5+1 Eco-Friendly Building Materials

Eco-friendly is the name of the game and everybody’s playing. In the last ten years, we’ve seen a flood of new construction material options that are made from recycled or renewable sources. Not only are these products better for the planet, they often have been engineered to outperform traditional materials. Whether you’re working towards LEED certification, or just reducing your footprint, there are material options that will fit the bill. Let’s just scratch the surface on some of our favorite earth-friendly materials.

1. Bamboo. If you’ve ever had bamboo in your yard, you know that it is exceptionally abundant and spreads at surprising rates. It’s incredibly fast growing, reaching maturity in 3-5 years. It’s hardwood counterparts can take over 20 years to grow. It’s easy to maintain and can be refinished if needed. It costs about the same as hardwood, and behaves like hardwood, but leaves a much smaller footprint.
2. Recycled Steel. New steel takes a lot of energy to produce and smelt. Recycled steel utilizes the material for new structural beams and girders. Recycling the steel saves 75% of the energy used in the production of new steel.
3. Precast Concrete. Concrete on its own is a natural material, being made of water, sand, gravel and cement. The biggest impact on the environment is the on-site preparation. Precast concrete is poured in a factory and shipped in parts to its final destination. It reduces waste and allows recycled concrete to be used.
4. Composite Wood. Composite wood is made of 85-95% recycled content, meaning no trees are needed to produce it. It also lasts far longer with less management than traditional wood. Learn all about the latest in composite decking by reading this blog.
5. Insulated Concrete Forms. This is one of the oldest eco-friendly construction materials. These help insulate the building and save a tremendous amount of energy. Buildings with insulated concrete forms save as much as 20% over the energy consumed by wood frame buildings.

For the + 1, we share with you one of our newest eco-friendly materials – LignoLoc® from BECK, available through BECK America. This revolutionary wooden nail is made from Central European beech wood and boasts a tensile strength similar to aluminum nails. Their mechanical properties allow the nails to be driven into solid structural timber with the FASCO® LignoLoc® pneumatic nailer, without any pre-drilling, to form an inseparable bond with the timber. LignoLoc®  won’t rust, and won’t create a thermal bridge when temperatures rise, making them suitable for a wide array of applications.

There are truly limitless ways to reduce the carbon footprint that is created in construction. There is an abundance of eco-friendly options and practices that can be used in the planning and execution of your build that are little changes that make a big difference.

For more details regarding benefits, best practices, and more, view the LignoLoc® website.