One of the biggest developments in the property industry has been that of eco-friendly building materials. Materials which essentially reduce the harmful environmental impact of building operations.
Interested in sustainable building, Sell House Fast surveyed 582 architects, engineers and construction (AEC) professionals to identify the eco-friendly building materials they expect the property (commercial as well as non-commercial) industry to increase using in 2020.
Sell House Fast found that the majority of experts believe bamboo (74%) is the eco-friendly building material that will experience the greatest increase in usage within the property industry next year.
Thereafter, 69% expect straw bales to have a strong inclusion in construction projects scheduled in 2020. Whilst slightly less feel the same way about timbercrete (61%). Contrastingly, cork (38%) is the eco-friendly building material that experts predict will be utilised the least by the property industry over the course of 2020.
| The eco-friendly building materials AEC professionals* predict will see the biggest increase in usage within the property industry during 2020 | |
| Bamboo | 74% |
| Straw Bales | 69% |
| Timbercrete | 61% |
| Recycled Plastics | 56% |
| Ferrock | 47% |
| Hempcrete | 44% |
| Cork | 38% |
| * AEC = architects, engineers and construction professionals | |
Robby du Toit, the Managing Director of Sell House Fast commented “The property industry is more eco-conscious than ever before. This has led to a surge in the innovation and development of eco-friendly building materials. As professionals become better acquainted with the properties and benefits of different eco-friendly building materials, their adoption rate in construction projects can expect to see a positive increase. This research certainly highlights the eco-friendly building materials that will have a big impact in 2020”.
A Guide to Eco-friendly building materials
Bamboo – Bamboo is light-weight and has tensile strength. Bamboo is the ideal replacement for expensive and heavy imported building materials. Bamboo provides a great alternative to concrete and rebar construction.
Straw Bales – Straw bale is a renewable resource that can be used to replace concrete, plaster, wood, fiberglass, stone and gypsum when building walls. Straw bales naturally have high fire-retardant as well as insulating (for hot and cold climates) qualities.
Timbercrete – Timbercrete is a mix of sawdust and concrete. Timbercrete is much lighter than concrete. Also, the sawdust element replaces some of the more energy-intensive components found in normal concrete. Timbercrete is versatile and can be shaped into bricks, blocks etc.
Recycled Plastics – Concrete made from ground-up rubbish and recycled plastics. By doing so, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a new beneficial way of utilising plastic waste that would otherwise just be left clogging up landfills.
Ferrock – Ferrock combines various recycled materials (e.g. steel dust) to create a building material that not only resembles concrete but is even stronger. Ferrock absorbs and seals carbon dioxide as part of the drying and hardening process, thus making it less CO2 intensive than concrete.
Hempcrete – Hempcrete (a bio-composite material) is formed from the inner fibres of hemp plants. The hemp fibres are treated with lime to create concrete-like shapes which are not only durable but super-lightweight.
Cork – Cork is made from the tree bark of cork oak. Cork does not absorb water or rot. Likewise, if left uncoated – cork is naturally fire resistant. Cork is ideal for flooring and insulation sheets due to its noise as well as shock adsorption attributes.
