and energy efficient. Common applications for this method of
construction are low-rise buildings, with property uses ranging from
residential to commercial to industrial. Traditional finishes are applied to
interior and exterior faces, so the buildings look similar to typical
construction, although the walls are usually thicker. The concrete has a
very high-embodied energy relative to most building materials, many
consider it a green material for its longevity and durability.

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STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANELS (SIPS)

Fig 1.8 Structural Insulated Panels

SIPS are large panels (4 x 8 up to 24 x 8) typically constructed at a
factory. They are composed of foam insulation sandwiched between two
sheets of oriented strand board (OSB). You can consider SIPS green
because of their superior insulation and air-sealing qualities, but they often
must be set in place with a crane. SIPS constructionism typically slightly
more expensive than conventionally built structures

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FERROCK

Fig 1.9 Ferrock

Ferrock is a new material being researched that uses recycled materials

including steel dust from the steel industry to create a concrete-like
building material that is even stronger than concrete. Whats more, this
unique material actually absorbs and traps carbon dioxide as part of its
drying and hardening process making it not only less CO2 intensive than
traditional concrete, but actually carbon neutral

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TIMBERCRETE

Timber Crete is an interesting building material made of sawdust and

concrete mixed together. Since it is lighter than concrete, it reduces
transportation emissions, and the sawdust both reuses a waste product and
replaces some of the energy-intensive components of traditional concrete.
Timber Crete can be formed into traditional shapes such as blocks, bricks,
and pavers.

ASHCRETE

Ash Crete is a concrete alternative that uses fly ash instead of traditional
cement. By using fly ash, a by-product of burning coal, 97 per cent of
traditional components in concrete can be replaced with recycled material.

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CONCLUSION

We have studied features of all construction material which are socially,

economically benefits for construction industry and human health. Green
construction material reduces side effects on environment.to make
efficient sustainable structure as well as will lessens the environmental
pollution content, and like greenhouse gas emission, resource depletion,
soil pollution , health hazards , ozone depletion etc. Hence there is an urge
to use the eco-friendly materials for the better tomorrow and healthy life of
coming generation. With increasing degradation of the environment
because of increased energy consumption, environment, conscious
building design has become urgent. The benefits of green design to society
in general, and building owners and users in particular, are manifold. The
construction of such buildings results in reduced destruction of natural
habitats and bio-diversity , reduced air and water pollution , less water
consumption, limited waste generation and increased user productivity.
With increasing threat on our planet earth caused by depleting resources
and increasing emissions it is absolutely pertinent that all our future
buildings should be designed to function as green buildings

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REFERENCES

http://inhabitat.com/11-green-building-materials-that-are-way-better-
than-concrete/

International Journal of Application or Innovation in Engineering &

Management (IJAIEM)
Web Site: www.ijaiem.org Email: editor@ijaiem.org
Volume 4, Issue 4, April 2015 ISSN 2319 4847

Advantages of Green Building Volume : 2 | Issue : 4 | Apr 2013

ISSN No 2277 - 8179

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