The frantic building activity going on all over to create affordable housing as well as premium residential & commercial spaces could have serious environmental consequences in the form of deforestation, depleting water table, and strain on natural resources. Also heavy reliance on conventional building materials has aggravated environmental problems as they utilize large amount of non-renewable natural resources like energy, minerals, top-soil, forest cover etc. & are generally polluting in nature.

Typically, conventional building technologies like burnt bricks, steel & cement are high in cost too, making construction unaffordable to wider section of the society. Many developers are now adopting building practices like rain harvesting, solar energy, daylight utilization & other measures, to help sustain the environment. The construction industry is increasingly seeking innovative green building materials, to build economical, affordable buildings & reduce the impact of the construction activity on the environment.

Green building materials are made up of renewable, rather than nonrenewable resources & its impacts are considered over the entire life cycle of the building.

Here are some of the environment-friendly building materials:

Fly-ash bricks: One of the most commonly used products in construction is fly ash bricks, tiles & hollow blocks. Not only has this product solved the problem of disposal of this by-product of the power industry but is also energy efficient in terms of keeping the interiors cooler.

High-performance glass: High performance glazing controls the solar & thermal heat in the interiors & brings abundant natural light without glare resulting in energy savings. The energy savings mean that the initial high cost can be recovered within three-four years.

Recycled wood: This wood made by compressing the wastes like chips, shavings, generated by logging industry & agricultural wastes like sisal fiber, rice husk, jute stalk etc. are being utilized in wide range of applications as substitutes for wood-based products.

Recycled building materials: Much of the building materials used in construction are fabricated with twenty percent -40%recycled contents including steel, glass, aluminum etc. The gypsum boards & tiles for false ceiling, partitions contain phosphor gypsum, a pollutant by product of fertilizer industry.

Plastic products: Plastic waste which is non biodegradable is recycled to be very useful as building product for flooring, waste containers, fence posts, park benches & as substitute to other timber & concrete products. Polyester resin from recycled PET can replace the conventional high cost resin for use in construction.

Bamboo products: Bamboo is fast growing available wood which is increasingly being used as ply panels for wall cladding, flooring & other interior purposes.

Low VOC paints & adhesives: Paints & finishes containing Volatile Organic Compounds release low level toxic emissions into the air for years after application. Now are available non toxic products with low or zero VOC levels which are less harmful to human & environmental health.

Green roof: Landscaped roofs partially or completely covered with vegetation, reduces winter heat losses & summer cooling loads on buildings thus balancing energy efficiency, rainwater management & climate protection.

Grass pavers: They can be noticed in parking lots, driveways & open areas that are paved but have tufts of grass coming out between the blocks. These are concrete grid systems filled with soil which not just preserve soil erosion but also regenerate the water table by allowing excess water to seep in.

The concept of sustainable building incorporates a variety of strategies; the use of green building materials & products represents one of these important strategies, offering benefits like reduced maintenance & replacement costs, energy conservation & greater design flexibility in the design of a building.