How the Selection of Materials According to the Attributes of Being Renewable, Recyclable and locally Sourced Can contribute to a Better Design Solution

How the Selection of Materials According to the Attributes of Being Renewable, Recyclable and locally Sourced Can contribute to a Better Design Solution
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INTRODUCTION
For a very long period of time the selection of the building materials for constructions have been carried out on the evaluation of their cost, performance, and aesthetics mostly with a total disregard of the influence they may have on the environment. However, as the need to embrace the utilisation of the construction materials and products that are environmentally preferable or "green" these conventional selection parameters often been used as the selection criteria have been expanded to include environment and health impacts (Spiegel and Meadows, 1999). Moreover, the selection of the construction materials that are environmentally-preferable on the basis of them been recyclable, renewable as well as locally sourced indicates that they have reduced or lesser effect on the environment and human health in comparison to competing construction products and materials that are capable of serving the same purpose. However, the tremendously increasing trend of selecting construction materials on the basis of the attributes of them been recyclable, renewable and also locally available has greatly impacted on the improvement of the architectural designs solutions (Hegazy, 2002). This has been greatly attributed by the fact that the selection and availability of these materials has been an essential determinant of the designs to be constructed. Therefore, as the increase in the utilisation of the construction materials that are environmentally preferable from the virtue of them been recyclable, renewable and locally sourced has greatly influenced to construction design solutions. This is mainly because the designs that are currently developed needs to be compatible with “green” construction materials to ensure that these materials that are locally sourced can effectively lead to a successful completion of the developed design (Howe, 2010).
Moreover, the popularity of the green buildings which tremendously increasing has led to an expansion of both the demand as well as availability of “green” construction materials that can be easily recycled and renewed and also which can be readily sourced locally (American Institute of Architects, 1992). Therefore, for specifiers and designers, these changes have been very essential in helping to provide greater opportunities that would be responsible of improving the environmental performance of numerous construction materials and products. This would also concurrently serve the role of ensuring better design solutions are achieved by the designers with the increased use of these materials (Froeschle, 1999). Similarly, assessing both the environmental and health impacts of such construction materials remains a complex process, sometimes complicated by the variation of the claims made by the manufactures which may contradict each other (Dell’Isola and Kirk, 1998). Fortunately, over the recent past there has been an expansion of the set of sources of these green products as well as the increased existence of the tools that are vital in assisting construction project teams to make appropriate as well as informed evaluations leading to selections of the appropriate materials (Roodman and Lenssen, 1995). This has greatly revolutionised the design solutions such that it has enabled the architects and designers to creatively use the nature and availability of these materials to develop modernised construction designs that are environment friendly. Therefore, when the necessary care is taken while selecting building materials that environmentally sustainable on the basis of them been renewable, recyclable and readily sourced locally has become the easiest and appropriate way through which architects and designers can begin the incorporation of the principles of sustainable design solutions in buildings (Pushkar et al. 2005).
Increased environmental awareness has been the main motivation of the utilisation of building materials that are renewable, recyclable as well as locally sourced in the design solutions (Allen and Iano, 2008). Therefore, the question of how the use of the materials results to better design solutions will be evaluated. In addition, the other questions that will be discussed in this paper include how the utilisation of these materials has promoted the green buildings as well as environment protection. Moreover, there is also the question of how various materials such as wood, natural stone and clay can be used in a recycled manner to help the architects come up with better design solutions. However, in the case study section The Flury residential building which was designed by the Swiss Spaceshop Architekten will be considered. Finally, the comparison and contrasting as well as criticising of the issues raised and the case study will be considered.
BACKGROUND
Literature Review
The utilisation of construction of materials that are capable of been recycled or renewed constitutes to the concept of green building since the developed structures as well as the processes used are environment friendly and resource-efficient in the entire life-cycle of the building from design to demolition. Therefore, the increased use of the construction materials that can be renewed, recycled or are readily sourced locally has expanded and complemented the conventional construction design solutions due to the concerns of the durability, utility, economy and comfort (Allen and Iano, 2008; Spiegel and Meadows, 1999). This concept is highly related to the concept of natural building, which put more emphasis on the utilisation of construction materials that are natural and locally available meaning they can be easily sourced. Moreover, these attributes of the construction materials leads to the sustainability of the building meaning that the needs of the current generations are met without the buildings having to put more pressure on the future generation in their maintenance (CalRecycle, 2012).
The use of construction materials that are renewable and recyclable commonly referred to as the green building is mostly aimed at reducing the impact of such buildings on the environment. This is due to the fact that as the world population continues to increase more land will continue to be developed and the demand for the construction materials will also continue to increase progressively (Dell’Isola and Kirk, 1998). Hence, the need to use construction materials that can be renewed or recycled becomes inevitable if the environment is to be protected by reducing pressure on its resources. This is because these materials can be severally recycled thereby abating the need of getting new ones. However, the concept of utilising construction materials that can be readily renewed or recycled it becomes possible to develop better design solutions that are explicitly compatible with such materials (Froeschle, 1999). Considering that these materials are highly flexible and can be manipulated into any structure desired by the designer or architecture it becomes very easy to develop newer and unique designs that are better. Moreover, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2009) an approximate of 107 million acres of land in the U.S are already developed indicating that the need to start prioritising the use of materials that can be renewed or recycled can not be underestimated (Dell’Isola and Kirk, 1998). However, increased use of construction materials with such attributes leads to reduced energy consumption within the buildings as well as reducing greenhouse gases emissions. This is very crucial considering that buildings that are already existing are responsible for the consumption of 40% world’s primary energy while at the same time accounting for the emissions of 24% carbon dioxide globally (Allen and Iano, 2008; Hegazy, 2002).
The concept of using construction materials that can be renewed or recycled traces its roots from the time when designers and architects became more concerned about developing more better designs that are convenient in the energy and resources utilisation. In addition, these buildings results to very little waste that ends up in the landfills after demolition since most of the materials previously used for the construction of these building are recycled (reused) or renewed (Froeschle, 1999). Therefore, the need for the use of these materials has been greatly contributed to by the need to develop construction practices that are environment friendly and energy efficient through the development of better design solutions. However, there are other motivations that can be attributable to the embracing of these natural building materials including the economical and the social benefits that accrue. Moreover, the better designs that are developed as a result of using these construction materials which are renewable and recyclable is to ensure that the buildings are in harmony with both the resources and the natural features that surround the site on which the building is constructed (Pushkar et al. 2005). Moreover, the utilisation of construction materials that has the attributes of renewable, recyclable and locally sourced costs less in the entire building life even though the up-front cost may be slightly higher compared to the designs using the conventional construction materials. This is mainly because materials with these attributes will require unique and better designs to be developed (CalRecycle, 2012; Hegazy, 2002). Designs that are developed using these materials tend to save a lot in terms of energy bills due to efficient use of utilities while at the same time allowing the used materials to be used again in the future. However, it has been shown by studies that over the last 20 years building designs utilising construction materials that are renewable, recyclable or locally sourced has given more space as well as making the building to get higher occupancy rates, rents, and sale prices in addition to lower capitalization rates indicating that these designs results to lower investment risk (Howe, 2010).
Materials efficiency
Construction materials that are considered to be renewable and recyclable are those that are locally sourced and which be reused for the same purpose it was used for initially or a different one. For instance, the locally sourced construction materials that are readily renewable or recyclable include bamboo, wood, and straw, natural stone and clay. Moreover, the utilisation of these building materials that are renewable and recyclable should ensure that they are locally sourced in order to greatly minimize the energy which will be required to transport them to the construction site (Allen and Iano, 2008). For example, where possible, these construction materials need to be sourced off-site and be easily delivered to the construction site so as to minimize waste, maximize recycling due to the fact that there manufacture is taking place in one location. The aspect of the materials been recyclable or renewable tremendously reduces the amount of waste produced at all phases of construction by reducing the amount of waste that goes to the landfills. This is achieved by ensuring that the building designs allow the recycling of the construction materials at the construction, maintenance and demolition phases of the buildings.
Photo 1: An eco-house with a turf roof
 HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PA120016.JPG"  INCLUDEPICTURE "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/PA120016.JPG/220px-PA120016.JPG" \* MERGEFORMATINET 

Source: Detail ‘Green Architecture’ award 2011
Conceptual framework and resources
The research on this essay will follow both the empirical and experimental approaches where the evaluation of a variety of a variety of literature will be considered. Moreover, the research will also evaluate the Flury residential building which was designed by the Swiss Spaceshop Architekten as the practical case study. This will allow an evaluation of how the use of materials with the attributes of been recyclable, renewable and locally sourced was used and how the use of these materials led to improving its design (Howe, 2010). However, the research will utilise both the primary and secondary sources of information. The primary sources will include the reviewing of the actual case study which involves the Flury residential building which was designed by the Swiss Spaceshop Architekten. Moreover, the secondary sources will involve the books, journals and the internet articles information that will be reviewed to ensure successful completion of the research.
CASE STUDY (FLURY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING IN DEITINGEN, SWITZERLAND)
The award winning Flury residential building is a perfect example which has managed to effectively use building materials that are readily renewable and recyclable as well as locally sourced. The case study building which is located in Deitingen, Switzerland was designed by the Spaceshop Architekten. This construction project effectively depicts an eco-architecture. Moreover, the underlying premises of the modern design were appropriately addressed in this project including ecology, self-sufficiency, and health were amicably implemented this architectural idiom which is modern and explicitly clear (Allen and Iano, 2008). This is mainly because the Flury residential building only utilizes building materials that are locally sourced as well as recyclable from their immediate environment. Moreover, this building whose design gives it a superb outlook does not produce any waste since its construction cycle, use, as well as disassembly is closed thereby making it completely recyclable (Froeschle, 1999; Spiegel and Meadows, 1999). Therefore, this project is actually very rational and sovereignly engages with the concept of sustainable building. The building is also in perfect harmony with its construction site as indicated by the diagram below (Photo 2) which shows the front view of the building.
Photo 2: The front view of the Flury residential building which was designed by the Swiss Spaceshop Architekten
 HYPERLINK "http://blog.emap.com/footprint/files/2011/01/detail-preis-2011_haus-flury_stefan-weber_online_2.jpg" 

Source: Detail ‘Green Architecture’ award 2011
The Flury residential building combines various aspects of perfect designs since it is simple and utilizes locally sourced construction materials, and it also puts on board sophisticated architectural, ecological and technological requirements. Moreover, considering the entire cycle of this building project including con...