Sustainability and Toxicity of Building Materials: Manufacture, Use and Disposal Stages provides a review of toxicity impacts from building materials, including the consideration of the toxicity in the extraction and manufacture of the materials and eventual dismantling and disposal. This book also offers the potential to stimulate future developments in this area, both in terms of knowledge-building and methods for future research. With the increasing emphasis on sustainable construction, it has become important to better understand the impacts of common materials. Civil and structural engineers, postgraduates, researchers as well as architects will find this book to be useful in selecting sustainable building materials.
While many building and furnishing materials are safe to use, in recent decades, some have had to be redesigned due to recognition that they contained problem chemicals like formaldehyde. Unfortunately, there is still limited understanding of the toxic impacts of many synthetic chemicals which means that the risks in this area are not well recognized. With increasing interest in using limited resources more sustainably, definitions of what is sustainable should be expanded to move from the focus on energy and carbon impacts to also include more explicit consideration of toxicity impacts.
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Table of Contents
BCC List of Contributors Table of Contents IntroductionSection 1: Contextualising the importance of evaluating toxic impacts1. Importance of recognising toxicity of building materials in manufacture, use and disposal stages for planetary sustainability and restoration 2. The role of regulation in shifting to sustainable and non-toxic building materials 3. The role of environmental certifications in fostering changes 4. Evaluation of Global Research on Greenwashing by Scientometric Indicators 5. Springboard to sustainable behaviour: a study of environmental attitudes toward material usage 6. An evolution of sustainable house construction technologiesSection 2: Sustainability and toxicity issues with natural and conventional construction materials7. Timber: Trees and Wood in construction 8. Timber: Industrial processes of treatments and adhesives 9. Bricks: a review of sustainability and toxicity issues 10. Concrete: Positive and negative aspects of its use in construction 11. Metals: issues with everyday use and toxicity within standard construction metals 12. Ecological and Health Impacts of Non-Metallic Minerals 13. Agricultural by-products as construction materials 14. Life-Cycle Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Earthen Buildings versus Conventional Buildings on Human HealthSection 3: Sustainability and toxicity issues with synthetic and composite materials15. Sustainability and toxicity of polymers, plastics, and coatings in buildings 16. Recycling and reutilization opportunities and techniques of the insulation material EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) after the lifetime of EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finishing System). 17. Implications of persistent environmental toxins prevalent in interior building materials and furnishings 18. Sustainability and toxicity of formaldehyde-based resins for composite wood products like plywood, particleboard, and medium density fibreboard (MDF)Section 4: Sustainability and toxicity issues with systems and built examples19. Circular Tiny House CTH Project 11/2020 02/22 20. Kitchen joinery Past, Present, and Future 21. Case study of a Non-Recyclable Glued Fa�ade System and the Development of a Fa�ade System with a Reclosable Fastener Fixation for the Recycle and Reuse of Single Fa�ade Components 22. Eco Cottages: Using local indigenous non-toxic renewable cypress resources for sustainable construction and production 23. Design With Air, Towards Nontoxic Sustainable Microclimates using Earthen Materials 24. Unearthing sustainable material futuresSection 5: Emerging considerations25. Mycelium-based materials for the built environment: A case study on simulation, fabrication and repurposing myco-materials 26. Hazardous building materials threaten circular economy and sustainable outcomes 27. Composite building materials and construction and demolition waste (C&DW): Ecotoxicological perspectives 28. Digital systems supporting improvements of material information disseminationAuthors
Emina K. Petrovic Senior Lecturer in Sustainability in Design, Wellington School of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.Dr Emina Kristina Petrovic is recognised for her expertise on toxicity, sustainability, and healthiness of building materials. Petrovic emphasises the importance of informed building material selection for both the built and natural environment, calling for a more detailed consideration of building materials for the totality of their impacts, from ecosystem health to ethics of production. By asserting the relevance of the interrelatedness of these issues, Petrovic is providing a critical leadership in a transition to less impactful construction. Because knowledge itself is not enough for the needed change, Petrovic has also contributed a new sustainable transition framework, and examines aspects of behaviour change in building industry.
Morten Gjerde Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture & Planning at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology. Registered Architect.Associate Professor Morten Gjerde has a strong interest in the different ways materials can be used to support design intentions, to enhance energy efficiencies and comfort of occupants, and to minimize impacts on climate and resources. As the son of a cabinetmaker, he gained an appreciation for craft and making early on, which he has continued to develop throughout his architectural and academic careers. He invites his students to exploit the sensory qualities of materials in their design work and to consider the way they age and change during the life of the building.
Fabricio Chicca Senior Lecturer, Wellington School of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.Dr Fabricio Chicca is a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. He is recognized for his expertise as a critical thinker and researcher in the field of sustainability in architecture, with a background spanning over 20 years as an architect and urban designer. Fabricio's focus is to examine whether the prevailing conventional approach to sustainable architecture effectively addresses the current environmental challenges. He is studying the potential of a paradigm shift towards sustainable architecture, as well as the role of the environmental impact of materials in the construction industry. His diverse research covers sustainability, life cycle assessment, urban agriculture, city impacts, and critical analysis of environmental certification and architectural practices and critical analysis of environmental certification and sustainable architectural practices.
Guy Marriage Registered Architect at First Light Studio, Wellington Senior Lecturer, Wellington School of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.Guy Marriage is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture with a specialist interest in Construction. Having worked full time in commercial practice for over 20 years, he has now been teaching construction for the next 20 years. His research is primarily focused on improving the construction of buildings, and spans topics such as structural prefabrication, tall building construction, innovative engineered timber technology, and ways to design better medium density housing.
