Introduction to Building materials, their classification, environmental issues,

Summary

This course delves into the critical understanding of building materials in the context of environmental sustainability and embodied energy. It highlights the importance of material selection for carbon neutrality, discusses traditional and green materials, and introduces innovative and smart materials. The script underscores the impact of urbanization on material demand, the need for eco-friendly construction, and the role of international trade in shaping the global building industry. It also emphasizes the market shift towards sustainable materials and the necessity for architects and engineers to innovate for a greener built environment.

Takeaways

• 🏗️ The importance of understanding building materials is underscored by their significant contribution to a building's embodied energy and the push towards carbon neutrality.
• 🌱 The course aims to educate on the selection of building materials and the potential for developing innovative, eco-friendly materials to reduce carbon footprint.
• 📈 There's a correlation between urbanization, population growth, and the increased demand for buildings, which in turn drives up the need for building materials like cement and steel.
• 🌍 The environmental impact of building materials is highlighted, with a focus on reducing emissions and adopting sustainable practices in construction, especially in developing nations.
• 🔍 The script emphasizes the need for life cycle assessment of building materials to understand their environmental burdens and human health impacts throughout their life cycle.
• 🌿 Green building materials are characterized by sustainability, energy efficiency, low environmental impact, recyclability, durability, non-toxicity, and water efficiency.
• 🏢 The market is increasingly favoring renewable and ecologically friendly building materials, influenced by the demand for Green Building certification.
• 🛠 The selection of building materials is influenced by factors such as climate, cost, availability of materials and skilled labor, construction technology, and the properties and quality of materials.
• 🏛 The choice of building materials affects the visual appeal, structural stability, and historic value of structures, and can convey different emotions and messages.
• 🔄 The transition from natural to man-made materials and the globalization of construction practices have transformed material sourcing and architectural styles.
• 🔬 Innovation in building materials is crucial for aligning the construction industry with sustainable development goals and addressing the negative impacts of conventional materials.

Q & A

Why is understanding building materials important for achieving carbon neutrality?

Understanding building materials is crucial for carbon neutrality because a significant portion of embodied energy in buildings comes from the building envelope system. The selection of materials greatly contributes to the embodied energy, and being aware of this can help in choosing materials that reduce carbon footprint.

What is the relationship between urbanization and the demand for building materials?

Urbanization, particularly in developing countries, leads to a growing population moving from rural to urban areas, increasing the demand for housing, commercial buildings, and infrastructure. This trend directly drives the need for more building materials, such as steel and cement, which are essential for construction projects.

How has the increase in skyscrapers from 2008 to 2018 impacted the building materials market?

The significant rise in the number of skyscrapers constructed between 2008 and 2018 has led to an exponential increase in the demand for building materials, particularly cement, which is the most sought-after material after water in the building industry.

What is the connection between the growth in emissions from cement production and global warming?

The exponential growth in emissions, particularly carbon dioxide, from cement production is directly related to global warming. As cement production increases to meet the demand for construction, it contributes to the greenhouse effect and climate change.

How are developing nations addressing the issue of emissions in the construction industry?

Developing nations are increasingly adopting eco-friendly construction materials to meet sustainability goals. They are also committing to reducing emissions, such as India's pledge to reduce emissions by 30 to 35% by 2030, and exploring alternatives like green and low carbon cement products.

What are the characteristics of green building materials?

Green building materials are characterized by being sustainable, energy-efficient, having low environmental impact, being recyclable, durable, non-toxic, water-efficient, and capable of naturally decomposing. They also support local economies when locally sourced and may carry green building certifications.

How does the selection of building materials influence the environmental and health impacts of a building?

The selection of building materials can greatly affect the environmental and health impacts of a building throughout its life cycle. Materials should be chosen for their low emissions, recyclability, non-toxicity, and ability to improve indoor air quality, thus reducing pollutants and health risks.

What is the significance of life cycle assessment in the context of building materials?

Life cycle assessment is crucial for evaluating the environmental impact of building materials from extraction to disposal. It helps in understanding the burdens and impacts these materials have on the environment and human health throughout their life cycle.

Why is there an urgent need for innovation in building materials?

There is an urgent need for innovation in building materials to align the construction industry with sustainable development goals and to address the negative impacts associated with conventional materials. Innovation can lead to new materials and technologies that are more environmentally friendly and efficient.

What factors influence the choice and selection of building materials in construction projects?

The choice and selection of building materials are influenced by factors such as performance, qualities, applicability, climatic conditions, economic aspects, availability of materials and skilled labor, advances in construction technology, and the properties and quality of the materials that impact safety and aesthetics.

How does the classification of building materials based on environmental sustainability help in making construction more eco-friendly?

Classifying building materials based on environmental sustainability helps in identifying materials that have less impact on the environment, such as vernacular, alternative, innovative, and advanced materials. This classification aids in making informed choices that contribute to eco-friendly construction practices.

Outlines

00:00

🏗️ Introduction to Building Materials and Embodied Energy

The script introduces a course focused on understanding various building materials and their environmental impact, emphasizing the importance of building materials in reducing embodied energy and achieving carbon neutrality. It outlines the course's intent to educate on material selection and the possibility of developing innovative building materials. The speaker also discusses the environmental benefits of traditional materials and the significance of green building materials in new constructions.

05:01

🌱 Urbanization and the Demand for Sustainable Building Materials

This paragraph discusses the impact of urbanization on the demand for building materials, particularly the increase in infrastructure projects in developing countries. It highlights the exponential growth in the construction of skyscrapers and the surge in demand for materials like cement and concrete. The script also addresses the high embodied energy of cement and the environmental implications of increased emissions from cement production, which contribute to global warming. The need for eco-friendly construction materials to meet sustainability goals is underscored, with a mention of commitments by countries to reduce emissions.

10:02

🛠️ Transitioning to Eco-Friendly Building Materials

The script emphasizes the need for a transition from traditional to eco-friendly building materials to reduce environmental impact and emissions. It discusses the role of architects, designers, and engineers in selecting materials that contribute less to global warming. The paragraph also touches on the efforts by cement manufacturers to develop greener products and the influence of international trade and investment on the global cement market. The importance of understanding the life cycle of building materials and the shift from natural to man-made materials is highlighted.

15:04

🌿 Characteristics and Requirements of Green Building Materials

The paragraph outlines the characteristics and requirements of green building materials, which include being environmentally friendly, recyclable, having low embodied energy, and causing minimal pollution. It stresses the importance of materials that improve indoor air quality, conserve water, and are locally sourced to reduce transportation energy. The script also mentions the significance of building materials that can naturally decompose after their life cycle and the advantages of materials with certifications like LEED or GRIHA.

20:07

🏙️ The Nexus Between Urbanization and Building Material Demand

This section of the script explores the connection between urbanization and the heightened demand for building materials, driven by the growing global urban population. It discusses the reliance on nonrenewable resources in the construction industry and the need for sustainable development. The paragraph also addresses the hazards of conventional building materials to the environment and human health, and the importance of life cycle assessment in evaluating their environmental impact.

25:08

🔄 Market Dynamics and the Selection of Building Materials

The script examines the market's shift towards renewable and ecologically friendly building materials, influenced by the demand for Green Building certification. It discusses the market's driving forces, including the sales boost of eco-friendly products like timber and insulation. The importance of innovation in construction materials to align with sustainable development goals is highlighted, along with the need for research and development to advance construction techniques and efficiency.

30:08

🏡 Factors Influencing Building Material Selection

This paragraph delves into the critical aspects of selecting building materials, considering factors such as climatic conditions, economic aspects, availability of materials and skilled labor, advances in construction technology, and the properties and quality of materials. It emphasizes the role of building materials in establishing the visual appeal and structural stability of a construction project, and how material selection can enhance the overall ambience and convey different messages through design.

35:10

📚 Classification of Building Materials Based on Sustainability

The script concludes with a classification of building materials based on their environmental sustainability, including vernacular, alternate, innovative, advanced, and smart building materials. It provides examples of each category and discusses their environmental friendliness and innovative aspects. The classification serves as a foundation for further exploration in the course, with a focus on understanding the environmental impact of various materials and their role in sustainable construction practices.

Keywords

💡Embodied Energy

Embodied energy refers to the total energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a product, from the extraction of raw materials to the manufacturing, transport, and delivery of the finished product. In the context of the video, embodied energy is a significant factor in the environmental impact of buildings, with building materials contributing substantially to this energy use. The script emphasizes the importance of understanding and reducing embodied energy in the pursuit of carbon neutrality in construction.

💡Carbon Neutral

Being carbon neutral means that the net carbon dioxide emissions are zero, often achieved by balancing emissions through activities such as afforestation, carbon offsetting, or by adopting energy-efficient practices. The video discusses the importance of selecting building materials that contribute to achieving carbon neutrality, highlighting the role of material selection in reducing a building's environmental footprint.

💡Urbanization

Urbanization is the process of migration from rural to urban areas, leading to the expansion of cities and towns. The script mentions urbanization as a driving force behind the increased demand for buildings, which in turn affects the demand for building materials and the environment. The trend of urbanization, especially in developing countries, is directly linked to the rise in the number of buildings and associated emissions.

💡Sustainable Building Materials

Sustainable building materials are those that are environmentally friendly, derived from renewable resources, recyclable, and have low embodied energy. The script underscores the significance of sustainable materials in reducing the environmental impact of construction, mentioning that these materials should be non-toxic, improve indoor air quality, and support conservation of resources.

💡Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Indoor air quality refers to the air quality within and around buildings, and it is directly related to the health and comfort of building occupants. The video mentions IAQ in the context of building materials, stating that materials should not cause harm to the inhabitants by creating poor IAQ, which can lead to health problems such as sick building syndrome.

💡Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Life cycle assessment is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life, from cradle to grave. In the script, LCA is highlighted as a crucial tool for evaluating the environmental impact of building materials throughout their life cycle, helping to identify areas for improvement and innovation.

💡Green Building Certification

Green building certification is a recognition that a building, or community, has met certain standards for environmental design, construction, or operation. The script discusses the importance of green building materials in achieving certifications like LEED or GRIHA, which are increasingly sought after in the construction industry to demonstrate environmental responsibility.

💡Non-Renewable Resources

Non-renewable resources are natural resources that do not replenish within a human lifetime, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The video script points out the heavy reliance of the construction industry on non-renewable resources, raising concerns about resource depletion and the need for sustainable development in construction.

💡Innovative Building Materials

Innovative building materials refer to new and advanced materials that offer improved environmental performance compared to traditional materials. The script introduces various innovative materials such as bioluminescent paints, recycled plastics, and carbon dioxide absorbing concrete, which are designed to reduce the environmental impact of construction and promote sustainability.

💡Smart Building Materials

Smart building materials are advanced materials that can interact with their environment and change their properties in response to external stimuli. The video mentions smart windows, use of LCDs in buildings, and materials like photochromic and thermochromic substances that can adapt to changes in light or temperature, contributing to energy efficiency and occupant comfort.

💡Vernacular Building Materials

Vernacular building materials are traditional materials that have been used in a particular region for a long time due to their availability and suitability to the local climate and culture. The script refers to materials like mud, stone, and thatch as examples of vernacular materials, which have been the foundation of construction in many societies before the advent of modern, industrialized materials.

Highlights

Importance of understanding building materials for embodied energy and carbon neutrality.

Course aims to expose students to various building materials and their environmental impacts.

Traditional building materials and their environmental benefits are the primary focus of the course.

Discussion on the characteristics and significance of green building materials in sustainable construction.

Exploration of carbon-negative building materials as a part of the course curriculum.

Urbanization and population growth drive the demand for buildings and building materials.

The exponential increase in skyscrapers from 2008 to 2018 and its impact on building material needs.

Cement and concrete are the most sought-after materials in the building industry.

The relationship between infrastructure development, government programs, and building material demand.

The exponential growth in emissions from cement production and its relation to global warming.

Developing nations adopting eco-friendly construction materials to meet sustainability goals.

Innovation in green and low carbon cement products and their market acceptance.

The role of architects, designers, and civil engineers in selecting low-emission building materials.

International trade and investment's influence on the global cement market and building industry.

Transition from natural to man-made materials and the impact on material sourcing and environmental sustainability.

The significance of building materials in green building practices and their nexus with urbanization.

Market dynamics driving the demand for renewable and ecologically friendly building materials.

The critical role of building material selection in construction based on performance, quality, and applicability.

Classification of building materials based on environmental sustainability for the course's further segments.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Music]

hello

all so uh I welcome you all to the

course which is about understanding the

various building materials

so why are why is it important for us to

understand about uh building materials

and it's use in

buildings is because a large part of uh

the embodied energy is contributed by

the building envelope

system and in that use of building

materials contributes a lot to the

embodied energy of the building

in order to go carbon neutral it is very

important that you are aware of the

selection of building materials it is

with that intent that I have developed

this course to expose you to the various

building

materials and how selection of those

building materials is very

important

also this course must also help you

understand understand that you can

yourself develop a new Innovative

Building Material if you want to if you

want to go carbon

neutral so let us start this

course so in this um no PP we will be

looking at the various classifications

of the building materials based

primarily on its environmental strengths

so I will not dwell more into the

physical uh Properties or chemical

properties of the building materials

because once the building material has

come out to be a accepted one and its

application is shown in buildings we

need to understand and assess its

environmental benefits primarily we will

look at traditional building materials

we look at the characteristics of

traditional building

materials what are Green Building

Materials what are the characteristics

and significance of materials in green

buildings we will also discuss a little

bit about carbon negative building

materials and we'll end with the

summary so

now what is the significance of having

to understand about building

materials now there is growing

population and

urbanization and uh this is changing the

phase in developing countries

as more people move from rural areas to

urban areas there is a growing demand

for many buildings especially housing

commercial buildings and also

infrastructure projects say like you

need to add more roads Bridges Railway

stations

Etc in developing countries like India

China Brazil and some of the African

nations this Urban ization trend is

particularly very high and it is very

pronounced and that has a direct

implication on the uh requirement of

number of buildings so growing number of

buildings you can

see you can see the trend

here right from

1960 the number of skyscrapers

is there is an exponential increase and

that increase is significant in the

last two decades or rather one decade

from 2008 to

2018 there has been a significant rise

in the requirement of number of

skyscrapers and more skyscrapers have

come up in the

world and because of this the

requirement of building materials has

also so escalated

tremendously so in order to meet the

demand of these

skyscrapers there is a humongous C surge

in the need for building

materials and growing population and

urbanization are driving the global

markets in terms of uh material such as

steel cement especially concrete it is

said that

after water the most sought after

material is cement in the building

industry so that is the amount of demand

for cement and you know very well what

cement contributes in terms of embodied

energy it's embodied energy is extremely

high now the development of

infrastructure is accelerated

by I know by the uh Global Market and

also by government programs and the

investment government is doing to know

help

buildings many developing nations are

aggressively pursuing infrastructure

projects to increase the meeting

demands and what is the relationship

between the growing number of buildings

and the emissions that uh they are

causing to the world you can see along

with the number of

Skyscraper the emission just from the

cement production is also

increasing exponentially so this

exponential uh growth in

emissions emissions is carbon dioxide

emissions is directly related also to

global warming so if you are in any um

in any case if you are a little aware of

the emissions that are being

caused and the uh no consequent global

warming then you have to be extremely

aware of the building materials that you

uh select or for use in your

buildings now the developing nations are

increasingly adopting eco-friendly

construction

materials in order to fulfill the

sustainability

goals in the

cop uh know there is a commitment by

every country about how much emissions

they would cut in order to decelerate

the global

warming so what would be the

contribution of every country India has

committed to at least 30 to 35%

reduction in its

emissions by

2030 and there and all other countries

have also given their commitment M and

in order to do that we need to

understand alternate building materials

which will cause less

emissions now cement manufacturers are

doing their small bit by developing

green and low carbon Cement Products and

these are also finding a lot of place in

the market so there are many ways in

which they are doing this um know

sometimes the fuel that is used they try

to go for an alternate fuel and so on

but everyone is trying their bit the way

that we as Architects designers and

civil engineers have to do our bit in

trying to understand which building

material is going to give less emission

and cause less harm and therefore

contribute to our sustainability

goals the rise of international trade

and investment in construction projects

has further boosted the global mobile

cement Market I'm just taking one

example of cement here to say what all

can be done and what all it causes so

this increase of construction activities

in developing nations is a pivotal

driver for the global building industry

market and this is also a global driver

for the extensive emission that is being

costed

so what should we do we need to go for a

transition of building materials over

time we cannot stick to the same thing

that we have been doing and expect any

results so building materials which are

the essential components in construction

are pivotal in determining a building's

life as well as

quality now there has been a notable

shift from predominantly natural

materials to a diverse range of man-made

materials and even sometimes composite

options that we have been using in our

buildings we have also tried to explore

biodegradable or no imperishable

choices the globalized nature of modern

construction has transformed material

sourcing from indigenous to

International because of the Advent of

inter ational style of architecture

around 1920s which said that all

building materials are available

throughout the world everyone has equal

access to cement steel glass concrete

and also the technology to use these

building materials so why not use these

building materials all over the world

now what has happened is two important

changes have happened because of this

kind of an approach first is we have

started designing

buildings which are not relevant to the

climate and second thing is we have

forgotten our indigenous building

materials this has impacted the

availability and characteristics of

building elements itself

throughout so these choices are

influenced by

factors such as say cost local

availability

environmental impact and specific

performance requirement

including how much they are earthquake

prone whether there that is we call as

sea smake or fire

resistance so examples of building

materials which Encompass masonry

concrete wood steel glass and more these

belong to this

category in the Contemporary landscape

ape no

sustainable uh practices technological

advancement and a focus on this kind of

very specific being earthquake resistant

or fire resistant building materials

these are shaping the trajectory of

building material use and the dynamic

structure of these

choices these choices underscores the

need

consideration along with balance ing our

economics requirements uh the desire and

the need to fulfill environmental

requirements and you know various

factors for successfully executing a

building

construction we need to become more

aware of the choices of building

materials that we make and we should

also understand why this transition ever

happened

let us now look at the changing

requirements of building

materials now an environmentally

friendly recyclable or high performing

material that minimizes its effects on

the environment and human health over

the course of its lifestyle life cycle

this is what we require so the building

material has to be extremely

environmentally friendly

it should not be emitting too much of uh

carbon dioxide it should be

recyclable and it should have low

embodied

energy it must lessen or make less the

pollutants which are indoors and

specifically formulated from non-toxic

organic and natural materials otherwise

it leads to a lot of health issues and

health problems in the the

occupants that is why even paints are

going low voc's so these building

materials must not only be uh know

eco-friendly in terms of its

environmental impact but they must also

cause no harm to the

inhabitants they must assist in Ro you

know re-rooting indoor air quality

liability claims while satisfying

demands and legal

standards so IAQ is very important to

avoid sick building syndrome and

therefore the building materials that we

select must also be supportive of it the

conservation of non-renewable resources

and reducing the environmental impact

must also be

imperative these building materials must

be recyclable products that improve to

the production environment and quality

of life they must have natural resource

depletion it should be very very minimum

so depletion of Natural Resources should

be

minimum they must not cause atmospheric

pollution and they must not contribute

to climate change they must also prevent

loss of

biodiversity and contamination of fresh

water resources so the building

materials choices must be dominated by

the ones that avoid natural resource

depletion atmospheric pollution climate

change and they must prevent

biodiversity and contamination of

freshwater resources so these are the

major requirements that we should look

at when we select building materials

what must be the characteristics

requirements of building

materials now Green Building Materials

are character characterized by many of

these factors they must be

sustainable which means they must be

derived from renewable or recycled

resources which should aim to reduce

Reliance on finite resources that we

have they must be highly energy

efficient they must have good insulating

properties in cold areas and they should

contribute to overall Energy Efficiency

so apart from being renewable or

recyclable with their reduced Reliance

on finite resources they must have

Superior insulation

properties as well as contributing to

overall Energy Efficiency they must have

have low environmental impact that is

they must be manufactured using

processes which have minimum

polluting so the process of producing

the building material itself must not

cause pollution and they must have

minimized impact on ecosystem so

ecosystem damage must be

minimal the building materials must be

recyclable

because recycling building materials

will reduce waste and it will help in

resource

conservation also the building materials

must be durable they must be designed

for a longer

lifespan they must be know capable of

reducing replacement otherwise embodied

energy of the building over a period of

the building's lifespan itself will keep

on increasing which is not a good thing

because again you are pumping in too

much of embodied energy into the

building and therefore it is directly

related to no emissions it should

minimize resource consumption over a

period of time so have Building Material

choices which has less maintenance and

upgradation the building materials must

be non-toxic that that is it should be

free from from harmful

toxins and it must improve indoor air

quality so the building material could

improve IAQ or at least it should not

harm the health of the individuals by

creating poor

iaqs it must be water efficient and

therefore it should promote water

conservation avoid building materials

which consume more water in terms of

their uh extraction or their production

and we must have low flow fixtures and

should think of rainwater harvesting

these are just extra things beyond the

building materials the building

materials after the life of the building

should be capable of naturally

decomposing and should go back to Nature

this will reduce the environmental

impact at the End Cycle of the building

the building materials must be locally

sourced so that the transportation

energy is reduced so in order to focus

on low Transportation energy have

building materials which are locally

produced and these materials will also

support the local economy of the place

the building materials you know may

carry certifications and therefore these

are all brownie points if you choose

building materials uh that know kind of

have carry a Green Building

certification if if you want to go for

labeling Eco labeling like lead or griha

and so

on let us now look at the significance

of building materials in Green Building

now in the context of Green Building

practices understanding the importance

of building materials is very crucial

because there is a Nexus between

urbanization and the heightened demand

of building

materials now this is also driven by

know uh growing herbal population so

urbanization and material demand it

drives the increased demand for building

materials so the demand for building

materials becomes more and this is

directly linked to the growing Global

Urban population because of

urbanization also the

nonrenewable resource concerns are also

very high because this industry heavily

relies on nonrenewable resources like

coal for uh know energy for its

production so this raising alarms about

depletion of non-renewable energy uh

resources and the need of sustainable

development in

construction also drives us to

understand about the various building

materials now there are issues with

conventional building materials because

growing Global awareness highlights the

hazards from the uh conventional

Building Materials in terms of specially

the environment and therefore it is

raising an alarm for us considering the

fact that we are always going on saying

that we need to reduce emissions we need

to reduce global warming and therefore

this becomes important

we also have to consider the importance

of having uh to reduce toxicity or

having nil toxicity inside and improve

our indoor air quality so conventional

materials they could contribute to

indoor air pollution by say use of uh no

VOC emissions these are these happen

especially through paints sometimes even

through the carpets so selection of

building material for paints and carpets

become very important and they pose a

risk to both human health as well as the

environment we must also understand the

environmental impact and life cycle

assessment so these materials contribute

to environmental burdens and human

health impacts throughout their life

cycle and therefore we need to

understand how life cycle assessment can

be used for evalu valuating the

environmental

impact then there is an urgent need for

innovation no doubt the industry

urgently quickly requires new materials

and Technology to align with sdgs and

address the negative impacts associated

with conventional building materials now

this Innovation is imperative to align

the industry with sustainable

development growth so that we address

the adverse effect associated with

conventional building materials or

modern building

materials now let us look at the market

requirement uh the Market's primary

driving force is a paradigm shift

towards renewable greenhouse

materials and also towards ecologically

friendly building materials so there is

a demand in the market that we need to

shift our choices of building materials

to

renewable uh materials as well as

ecologically friendly building materials

so renewable materials is important and

ecologically friendly building material

is also a requirement from the market

why is it important why is it coming

from the market because Green Building

certification is also becoming very

important so it is uh necessary for us

to have Green Building Materials in

order to go for certification also now

the market dynamics are boosting sales

of products which are say no

eco-friendly Timber or um uh green board

insulation in uh

buildings the Dynamics of Green Building

Material Market are likely to change by

Innovation and New Generation Advanced

Technologies which must be backed by

research and development by making them

more effective advancing the

construction techniques and increasing

efficiency now let us look at the choice

and selection of building materials the

selection of building materials is a

critical aspect of construction with

choices Guided by factors such as

performance

qualities and its

applicability the choice of building

materials it considers various factors

such as climatic conditions now this is

what has happened with the

internationalization of buildings I I am

using this word internationalization of

of buildings because this is where we

started using modern so-called modern

building materials with very can't uh

respect to the environment and the

climate of that place so even whether it

is a hot and dry climate or a warm and

humid climate we ended up using the same

building material and therefore the

choice of building materials now must

entail various factors such as climate

the economic aspects of budget what is

the cost of the building material will a

concrete block cost same as a mud block

when a mud block is good enough to

compensate for a place where concrete

block is used so economics becomes very

important availability of materials and

skilled labor so what is happening now

we have we are seeing one to one that

sand is getting depleted as a resource

so the availability of the material know

is reduced and I'm just giving sand as

example and also there must be

availability of skilled labor this is

also important when you choose a

building material don't choose a

building material which needs so much

Exquisite skilled uh manpower to execute

it because then it will lose its

popularity over time because the

building will not progress for lack lack

of skilled

labor advances in construction

technology must also be uh considered so

no advances in construction technology

further expands the array of available

materials because it starts introducing

Innovative options for enhanced building

performance the properties and so I will

number it as five then sixth one is the

properties and quality of selected uh

building materials it directly

influences the functional safety aspects

the functional aspect the aesthetic

aspects of the construction project so

for a construction project to be

functionally safe and durable

appropriate building materials have to

be used and we will be looking at the

classification of this these building

materials that will form a very

important part of this

course so we have come to understand

that there are certain U parameters

based on which we choose building

materials so these building materials

are an integral part of architecture and

they play a crucial role in determining

the visual appeal structural stability

and historic value of a structure the

choice of building materials it's

influenced by various factors such as

the site that you have where the

building is going to come up the nature

of the surroundings and the type of

buildings building materials establish a

relationship between the visual quality

as well as the structural stability

which is essential in creating a

structure that is both aesthetically

pleasing and structurally sound these

Building Material selection also High

lights the theme and the concept of the

design you cannot be designing a

building which produces eco-friendly

building materials but actually is you

know the production of the eco-friendly

building materials comes from a building

which is which has very high embodied

energy or which has a lot of emission so

they have to correlate certain things

have to be correlated in spirit so

different materials can evoke different

emotions in people and convey different

messages for example the use of wood in

structure can create a very warm and uh

no grounded feeling which which can be

very inviting whereas the use of exposed

concrete can create a very industrial

and a very gray and a very modern

feeling also because exposed concrete is

one of the characteristics of modern

architecture and that is something new

to the Indian vernacular

architecture so the selection of

building materials can enhance the

overall Ambience of the building it can

create a very cohesive and harmonious

structure the building materials also

play a crucial role in determining the

appropriate site for construction

project because the availability of

building materials and their suitability

in design can influence the location of

a project for example

if a project requires a specific type of

stone the site selected must have access

to that stone otherwise you are going to

increase the embodied energy by means of

transportation energy those stone is a

low emission Building Material compared

to concrete or steel but all that will

compensate in the increased

Transportation

energy the availability of building

materials can also impact the budget of

a construction project furthermore

building materials help trace the

evolution of the art of

construction the use of different

materials throughout history have

influenced the development of

architectural Styles and the techniques

the study of building materials can

produce insights into the cultural and

historic values of a society and the

evolution of construction

practices example Le is brihadishwara

Temple the kind of Ambience it creates

the kind of cultural and historical

ethos it has to the

society I will now get into the main

aspect which is what we will follow now

what are the classification of building

materials so building materials can be

classified as natural building materials

natural building materials are materials

that can be found in nature that require

very minimum processing say like mud or

wood whereas the synthetic building

materials which are know based on sorts

these are man-made manufactured

materials and they involve processing

for example

steel so the source of based on the

source of building materials we can have

natural build building materials and

synthetic building

materials based on the composition we

can have organic materials

and inorganic

materials so organic materials are raw

materials that require very little

chemical changes for example sand or

biomass so they are very minor um no

intervention is there you have to remove

the pellets you have to remove the uh

know uh things that you do not need and

so on whereas

inorganic building materials they are

processed with added components to

enhance their performance so it can be

something like lime we could know call

it as a based on composition then based

on sustainability building materials can

be classified we could have composite

materials

composite materials are natural

materials that are modified for improved

performance for example engineered

wood or

CLT so these are all composite materials

from nature because we are talking with

respect to sustainability you can have

Sustainable Building Materials which are

produced installed maintained with very

less environmental

impact for for example

bamboo and you can have non- Sustainable

Building M material which are intensely

modified with high environmental impact

these can be cement steel glass concrete

aluminum and so

on and

finally we move on

to building material classification

environmentally

because that is the Crux of this

course here we will classify building

materials as vernacular building

materials these building materials have

been used in for a very long time they

have proven to be useful to the human uh

beings in the in that particular

context these are mud Stone thatch bamb

B some binders straw Bell and Quarry

waste over time when there was a kind of

um awareness about being environmentally

sensitive we started developing what we

call as alternate building materials so

alternate building materials

use certain things which are considered

as waste and because Earth is not able

to sustain that much of Dum pumping of

the waste these are also incorporated

into building materials to produce what

is called as alternative building

materials those could be fly ash furnace

slag cross laminated Timber construction

demolition waste phospho gypsum hem

Crete paper creete irritated concrete

alternate

Aggregates then the third classification

is innovative building materials so

under under Innovative building

materials some something very new which

is very striking

attractive has come up and these are

bioluminescent paints milk paints

recycled

Plastics carbon dioxide absorbing

concrete and maybe aggro

bricks all of these are extremely

environmental friendly and moving

towards low carbon low emission building

materials we will also look at Advanced

building

materials like Fab Ash that is building

materials which incorporate the some

part of fabric or Ash of a fabric

because fabric waste is another huge

burden on the earth we will look at

light emitting concrete fiber reinforced

concrete melium composite bricks

geopolymer concrete living bricks

biolumin paints Ecco bind tiles and

permeable concrete and the last one is

the no genz kind of building materials

which I call as smart building materials

we will look at certain components as

well as certain other aspects like smart

Windows use of LCDs in buildings

photochromics thermochromic

electroluminescent titanium dioxide

thermotropic and electr chromy miix so

these this slide where you see the

building material classification based

on its environmental sustainability will

form the basis of further classes and

this course we will look at each

Building Material separately and that

will be the course I stop my class today

with this and we move on to our next

segment which is vernacular building

material in the next class thank you

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