Steps to follow before constructing Sustainable Buildings 1.Conserving Energy by using natural products 2.Using recycled Materials in Construction Share your Views

Posted By Glass is Green on 28 Feb 2011 02:17 PM
1.Conserving Energy by using natural products

the better insulators are man-made

A sustainable building makes proper use of land,conserves the natural habitat,and promotes the well-being of its occupants and their surroundings! Carrying out a thorough site evaluation prior to the construction phase is crucial in achieving these things!

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SIPs

I beg to differ with your statement.

Although man made insulators can have high R factors, one should also consider the components of the insulator.  There can be negatives in the form of VOC; then there is the embodied energy factor too.  If you are building green you have to consider these things.

I built my own straw bale home.  Straw is deffinately NOT a man made insulator.  On the contrary, it is a totally renewable, waste resource, which is produced en masse every year in farmers fields.  When used either as infill, or as load bearing in home building, the R value is between 40 - 50. 


If you are considering building and want to do it in the most eco friendly way, you have to give straw bale building a closer look.  The warmth of the thick undulating walls is very welcoming. 

So, sorry, not ALL the better insulators are man made, in my opinion.

Hi,
Everyone has listen about eco-friendly building, construcion but what really lies behind all the talk of carbon-neutral houses homes , alternative energy sources equipments and those unfamiliar construction techniques


Building & Construction

Posted By Straw House Queen on 12 Mar 2011 09:43 PM
I beg to differ with your statement.

Although man made insulators can have high R factors, one should also consider the components of the insulator.  There can be negatives in the form of VOC; then there is the embodied energy factor too.  If you are building green you have to consider these things.

I built my own straw bale home.  Straw is deffinately NOT a man made insulator.  On the contrary, it is a totally renewable, waste resource, which is produced en masse every year in farmers fields.  When used either as infill, or as load bearing in home building, the R value is between 40 - 50. 


If you are considering building and want to do it in the most eco friendly way, you have to give straw bale building a closer look.  The warmth of the thick undulating walls is very welcoming. 

So, sorry, not ALL the better insulators are man made, in my opinion.

and how thick are your walls?

If you decide to use steel reinforced concrete, post tension it to enable the use of less steel and less concrete at the same strength.

The first straw bale house in the US was built in the early 1900's in Nebraska. It was eaten by a cow a few years later, however.

A building built out of bales of straw has only the plaster component to rely on for long term structural and weather resistance properties.
A straw bale house provides shelter for not only the people but thousands of rodents and bugs--including scorpions who especially love the optimum mold producing environment the silly concept produces.
The initial use was out of necessity in an environment where the only viable alternative was the use of sod or a kit home from Sears which was shipped in from Chicago by rail. Both the stick house and the straw bale house were a hazard in a prairie fire. Putting a structural plaster on both sides was a later improvement which gave the idea the one step from stupid it is today.

jusaxeme "The first straw bale house in the US was built in the early 1900's in Nebraska. It was eaten by a cow a few years later, however.
"

NOT a fan I take it!

John

I like cows--in their place. They have to be contained within a fenced area if you build a house out of fodder, however