Building Materials:
Sustainable Construction Materials.

In Queensland almost 35 percent of the State has been cleared since European settlement. Between 1991 and 1995, land clearing occurred at an estimated rate of 285,000 hectares a year.

The CSIRO and industry leaders have developed a system called the Building Materials Sustainability Ecological Index (BMEI). This index provides an indicator on how building materials environmentally impact.

The BMEI is based on 3 main factors: resource depletion, inherent pollution and embodied energy. These factors are further subdivided as follows:

Resource Depletion-

1. Damage suffered to the environment during extraction.

2. The extent of damage related to the amount of material produced.

3. Source, size and renew ability of raw material.

4. Recycling content.

5. Maintenance required.

6. Reliability of product.

Inherent Pollution -

1. Solid waste resulting from extraction, manufacture and production.

2. Liquid waste resulting from extraction, manufacture and production.

3. Greenhouse gases due to extraction, manufacture and production.

4. Toxins and particulates due to extraction, manufacture and production.

5. Fabrication and on site waste and packaging.

6. Environmental impact during construction and use.

7. Environmental impact at end of life.

Embodied Energy -

1. Energy required obtaining raw materials, processing them and producing building materials or product, including transport between these stages.

2. Transport energy.

3. Construction energy.

Links

http://www.buildinggreen.com/features/gp/green_products.html
http://www.buildinggreen.com/features/straw/straw.html
http://www.bgreen.com.au/goodwood.html
http://solstice.crest.org/efficiency/straw_insulation/index.html