projects
sustainable construction
Building a Sustainable Future
Other Sustainable Tips
Sustainable construction aims to meet present day needs for housing, working environments and infrastructure without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs in times to come. It incorporates elements of economic efficiency, environmental performance and social responsibility – and contributes to the greatest extent when architectural quality, technical innovation and transferability are included.
Sustainable Approach
Get building material locally.
Order in bulk to avoid extra trips.
Look for unused/leftover building materials from nearby construction projects.
Flooring
Reused wood flooring is often derived from remilled salvage timbers. It can also be salvaged from old flooring. From an environmental standpoint , this approach saves the materials from the waste stream and does not impact living trees.
Doors
Recycled/reconstituted doors are typically molded hardboard materials. Domestic hardwood veneers use a stable resource and assist our national economy. Some hardwood veneers such as luaun are from tropical mahogany trees.Domestic hardwood panel doors use wood types which are a stable resource in our economy. The panel style reduces the need for potentially harmful adhesives. Recycled doors are reused doors salvaged from earlier projects.
Roofing
Fiber-cement composite roof materials use fiber materials resourcefully. Some use waste paper as well as wood fiber. many have 60 year warranties.
Framing
Engineered structural products are recycled/reconstituted wood materials that employ laminated wood chips or strands and fingerjointing (the gluing of larger pieces together). These materials drastically minimize the amount of waste created in processing the raw materials. Waste wood and entire trees , regardless of species, shape, and age, can be used in making these products.
Cabinets
Solid domestic wood cabinets use a wood resource (domestic hardwood trees) which has a positive growth/removal rate on a national basis (trees are growing at a faster rate than they are being removed). Any solid wood components of cabinets using MDF or plywood can also be specified to be a domestic hardwood.
Insulation
Engineered materials refer to the more efficient (less wasteful) Cellulose insulation that is made from recycled newspaper and treated with fire retardants and insect protection.
Siding
Engineered materials refer to the more efficient (less wasteful) process of using wood or other cellulose fibers bonded together to make a material shape. Reconstituted materials are more dense and offer increased longevity. Some products have wood fibers mixed with cement to form extremely durable exterior (fiber-cement) materials. Recycled-content materials include substances that are salvaged from the waste stream such as sawdust and paper.
Paint
Low VOC paints use less of the volatile organic compounds in their making process. Such VOCs contribute to ozone depletion and smog formation and are linked to various respiratory illnesses and memory impairment.
Countertops
Recycled glass (rather than marble mined from the earth) can be used and mixed with cement.
