Top green building materials on the market

Greatly developed architectural solutions and increasing need for sustainability are the foundation of rising popularity of green buildings, regardless if they are for commercial use or just private family houses. Since all eco-friendly constructions owe its main benefits to the material of which they’re composed from, it’s clear that every part of building process, from walls’ and roof installation to insulation, must include first class green materials. Although market abounds with plenty of green building material types and qualities whose price is often financially unreachable, there are still excellent and affordable building options. These are some of the best ones:

Constructions made of straw bales

Straw bales, which are actually dried and compressed heaps of natural grains’ stems, recently became widely used green building material, thanks to its affordability, steadiness and fire resistance. To reach the maximum strength and compactness, straw is usually twisted and mixed with clay, while greatly compressed straw bales prevent oxygen circulation, which is why they’re not easily flammable. Straw bales implementation can include load-bearing walls where mutually pinned straw bales create walls that carry the roof or straw bales can be used to fulfil main wooden, steel or concrete building’s frame. Straw bale buildings are appropriate for almost any geographical region, and majority of them have cement or gypsum wall finishes. However, in some countries, the law does not permits for the construction so before you decide to do it, check the legislation first.

Wood and solar panels

Wood offers variety of green construction ideas, from base frames and walls completely composed of lumber to wooden pit houses with additional solar features. Great level of sustainability and energy-efficiency are easily achieved in pit houses where wooden poles are set in concrete foundation along with solar panels incorporated on roof sides. In this case, wood provides sustainable stability and solar parts allow high quality natural heating and lighting. While standard lumber can be used supporting frames and walls, bamboo and plywood offer great alternative for eco-friendly floors.

Recycled metal roofs and stone facades

Thanks to its excellent recyclability ability, durability and energy efficiency, metal became very popular material in green architecture -especially like roofing option, since it reduces a chance for indoor overheating and it is fire-proof. Metal roofs can be installed as a part of eco-friendly prefabricated houses, but they are also greatly used for commercial buildings roofing. Natural stone is one of the best ecological solutions for covering of external surfaces, mostly because of its longevity and recyclability.

 Green insulation options

Insulation is the base of energy savings, and among lot of green insulation materials, polyurethane foam stands out for its heat resistance and durability, so it is good solution for walls’ insulation. Although insulation appears as costly venture among homeowners, there are affordable insulation deals that include layered cavity walls and highly functional loft insulation grants, where loft and middle part of the walls is insulated with mineral wool. Completely natural sheep’s wool belongs to the “greenest insulators” – it’s breathable, fire-proof and provides high level of moisture and warmth absorption. Cheaper, but not less efficient insulation material is cellulose which, apart from ability to keep warmth, also offers fuller coverage.

Greater environmental awareness caused the expansion of sustainable architecture and development of green materials, so there’s no doubt that their implementation and necessity will soon reach global levels.

Author’s Bio:

Daniel Rogers began to write enthusiastic articles based on his life knowledge about healthy lifestyle and parenting . For years, he is searching for ways to share his experience with passionate people who feel the same way he does. After he rediscovered the joy in his life, he continued to share useful content with a single goal – to dedicate his life to writing and helping people. You can follow Daniel on Facebook , or if you have some questions feel free to contact him by e-mail :danielrogers2107(at)gmail(dot)com