Advancement in alternative building materials has taken quite some time, as professionals and builders prefer to stick to tried and tested technology in the material specifications. This slow uptake is partly because a lot needs to be considered when choosing construction materials. For example, does this alternative save on costs and or time? Plus is it significant enough to alter the choice of materials by clients? Is the alternative viewed by the community as inferior or prestigious? Are there experts available to implement the technology successfully? How does this alternative fit in with the campaign towards sustainable construction? Once all these are answered, you are one step in the right direction. The next phase involves proper education. What people don’t know exists won’t be utilised. It is therefore important to create awareness of existing alternatives to the traditional construction materials.
Structural alternatives
A cost-effective and sustainable alternative to traditional residential, retails and commercial option is the trend of upcycling used shipping containers. Shipping containers allow one to custom-build a home or an office made with one or more shipping containers, based on your specific wants and needs. Additionally, the container can be refurbished and be ready for occupancy in as little as two months.
Modular systems are an interesting alternative. The steel framework, external wall, mechanical and electrical works are constructed at the factories and the modules then delivered to site for assembly. In this case 80% of the work is done at the factory. In some instances only the steel framework is done at the factory then delivered to site for other works. A variation of the same is application of pre-engineered steel building (an alternative to the commonly used solid masonry and reinforced-concrete framing) for the local construction of warehouses, manufacturing and industrial buildings. This technology utilizes high tensile, cold-formed, galvanized-steel ‘C’ and ‘Z’-shaped structural portal frames which are clad using roof and wall cladding solutions. These prefabricated cold-formed steel structures are then easily assembled on site.
Walling alternatives
Instead of the conventional masonry walling, interlocking blocks can be adapted. Stone-mining results in environmental degradation as a result of the quarries dug for the purposes of extraction. On the other hand, interlocked blocks are made by compressing materials such as cement and waste from quarries using block-making machines. These blocks do not use cement mortar as a binder but instead interlock with each other during construction.
EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) Panels are also a trending alternative to masonry walling. More popular for their time saving element, these standard-sized panels essentially serve as in-fill between concrete columns and beams and eliminate the brick by brick construction of stonework.
Aluminium foam is also an alternative material manufactured in varying shapes, visibility and densities to achieve the metallic porous façade for futuristic architecture. This material is favoured for its light-weight and sound absorbing properties and as such can be applied for wall cladding, ceiling tiles, terrazzo flooring as well as signage and light fixtures.
Hemp, a natural fibre used to make paper and clothing is also applied in the construction industry. Being a faster growing crop as opposed to wood it is being utilised in the production of insulating panels and planks. This organic material can also be processed into hemp bricks for construction of outer and inner walling.
Disposal of plastics causes severe environmental degradation; a well-known fact and innovative ideas are constantly being explored to tame this unsustainable product. One such way is in the recycling of plastic for use in construction as infill as opposed to the traditional bricks. This recycled material can also be used in insulation, floor, ceiling and roofing tiles among other uses. As an alternative, it is cost-effective, eco-friendly and lighter in weight.
Flooring alternatives
Bamboo offers a sustainable option to hardwood flooring that has been in use for years. Bamboo growth is faster and more sustainable and as such comes with the additional benefit of saving hardwood trees! The laminated elements used as planks and boards comprise of laths joined with glue. Lastly, these floors have a high resistance to abrasion as opposed to their timber counterpart.
Roofing alternatives
Bamboo comes into play here yet again. It is an eco-friendly material for roof trusses. Being light, it forms structures that have a low mass-to-flexibility ratio compared with those of wood. Strength is maximised when dry and mature bamboo (between four and six years of age) can be used as roofing tiles.
Finishes alternatives
In the spirit of environmental sustainability, paints have also evolved to develop ranges with zero VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions that is otherwise found in ordinary paints in terms of the usual paint smell. Zero VOCs paints aim to eliminate these potentially unsafe chemical components, whilst improving air quality and reducing polluted emissions that would have harmful effects to humans in the long run.
Wastes from the agro-industry are also being applied in construction. Prunus avium pit and peduncle, both fibrous materials that are waste from canning industry of cherries are being employed in the manufacture of particle boards.
As the industry slowly adopts technology, we expect to see an array of alternative construction materials. What do you think will be the next contraversial building material?
