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JS
Engineering Design Ltd.
Consulting
Structural EngineersEcological Building
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Introduction
The consideration of sustainable building and
construction covers a wide range of topics. Energy demand
and the energy efficiency of buildings is vitally
important. But other considerations are important too.
What materials we use, how we use them, and where they
come from all need to be considered. |
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Environmental
considerations |
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Material source
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 Where does
the raw material come from?
How
'sustainable' is it?
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Conversion to a useful product
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What energy
is used in taking the raw material and turning it
into a building product?
Are there
any environmental costs to by-products from the
process?
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Transport
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How far is
the product transported and at what environmental
cost?
Answers to these
questions can be difficult to find, but manufacturers and
trade associations are a good place to start.
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Good
practice
Good practice can be summarised by the following
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Reduce
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 Good
design can reduce the quantity of material used by
increasing its effectiveness.
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Refurbish
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Ecological
building often concentrates on new buildings. Making
good use of existing buildings can make environmental
sense, using and enhancing what already exists.
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Reuse
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Many
building materials from demolished buildings can be
simply re-used, particularly bricks, stone, steel
beams, and timber joists. If you are U.K.-based, you
may like to try SalvoMIE where you can buy and sell used,
second-hand and un-utilised construction materials
over the internet.
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Recycle
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Other
materials can be recycled e.g.broken masonry and
concrete can be used as hardcore; building boards and
artificial slates can be made from recycled
materials.
If you are
U.K.-based, try BREMAP which provides details of
firms involved in recycling and disposal of
construction or demolition waste.
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Designing
ecologically
We strive to make the best use of our natural resources.
Timber is the main renewable material that we can use for
building structures. We are involved with projects that
make extensive use of timber and engineered timber
products such as glulaminated timber beams, plyweb beams
and masonite beams. Careful design of timber construction
is particularly important to prevent deterioration and
decay. |
