The Future of Green Building Materials

When you think building materials, what are the first things that come to mind? Wood? Steel? Glass? Of course those are the first things that come to mind because the building trades have been using those materials for centuries and they are what every structure that we see on a daily basis is made of. But what does the future hold for the building industries? With the move to green thinking, will those ideas spill over into home building?

Below are just some of the up and coming building materials that are being developed for use in commercial and residential buildings where “going green” is important.

SENSITILE

SensiTile are tiles that light up when you walk on, near or over them. They can be used to light your way at night and can be installed on your floors, walls or ceilings.

RECYCLED STEEL

Recycled steel is already being used to manufacture a variety of consumer goods, so why not the frame of a home? A steel-framed home would not only be stronger, it will also save the environmental impact of cutting down trees. An free wordpress themes average 2000 sq. ft. home would require 40 trees to frame, or 6 recycled clunkers.

BAMBOO

Bamboo grows at a rate of 60 to 100 cm per day, is sustainable and easily replenished. Bamboo can be grown in all types of climates and is very weather resistant making it an obvious choice for a green home building material.

RICHLITE

Richlite is made of 70% recycled paper that has been treated with resin and baking to harden. Richlite is almost impossible to distinguish from wood and makes an environmentally sound choice of materials.

SELF-FIXING CONCRETE

Self-fixing concrete works with the sunlight and has a protective coating that fixes the cracks concrete normally sustains before they get too large. This is a perfect green material because it can cut down on the cost to replace concrete sidewalks, roads and parking lots.

What does the future hold for building materials? So far, these green solutions seem very viable and they could be showing up in your home or place of business sooner than you think.