• Real-time rendering allows architects to analyze, process, and publish detailed 3D images and scenes instantly.
• Real-time renderings help design teams make informed decisions, saves time and resources, improves cost control, and betters clients’ understanding of a project.
• Enscape is a real-time rendering and virtual reality tool designed for architects that plugs directly into the modeling software a firm already uses.

Two-dimensional blueprints and three-dimensional models—both physical and digital—have long served architects well, but they aren’t always ideal for presenting design concepts to clients with a limited understanding of the technical aspects of the AEC industry.

As a result architects are increasingly turning to real-time rendering to better present their ideas through the creation of highly detailed, immersive, and interactive 3D representations.

Let’s explore the benefits of real-time renderings and more.

What is Real-Time Rendering?

Real-time rendering is a sub-field of computer graphics that lets the user render extremely detailed, immersive scenes extremely quickly and is used in everything from video games and film to architecture and design. Photo courtesy of Enscape

Real-time rendering, or real-time visualization, is a sub-field of computer graphics that is best described as the analyzing, processing, and publishing of data in real time. Real-time visualization allows detailed 3D images and animations to be rendered extremely quickly—under 33 milliseconds—and operates in a continuous feedback loop that responds to user input instantaneously. This is achieved through the efficient manipulation of key geometric data and expert replication of physical properties like texture, color, light, and shadow.

Technologically real-time rendering is nothing new; these renderings have been a staple in the video-game industry for decades and are key to immersive gaming experiences. Real-time rendering has also found a place in filmmaking as a visual-effects tool and has even helped spur advancements in virtual reality.

It is only fairly recently, however, that architects and engineers have begun using real-time rendering software in place of industry-standard pre-rendering programs to better present their ideas and designs to clients.

Pre-Rendering vs Real-Time Rendering

The most significant differences between pre- and real-time rendering are their speed and amount of interactivity. Pre-rendering refers to the creation of static images or videos in advance and saving them for further alteration. This method allows for the creation of a highly polished finished product but offers very little by way of interactivity and typically takes anywhere from minutes to hours to render.

Real-time rendering, on the other hand, allows the user to create highly interactive, easily manipulated 3D simulations that render in less than a second. Architects and their clients can then “walk through” spaces in real time and explore every single corner of a design as it would appear in context. “Real-time visualization has made the process of illustrating architectural designs easier and faster,” Dinnie Musilhat, part of the content team at Enscape, previously wrote for gb&dPRO. “It translates 3D models into something tangible and understandable for people with limited knowledge of technical architectural aspects.”

How Does Real-Time Rendering Work?

Real-time rendering is founded on what is referred to as the graphics rendering pipeline, a computer graphics framework that identifies the necessary steps for turning a three-dimensional scene or model into a two-dimensional representation on a screen. This pipeline can be divided into three core stages: application, geometry, and rasterization or ray tracing.

Application

Real-time rendering’s application stage prepares graphics data and produces rendering primitives for the following geometry stage. Rendering courtesy of Enscape

As the first stage in real-time rendering, the application stage is responsible for generating scenes, or 3D settings that are then drawn to a 2D display. Because this process is executed by software run by the CPU, the developer has full control over what happens during the application stage and can modify it to improve performance.

Common processing operations performed by the application stage include speed-up techniques, collision detection, animation and force feedback, as well as the handling of user input. This application stage is also responsible for preparing graphics data for the next stage by way of geometry morphing, animation of 3D models, animation via transforms, and texture animations.

The most important part of the application stage, however, is the production of rendering primitives—or the simplest geometric shapes the system can handle (e.g. lines, points, and triangles) and that might eventually end up on screen—based on scene information and feeding said primitives into the subsequent geometry stage.

Geometry

The geometry stage of real-time rendering is the most complex and is responsible for computing what to draw, how to draw it, and where to draw it. Image courtesy of Enscape

The second stage of real-time rendering, the geometry stage, is responsible for manipulating polygons and vertices to compute what, how, and where to draw. This stage encompasses multiple sub-stages: model and view transform, vertex shading, projection, clipping, and screen mapping.

Model & View Transform

Before they can be sent to the screen models must first be transformed into several different coordinate systems or spaces. Once a model has been created it is said to exist within its own model space, which essentially means it has yet to be transformed. Each model is then associated with its own model transform, a process that allows the model to be positioned and oriented.

During model transform the vertices and normals of the model are transformed, which in turn moves the model from its model coordinates to world space. All models exist in the same world space once they have been transformed with their respective model transforms and it is in this world space that the second stage of transformation—the view transform—happens.

View transform is applied to the camera—which also has a location and direction in world space—as well as the models themselves. The purpose of the view transform is to place the camera at an origin and aim it in the direction of the negative z-axis, with this new space referred to as the camera or eye space. Only those models within the eye space at any given point in time are rendered.

Vertex Shading

Vertex shading is the second geometry substage and is responsible for rendering the actual appearance of objects, including their material, texture, and shading. Of these, shading—or the effect of light on an object’s appearance—is arguably the most important to producing a realistic scene and is accomplished by using the material data stored at each vertex on a model to compute shading equations.

Most of these shading computations are performed during the geometry stage in world space, but some may be performed later on during the final rasterization or ray tracing stage. All vertex shading results—including vectors, colors, texture coordinates, et cetera—are then sent to the rasterization or ray tracing stage to be interpolated.

Projection

Once shading is complete real-time rendering programs perform projection—a process that transforms the view volume into a unit cube referred to as the canonical view volume. This sub-stage is ultimately responsible for turning three-dimensional objects into two-dimensional projections. Two types of projection methods are used in real-time rendering: orthographic and perspective.

Orthographic projections transform the rectangular view volume characteristic of orthographic viewing into the unit cube via a combination of scaling and translation. Using this method, parallel lines remain parallel even after the transformation.

Perspective projection, on the other hand, more closely mimics human sight by ensuring that, as the distance between the camera and model increases, the model appears to grow smaller and smaller—in this way, parallel lines may actually converge at the horizon. Rather than a rectangular box, the view volume of perspective viewing appears as a truncated pyramid with a rectangular base.

Clipping

After projection real-time rendering systems use the canonical view volume to determine which primitives need to be passed on to the next stage, as only those primitives that exist wholly or partially within the view volume need to be rendered. Primitives that are already entirely within the view volume are passed on as is, but partial primitives require clipping before moving on to the final rasterization or ray tracing stage.

Any vertices outside of the view volume, for example, must be clipped against the view volume, which requires the old vertices be replaced by new ones that are located at the intersection of their respective primitives and the view volume. This process is made relatively simple by the projection matrix from the previous stage, as it ensures all transformed primitives will be clipped against the unit cube in a consistent manner.

Screen Mapping

Only those clipped primitives are passed on to the screen mapping sub-stage. Screen mapping is responsible for converting the still-3D coordinates of clipped primitives into 2D coordinates. Each primitive’s x- and y-coordinates are transformed to form screen coordinates, with the z-coordinate being unaffected by the screen mapping process. Once mapped, these new coordinates are moved along to the rasterization or ray tracing stage.

Rasterization or Ray Tracing

Enscape uses ray tracing to better simulate reflections, soft shadows, and other optical effects in its real-time renders. Rendering courtesy of Enscape

The last stage of conventional real-time rendering is rasterization—a process that applies color to the graphics elements and turns them into pixels that are then displayed on screen. Rasterization is an object-based approach to rendering scenes, which means that all objects are painted with color ahead of time, after which point logic is applied to only show those pixels that are closest to the eye or camera.

There is, however, a more modern alternative to rasterization referred to as ray tracing, which colors each pixel before identifying them with objects. Ray tracing is capable of simulating a variety of optical effects—refraction, reflections, soft shadows, depth of field, etc.—with extreme accuracy, making for a more realistic and immersive final render. The downside of ray tracing is that it is slower than rasterization and typically requires a more advanced graphics card than what most firms already use.

Benefits of Real-Time Rendering in Architecture

Real-time renderings are an extremely useful tool in the modern architect’s toolkit. Here are some benefits.

Better Client Understanding

KeurK used real-time rendering and virtual reality to help their client—the European Medicines Agency—better understand the design of their new headquarters. Rendering courtesy of Enscape

Blueprints and 3D models have their place in architecture but they aren’t always the best tools for conveying information to clients who may not have the same technical understanding of the process. Size and scale, for instance, can be difficult to grasp when looking at a drawing or a static model on a screen, but real-time rendering remedies this by letting the client move freely through a to-scale representation of the space.

This is especially true if firms use real-time visualization in conjunction with VR technology, as it allows clients to physically walk through a 1:1 representation of the finished product and get an intimate feel for the space itself. When French architectural firm KeurK designed the new headquarters for the European Medicines Agency, it was this very same line of thinking that led them to use real-time rendering and VR to present their ideas to the client

“Using VR allowed us to make an impression. It helped us show small details and helped people who weren’t versed in construction understand it better,” Olivier Riatuté, founder of KeurK, previously told gb&dPRO. “For instance, we could show just how monumental the staircase would look in the atrium.” Using real-time rendering to better a client’s understanding of the design ultimately makes them more confident in both their personal and the team’s choices.

Collaboration & Informed Decision-Making

Highly detailed, immersive, and accurate simulations rendered in real time help facilitate informed decision making. Rendering courtesy of Enscape

Highly detailed, realistic, and immersive real-time renders also make it easier for design teams and their clients to communicate and make informed decisions regarding certain design considerations—like layout, placement of daylighting solutions, furniture ergonomics, et cetera—that may not be possible from a 2D blueprint or 3D model alone.

When Viewport Studio, an award-winning architecture and design studio based in London and Singapore, was tasked with designing Spaceport America—the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport—they used real-time rendering to help make essential design decisions. Real-time visualization of lighting conditions, for example, were used to evaluate the sunlight that would reflect from windows and monitors in the control room, leading to the design team choosing to implement curtains and opaque glass in the space.

Saves Time & Resources

Real-time rendering helps save projects time and resources. Rendering courtesy of Enscape

Perhaps the most significant benefit of real-time rendering is that it helps save time and project resources. “Real-time visualization tools save time and resources in two ways: reducing the resources needed to develop a design on the front end while reducing time lost to design changes on the back end,” Dan Monaghan, business leader for Enscape’s American market, previously wrote for gb&dPRO. “This is since it is quick and easy to make design changes, create visualizations, and incorporate client feedback.”

Improved Cost Control

Real-time visualization programs can help improve cost control by reducing communication and coordination issues, leading to fewer changes throughout the construction process. Rendering courtesy of Enscape

Using real-time rendering to save time and resources has the added benefit of improving a project’s overall cost control. “Architectural visualizations can be a key aid throughout the design process for resolving coordination issues across the various disciplines, resulting in designs that are more accurate and refined, ultimately leading to fewer changes in the construction process, where the budget impact is the greatest,” Roderick Bates, head of integrated practice at Enscape, previously wrote for gb&dPRO.

Challenges of Real-Time Rendering

Real-time rendering can be difficult to master and often comes with expensive equipment requirements. Rendering courtesy of Enscape

Real-time rendering can be incredibly beneficial to architects and engineers, but it isn’t without its challenges.

Learning Curve

While it’s true that some real-time rendering programs are more intuitive and user-friendly than others, the technology nevertheless comes with a learning curve that some may find daunting. This is especially true of standalone real-time rendering programs, as it requires the user to learn entirely new software that they may not have any prior experience working with.

Even real-time rendering plugins like Enscape that are compatible with most modeling and design applications come with new features that may take time for some to get used to. Effectively mastering the software can sometimes mean additional training.

Expensive System Requirements

Initial cost is often the main criticism of real-time rendering programs. Real-time rendering requires extremely powerful hardware and optimized hardware to run, which can be costly to purchase if a firm isn’t already using such equipment. Emerging cloud-based real-time rendering solutions may offer a more affordable solution by reducing these equipment costs, but still require firms to pay a subscription for the service.

Real-time rendering programs that use ray tracing rather than rasterization also require a more advanced graphics card—such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 900 series or AMD Radeon RX 400 series—than what most BIM software requires, further adding to equipment expenses.

A Leader in Real-Time Rendering

Enscape is a real-time rendering plugin designed with architects and designers in mind. Rendering courtesy of Enscape

Architects and other AEC professionals looking to employ real-time rendering in their projects have a myriad of choices to choose from when it comes to software, programs, and plugins—so many, in fact, that it can be difficult to parse out which will be the most beneficial. Fortunately there’s one real-time rendering program designed especially for architects: Enscape.

Enscape is a real-time rendering and virtual reality tool that plugs directly into the modeling software an architectural firm already uses. Enscape is compatible with some of the most popular BIM and CAD programs, including ArchiCAD, Revit, Rhinoceros, SketchUp, and Vectorworks.

Some features offered by Enscape include:

• Real-time walkthroughs
• Virtual reality integration
• Collaborative annotations
• Material library with 392 materials
• Fine-tuned material editor
• Expansive 3D asset library
• Atmospheric settings
• Composition and lighting tools
• Variety of export options

Enscape is currently used by a wide range of architectural and design firms around the world and has helped improve projects of all kinds. When Intelligent City, a technology-enabled housing company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, created Platforms for Life—a technology platform that helps design and build sustainable mid-to-high-rise mixed-use urban housing developments—they turned to Enscape to help clients visualize their projects in 3D.

“We were looking for a way to visualize the buildings quickly. If we couldn’t keep up the iterations of the generated designs, then we wouldn’t be able to visualize them properly for our clients. We needed something fast, and Enscape met our requirements,” Timo Tsui, Intelligent City’s computational design architect, previously told gb&dPRO.

All in all, Enscape is one of the best real-time rendering programs currently available to architects, greatly streamlining the visualization process and reducing the learning curve by easily integrating into a firm’s existing BIM or CAD software. To learn more about Enscape, visit their website here.

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The post What is Real-Time Rendering? appeared first on gb&d magazine.

• Windows can account for up to 50% of the heating and cooling energy loss in a building.
• Fiberglass windows can stand up to extreme temperatures and last more than 50 years.
• Aluminum frame systems can help projects achieve LEED Gold or Platinum certifications.

Plentiful daylighting, thermal comfort, and views of nature—windows provide all of this and more. These benefits are just part of why windows are often at the top of the list of decisions architects and designers need to make. But how do you choose the best windows? And what are the biggest differences between aluminum vs. fiberglass windows?

The USGBC says it has become very important for architects to understand how to choose a sustainable window and window frame system that will promote comfort, energy efficiency, durability, and longevity through quality construction. They even offer a course on sustainable windows, exploring how choosing an ENERGY STAR–rated window can contribute toward the LEED for Homes credit.

The right windows not only let natural light in spaces in ways that make them more comfortable, making for healthier offices and more sustainable homes, but they can also improve indoor air quality. The options, though, can be overwhelming. These are the pros and cons of aluminum vs. fiberglass windows.

Fiberglass Windows

The Origin Apartments features high-performance fiberglass windows that helped the building win multiple awards for design and energy efficiency. Photo by Paul Grdina

Windows currently account for anywhere between 30 to 50% of the heating and cooling energy loss in a building, according to Cascadia Windows & Doors Technical Director Michael Bousfield. He previously told gb&d fiberglass windows improve building performance.

Fiberglass windows offer an avenue to deliver highly livable, long-lasting residential and commercial buildings, while improving energy efficiency and sustainability in general. Bousfield has called fiberglass an ideal structural material for window and door frames—specifically fiberglass with a high glass-fiber-to-resin formula.

“Nearly 10 times stronger than traditional vinyl, thermoset fiberglass is dimensionally stable, meaning it won’t creep and deflect over time. This stability and strength allow fiberglass frame windows to withstand higher wind load, resulting in larger possible windows—even on tall buildings with high wind loads,” he wrote for gb&d.

Fiberglass windows are impervious to decay, insect attack, and corrosion. They can also withstand extreme weather, including temperatures of -40°F through 350°F and higher, without becoming brittle or soft. Fiberglass windows can last 50 years or longer, more than twice the average lifespan of aluminum windows.

Bousfield has said that fiberglass also has an inherently low thermal conductivity, meaning that, without any additional thermal breaks or materials, fiberglass is 500 times less conductive than aluminum. That means a large-span double-glazed fiberglass window is more than 100% thermally efficient than a comparable aluminum window.

Pros of Fiberglass

Photo courtesy of Cascadia

Fiberglass windows have many benefits, from standing up to decay and pests to having a long lifetime. Here we explore some of those advantages in greater detail.

Impervious to Decay, Insects, and Corrosion

Fiberglass windows are essentially impenetrable to insects and stand up to decay for a longer time, according to Cascadia Windows & Doors. Plus, fiberglass doesn’t mind water. And because fiberglass isn’t affected by moisture, you don’t have to worry about rot, corrosion, mold, shrinking, and swelling.

Stand Up Extreme Temperatures

Fiberglass windows can also withstand more extreme temperatures than their counterparts—from -40°F all the way up to 350°F or more. Extreme heat nor cold has any impact, according to This Old House. Almost no matter the temp, fiberglass won’t change. This further reduces the risk of leaks.

Energy-Efficient

According to Cascadia Windows, fiberglass has an inherently low thermal conductivity. This means that with no additional thermal breaks or additional materials, fiberglass is 500 times less conductive than aluminum. Therefore, Cascadia says, a large-span double-glazed fiberglass window is more than 100% more thermally efficient than a comparable aluminum window.

Longer Lifespan

Fiberglass windows are estimated to have a lifespan of 50 to 80 years, or more than twice that of aluminum windows, according to Cascadia. That’s also more than four times the expected lifespan of vinyl/PVC windows, they report. They are inherently durable in nature, and fiberglass window frames put less stress on their adjacent glass units, meaning less failed seals and air gaps, too.

Cons of Fiberglass

Fiberglass windows are not without their disadvantages, though. From a sometimes higher cost to condensation, here we explore some of the cons of choosing fiberglass.

Cost

Fiberglass typically costs more than vinyl windows, for starters. Vinyl is appealing to many because of its low cost—often up to 30% less than fiberglass, according to Real Homes. This includes not just purchasing the window, but also the installation costs.

Installation

Experts say vinyl is an easier “do it yourself” option when it comes to installation. Fiberglass may be more cumbersome to install as it’s more rigid. It is recommended to hire a professional to install fiberglass windows.

Availability

Fiberglass windows are increasingly popular, perhaps affecting their availability. You also tend to have fewer design options than, say wood windows. Also worth considering is the fact that some fiberglass windows should not be painted.

Condensation

Although condensation may be worrisome, it’s mostly a cosmetic issue, according to Pella windows. The experts there say moisture on your windows doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem; on the contrary that may indicate that the windows are forming an airtight seal, reducing air leakage and keeping the moisture inside your home.

However, excess amounts of condensation may trickle elsewhere and cause blistering, cracking, or peeling paint, among other issues. In the instance of excess condensation, you should work to identify the root cause.

Aluminum Windows

The AECOM team chose YKK AP products to stand up to the cold. Photo courtesy of YKK AP

The experts at YKK AP have thoughts on the topic, too, saying upgrading a building’s framing system with aluminum frames is a cost-effective option for improving your project’s sustainability or even achieving LEED Gold or Platinum.

YKK AP America’s Steve Schohan previously wrote about the benefits in an article for gb&d, exploring how aluminum building framing systems in particular have evolved.

Aluminum framing systems were known for their high thermal conductivity, or vulnerability to heat gain and loss, but in general Schohan says their thermal performance and resistance to condensation have evolved to become considerable strengths.

He says a framing system’s thermal performance is less effective when the aluminum that sits inside the conditioned space connects with the outside unconditioned material. “In cold climates the aluminum acts like an ice cube in your building, which requires more energy to control interior temperature. This makes the type of framing system, and the performance of that system, critical when considering the energy performance of a building,” he wrote for gb&d.

Schohan says thermal breaks in aluminum framing systems were first introduced to help solve the issue of high thermal conductivity as part of the response to the energy crisis in the 1970s. Today thermal break technology is even more advanced, as the outside of the aluminum frame is thermally isolated from the inside of the aluminum within the glazing system. This process delivers strong energy savings economically.

Schohan says products like YKK AP’s ThermaBond Plus and MegaTherm further save energy and reduce condensation, delivering proven performance over the life of the building.

Thermal enhancement technologies in aluminum framing systems significantly reduce heat loss during cold weather yielding warmer interior surface temperatures on the frames, which helps to mitigate condensation and thereby increasing a building’s thermal performance.

Pros of Aluminum Windows

The Westin Tampa Waterside used NeverFade on both the structure’s masonry and aluminum window frames. Photo courtesy of APV Engineered Coatings

Aluminum windows have many advantages. Perhaps the most popular reasons people turn to aluminum for their windows is their long lifespan and low maintenance. Here are the benefits of choosing aluminum windows.

Low Maintenance

Aluminum windows are fairly low maintenance across their lifespan, though the same could most likely be said about fiberglass windows. Aluminum windows are easy to clean. Simply take a soft sponge and wash with warm water. Regular, light cleaning should keep them looking great for years in most environments.

Availability

Aluminum windows have been around a lot longer, and as such are typically easier to get your hands on than, say, fiberglass windows. Manufacturers like Milgard offer a wide variety. Their SDL (Simulated Divided Light) Grids give aluminum windows a fresh look for a spring renovation. “Customers often choose aluminum windows and doors to maximize their viewing area,” Kevin Anez, director of product management for Milgard Windows & Doors, previously told gb&d.

Cons of Aluminum Windows

We should also note the disadvantages of aluminum windows. From their inability to maintain heat in the same way to their tendency toward condensation and even corrosion, we explore some of the cons in more detail below.

Loss of Heat

Traditional aluminum framed windows often lose large amounts of heat. Aluminum may be strong, but it’s one of the least energy-efficient window frame materials. Like a lot of metals, aluminum conducts heat easily, making it a less effective insulator, according to Brennan.

Increased tendency for Condensation

Aluminum windows are prone to condensation. A lot of condensation can ultimately cause you to have to replace your windows. Trickling condensation can lead to peeling paint, for example, or even warped surfaces.

Corrosion

Metal windows, including aluminum windows are also more prone to corrosion. Aluminum windows in more coastal areas are particularly susceptible to damage in this manner.

Noise Transmission

Aluminum windows on their own are not soundproof, according to soundproofcentral.org. They have less air tightness than other windows, and therefore cannot block external noises. Their lack of dedicated gasket grooves also allow more noises to pass through than alternatives.

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The post The Pros and Cons of Aluminum Vs. Fiberglass Windows appeared first on gb&d magazine.

• Sustainable plumbing aims to reduce a building’s overall environmental impact through a combination of eco-friendly materials and water- and energy-efficient fixtures.
• Using green plumbing solutions helps to conserve water, reduce waste, prevent water shortages, and lower a building’s operating costs.
• Some strategies—like rainwater-fed systems and integrated gray water recycling—force us to reconsider how we design and think about plumbing.

Many green building strategies focus on clean energy retrofits or energy-efficient upgrades, but there’s another crucial piece of building systems we must not ignore—their plumbing networks.

The need for sustainable plumbing solutions—and specifically those that prioritize water conservation—is obvious when one considers the increasing frequency and severity of both droughts and heat waves. By the year 2025 it’s estimated that water shortages arising from these conditions will affect over half of the world’s population, putting billions at risk of death by dehydration and heatstroke.

Fortunately there is much that can be done to improve plumbing infrastructure and facilitate conscientious water use in the built environment. In this article we’ll cover the basics of sustainable plumbing, its benefits, and explore 10 popular sustainable plumbing solutions.

What is Sustainable Plumbing?

Photo courtesy of Oatey Co.

Sustainable plumbing describes those plumbing systems that use a combination of green building materials and improved technology to reduce a building’s overall environmental impact, chiefly by way of water conservation, reduced energy waste, and responsible material use.

Most sustainable plumbing solutions focus on improving the water and energy efficiency of conventional plumbing system components, while others—such as rainwater-fed systems and integrated gray water recycling—force us to reconsider how we think about plumbing design in general.

Plumbing System Anatomy

Before we start exploring sustainable plumbing solutions, let’s explore the basic anatomy of a conventional plumbing system, of which typically include the following elements:

• Pipes. Responsible for the movement of all water—both fresh and wastewater—throughout a building’s plumbing system.
• Valves. Control and regulate the flow of water in a plumbing system; valves can be shut off in the event of a leak or a burst pipe.
• Fixtures. The physical components that actually dispense or drain water (e.g. faucets, showerheads, drains).
• Water Heater. Responsible for heating the water that is then delivered to various fixtures and appliances.
• Water Meter. Measures the amount of water consumed by a building; used to calculate utility bills and monitor water efficiency.
• Water Pressure Regulator. A device used to regulate a plumbing system’s water pressure and prevent damage caused by high water pressure; typically located near the main water supply.
• Drainage System. Drainage systems remove wastewater from a building’s main plumbing system and carry it to a sewer or septic system; wastewater is transported through pipes while vents serve to equalize the drainage system’s air pressure.
• Sewer/Septic System. As the final component in a building’s plumbing, a sewer system is responsible for removing wastewater from the premises and transporting it via a network of pipes to a municipal treatment facility; a septic system, on the other hand, removes the wastewater and treats it on-site before releasing it back into the environment.

Some plumbing systems will also include a backflow preventer, which serves to prevent contaminated water from flowing back into the system.

Benefits of Sustainable Plumbing

Sustainable plumbing solutions help conserve water, reduce waste, prevent water shortages, and lower operating costs. Photo courtesy of Oatey Co.

Making sustainable plumbing decisions is not only beneficial from an environmental standpoint but also helps property owners save money by reducing their utility expenses.

Conserves Water & Reduces Waste

As a nation the United States consumes 322 billion gallons of water each day, with roughly 47 billion gallons going towards the operation of buildings. The vast majority of that water, however, is improperly managed, resulting in significant water waste. Iit’s estimated that approximately 25% of all water that enters residential and commercial buildings is wasted.

Sustainable plumbing solutions like water-efficient fixtures and appliances help to conserve water by using less to begin with, while other strategies—such as recirculating hot water pumps and gray water recycling—reuse water that would otherwise be wasted.

Helps Prevent Water Shortages

When implemented at scale sustainable plumbing solutions that conserve water ultimately reduce demand on reservoirs and aquifers, helping to prevent water shortages during times of drought. This is especially important considering the world’s ongoing and ever-worsening water crisis—spurred on by increasing planetary temperatures and shifting climatic conditions—has put one fourth of the globe’s largest cities under water stress, stretching water-related infrastructure to its limit.

Approximately 80% of all state water managers in the US expect to have water shortages in the next decade, according to the EPA, with many states in the southwest already experiencing water shortages during the hottest months of the year. Sustainable plumbing solutions help prevent excessive water waste and ensure that communities are able to meet their water needs throughout the year.

Lower Operating Costs

Another benefit of sustainable plumbing is that it reduces a building’s operating costs. The average US household spends $876 annually on water and pays upwards of $1,740 in electric bills, with roughly 18% of that going towards water heating. All in all, water-related expenses cost the average household over $1,000 each year.

Sustainable plumbing solutions help lower these expenses by either reducing a building’s overall water use requirements (e.g. low-flow fixtures and pressure-reducing valves), reducing energy consumption by using less hot water (e.g. tankless water heaters and recirculating hot water pumps), or some combination of the two.

10 Sustainable Plumbing Solutions

Now that we’ve a better understanding of sustainable plumbing and its importance, let’s take a look at 10 popular sustainable plumbing solutions.

1. Low-Flow Toilets

The type of toilet you choose contributes greatly to a project’s overall water efficiency. Photo courtesy of Niagara

Estimates suggest that toilets account for roughly 30% of a household’s daily water consumption, according to the EPA. To help your household conserve water consider replacing your toilet with a low-flow alternative, such as one produced by Niagara, a leading manufacturer of high-performance bathroom fixtures.

In compliance with plumbing standards set by the US government, low-flow toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons of water to flush. If your home was constructed after 1994, chances are you already have one installed. If you live in an older house with a toilet that was constructed before 1994, however, you may be using up to 7 gallons of water per flush, meaning an upgrade is in order.

Of course, not all low-flow toilets are as effective as others. If you’re serious about saving water, select a highly efficient toilet that consumes no more than 1.28 gallons per flush. Ultra-efficient low-flow toilets can be recognized by their WaterSense certification, which denotes that they have successfully completed stringent independent laboratory testing with regard to performance and efficiency.

2. High-Efficiency Faucets

According to the EPA the standard flow rate of most faucets is 2.2 gallons per minute (GPM), which is generally more water than most sinks require—and while sink faucets typically consume the least water out of all a building’s plumbing fixtures, there is still room for improvement in terms of their water usage.

High-efficiency WaterSense-certified faucets, for example, reduce a sink’s water flow by at least 30%, bumping the flow rate down to 1.5 GPM or lower without sacrificing performance (adequate water pressure) in the process. Faucet efficiency can also be improved through the addition of a WaterSense-labeled aerator, a type of screw-on faucet accessory that mixes air into the flow of water, thereby reducing the amount that actually passes through the tap.

3. Low-Flow Showerheads

A low-flow showerhead uses 2 gallons of water or less per minute, helping to save thousands of gallons each year. Photo courtesy of Oatey Co.

Standard shower heads typically use 2.5 gallons of water per minute, but you may be consuming far more depending on the kind of shower system you have installed (such as one with several showerheads).

Showerheads with the WaterSense low-flow seal of approval, however, use no more than 2 gallons of water per minute. Once installed it’s estimated that these fixtures can help household’s save 2,700 gallons annually. Furthermore, a low-flow showerhead will help reduce demand on your water heater, saving you money on energy bills.

4. PEX Pipes

Because of its flexibility, PEX can bend around corners with each change of direction instead of having to add a connection. This reduces materials inside a building, while also improving water flow and reducing pressure loss for better system efficiencies and performance. Photo courtesy of Uponor

Sustainable plumbing solutions typically focus on reducing water usage and improving energy efficiency, but it’s also important to make smart material choices when manufacturing plumbing system components themselves. This is especially true of the pipes used to move water throughout a building, as they make up the majority of the plumbing system in terms of actual surface area.

Today PVC and copper are the most common pipe materials used in residential and commercial plumbing systems, respectively, but they are by no means the most sustainable. A 2008 life cycle inventory research project conducted by the Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association found that cross-linked polyethylene, or PEX, pipes have a lower lifetime impact than ABS, CPVC, PVC, polyethylene, and copper pipes.

PEX piping is extremely durable, is rust- and corrosion-resistant, and has an operational lifespan of approximately 100 years, greatly reducing the need for costly resource-intensive repairs and replacement work. PEX pipes are also incredibly flexible, a trait that allows them to bend around corners without the aid of connector pieces. “This reduces materials inside a building while also improving water flow and reducing pressure loss for better system efficiency and performance,” Devin Abellon, business development manager for engineering services at Uponor North America, previously wrote for gb&dPRO.

Uponor is one of the leading providers of PEX and uses sustainable manufacturing methods to reduce their overall environmental impact. Approximately 99% of the scrap material generated by the company is recycled and repurposed as filler for other products or is transformed via a clean incineration process to extract stored energy for heating purposes.

5. Drainage Systems

QuickDrain ShowerLine linear shower drain is seen here in a beautiful curbless shower. Photo courtesy of Oatey

Drain fixtures and systems are another area where conscientious material choices can help improve plumbing system sustainability. QuickDrain USA—a brand innovation under Oatey Co.—for example, uses 100% post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in all of their shower drain systems. “This environmentally friendly option is fabricated from recycled, plastic water and soda bottles,” Marlee Gannon, director of wholesale product and channel at Oatey, previously wrote for gb&d.

PET has a high strength and toughness as well as good heat and abrasion resistance, making it an ideal material for the conditions—that is, prolonged exposure to high temperatures and regular compression—shower drainage systems face on a day-to-day basis.

6. Tankless Water Heater

Switching to a tankless water heater eliminates the wait for hot water and helps reduce both water and energy waste. Photo courtesy of Oatey

A tankless water heater does not heat and store water in a tank but instead heats water as it is needed, either by way of an electric heating element or natural gas burner. Because they do not constantly heat water, tankless water heaters don’t generate the same standby energy losses that conventional storage water heaters do and are therefore much more energy-efficient.

The true efficiency of a tankless water heater depends on how much hot water a building uses in a day. A smaller household, for instance, or one that uses less than 41 gallons of hot water a day, can expect to use 24 to 34% less energy by switching to a tankless water heater. Larger households that use closer to 86 gallons of hot water a day, on the other hand, may only use 8 to 14% less energy—which still helps save money and energy in the long run.

This efficiency does, however, come at the trade off of a lower flow rate, which can make it difficult to supply hot water to multiple fixtures at once. Fortunately this can be mitigated by installing two or more tankless water heaters or by installing separate tankless heaters for certain appliances that require a large amount of hot water.

7. Recirculating Hot-Water Pump

Recirculating hot-water pumps help reduce water waste by circulating cooled, static water that would otherwise be wasted in the wait for hot water to the farthest fixture before recirculating it back to the water heater via the cool-water line. Photo courtesy of Oatey

In most non-commercial buildings with one-way plumbing, hot water is pumped from a hot water heater and delivered to the appropriate fixture. Once that fixture is shut off, any excess hot water already in the pipes stays in the pipes and cools down over time, resulting in a warm-up period—rather than instant hot water—the next time the fixture is turned on. All of this cool, static water is then wasted in the wait for hot water.

Installing a recirculating hot-water pump eliminates this wait time and prevents water/energy waste by circulating water through the cooled pipes from the heater to the farthest fixture before recirculating said water back to the heater via the cool-water line. Such a system delivers hot water instantly, eliminates static water waste, and uses less energy than operating a 25-watt light bulb.

8. Pressure-Reducing Valves

Pressure-reducing valves automatically reduce the high unregulated pressure of incoming water to a lower, constant pressure that is better suited to residential and commercial water distribution. Most regional plumbing codes require that pressure-reducing valves be installed whenever the city main’s water pressure exceeds 80 psi, but they are recommended regardless of local regulations as they help to reduce water consumption and save energy.

In reducing water pressure pressure-reducing valves lower the rate of flow, resulting in less water being used to accomplish the same tasks. Lowering incoming water pressure by as little as 10 to 20 psi can save the average building thousands of gallons each year, drastically reducing operation costs. A lower rate of flow also means less energy is required to effectively heat said water, further reducing a building’s utility expenses.

Another benefit of pressure-reducing valves is that they help protect pipes and plumbing fittings from being damaged by high water pressure. Most plumbing fixtures and appliances are only designed to handle water pressure between 50 to 80 psi, but some municipal water lines pump water as high as 150 psi. Installing pressure-reducing valves greatly lowers the risk of leaks or breakage and increases the operational lifespan of plumbing system components, resulting in lower plumbing maintenance/repair costs over the system’s life-cycle.

9. Rainwater Harvesting

The Rain Harvest Home project is made up of three buildings that each collect rainwater to integrate with an above- and below-ground reservoir system. Photo by Jaime Navarro

Most modern buildings source their water from one of two places: a well or a municipal water treatment facility. There is, however, a third option that has seen a steady resurgence over the last few decades: the age-old practice of rainwater harvesting.

There exists several different types of integrated rainwater harvesting-to-plumbing systems, including:

• Gravity-only. Functions purely through gravity and require no energy to operate, as there is no pump involved; in order for a gravity-only system to work, however, rainwater can only be collected in containers that are located below gutter-level and above the outlets they feed into.
• Indirect-gravity. Operates similarly to gravity-only systems, but relies on a pump to first transfer the collected water to a high-level header tank, where it is then allowed to free-flow by way of gravity alone; indirect gravity systems are more versatile than gravity-only systems, as the main rainwater collection container does not need to be in an elevated position.
• Direct-pumped. Uses pumps to transfer collected rainwater from an underground storage tank directly to the point of use; direct-pumped systems may use either a submersible or suction pump, with the former being the most efficient and most popular.
• Indirect-pumped. Works similarly to indirect-gravity systems in that water is pumped from the storage tank to an internal secondary tank, but uses a booster pump instead of gravity to pressurize the water and send it through pipes; as a result, indirect-pumped systems can be located at any level in a building.

It is possible for rainwater harvesting to fulfill all of a building’s plumbing needs—as evidenced by the Rain Harvest Home in Temascaltepec, Mexico or the Urban Frontier House in Billings, Montana—but it is much more common for rainwater to replace 40 to 50% of a building’s mains water usage. This not only saves the building owner a large sum in utilities but also helps mitigate stormwater runoff and prevent sewer system overflow.

One of the most efficient uses for harvested rainwater is filling and flushing toilet tanks, as these systems typically only require a basic sediment filter—rather than full treatment or purification—before the water can be used. Rainwater-to-flush systems are incredibly simple in design and pump rainwater directly from a storage tank to the toilets themselves. There are also more involved rainwater plumbing systems that filter, treat, and purify collected water to supply a building’s faucets, showers, and appliances with potable water.

10. Gray Water Recycling

The Urban Frontier House in Billings, Montana recycles all of its gray water for use in toilets, the dishwasher, washing machine, and irrigation. Photo by Clark Marten

Wastewater from commercial and residential buildings is divided into two categories: gray water (wastewater from bathroom sinks, showers, and certain appliances) and blackwater (wastewater from toilets). Most homes and buildings dispose of their wastewater via a municipal sewer system or, in more rural areas, a septic tank that drains into a leach field. Gray water, however, can easily be recycled on-site to serve a myriad of landscaping purposes and may even be reintegrated into a building’s plumbing system.

One of the most common uses for recycled gray water is landscape irrigation, in which case the water is filtered through a multi-stage filtration system to remove hair, lint, and other impurities before being diverted directly to landscaping features or into sprinklers and/or drip-line irrigation hoses. Recycled gray water can also be reused to flush toilets, a common practice in commercial buildings or multi-family residential buildings with minimal irrigation requirements. Gray water-to-flush systems are, however, much more complex and require regular maintenance in order to work properly.

Blackwater can also be treated and recycled onsite but requires more advanced, intensive systems than gray water recycling. Most municipalities and zoning boards, however, have very strict regulations for—or simply do not allow—onsite blackwater treatment and recycling, as it carries a higher risk of pathogen transmission that may cause sickness or harm to the environment.

What is Real-Time Rendering?

25 Sustainable Building Materials—Natural, Recycled, and More

The post 10 Green Plumbing Solutions in 2024 appeared first on gb&d magazine.

• Air loss through duct leakage in buildings is one of the biggest contributors to energy waste in US buildings today.
• Research from ASHRAE indicates that 75% of ducts leak 10 to 25%.
• Aeroseal audits buildings and solves leaks fast, improving IAQ and temperature control.

Indoor air quality is more important than ever. What started in 1993—when engineer and HVAC expert Mark Modera invented a breakthrough aerosol-based sealing technology in a garage—is now widely recognized as a critical step in building design.

Hospitals, offices, K-12, universities, you name it—project teams all over the world are turning to Aeroseal for help, as up to 75% of buildings have leaky ductwork, according to ASHRAE.

April Frakes, director of commercial business development at Aeroseal, works with customers to make existing commercial buildings better and eliminate that costly leakage. She’s been with the company for eight years and seen it grow from 38 to 200-plus employees. She says it’s different from any role she’s been in before because it centers on helping people understand what’s happening. “A lot of times people know they have a problem, and they go to find a solution. With Aeroseal technology, it’s a lot of education. People know the building is problematic, but they don’t know exactly what’s causing it,” she says.

Because ductwork is hidden behind walls or above ceilings, people often don’t think about it once it’s installed—out of sight, out of mind. “A lot of what our company does is educate people about the importance of having tight ductwork and why it’s important that your exhaust system works as designed,” Frakes said.

We recently talked with Frakes more to find out how Aeroseal can help buildings improve their indoor air quality, temperature, comfort, and more.

When does Aeroseal get involved with a building?

A lot of times we’re called in because there’s a problem—especially for indoor air quality issues.

We worked on an office building that had a morgue on the first floor in the basement. The smells were making it all the way through the building. They put in a new exhaust fan and did all the things they thought they could to solve that problem. People were moving out of that building all the time; they weren’t able to keep tenants. Finally somebody said, “What about Aeroseal?” We were able to come in and seal up that exhaust duct.

If your exhaust ductwork is leaking, all of those smells you are trying to exhaust out are actually leaking through to other floors. We were able to seal that exhaust ductwork and solve their problem.

We also worked with a children’s hospital in Florida. They were having trouble with contaminants, with viruses making it throughout the hospital, and they weren’t sure how this was happening. This was even before Covid. There was a leaky exhaust; the things that were supposed to be taking contaminated air out of the hospital were not working properly. By sealing up that ductwork we were able to solve a lot of those problems.

Those are extreme cases, but even if you’re in an office building with multiple floors and somebody’s cooking on one floor, that can be a problem.

How does Aeroseal help with other issues—like temperature control?

We work with a lot of schools, and we see a lot of space heaters. Or in hotter months you see teachers trying to speak over a fan. We see kids wearing coats in classrooms in winter. It’s all because the air is not making it to where it’s supposed to go. That’s all due to duct leakage.

How common is duct leakage?

HVAC system with unsealed ductwork. Illustration courtesy of Aeroseal

HVAC system with sealed ductwork. Illustration courtesy of Aeroseal

ASHRAE tells us that up to 75% of ducts leak 10 to 25%. We find that to be true in the tens of thousands of commercial buildings we have dealt with throughout Aeroseal’s history. Those are common numbers.

You can imagine, especially with Covid and people trying to make sure they’re bringing the right amount of fresh air into a space, if you’re leaking out 20% and you’re only bringing in 20% of fresh air, a significant amount is not making it into that space to dilute all those contaminants. There’s a huge problem people don’t even realize is happening because it’s hidden above the ceiling or behind the wall.

How does the sealing process work?

When Aeroseal comes in, whether we’re doing an exhaust system or supply ductwork, I compare it to painting a room. You have to prepare your room for that paint. You spend time putting that blue tape over all of the trim and doors—anywhere you don’t want to get paint on. It’s the same with Aeroseal. The majority of our process is preparing the system so we don’t get sealant where we don’t want it to go. We pressurize that duct system so the sealant comes in and fills up all those holes and gaps.

Most of our labor is really blocking off those exhaust grills or, in a supply system, some of the VAV boxes in the air handling. We’re making sure we create that duct run that we can inject the air seal into. That is a non-invasive process.

We like to work after-hours and on weekends so we’re not intrusive, since we do have to shut down the air handling unit for a small period of time. Our goal is that by the time everybody turns on the air handling unit for the next day of work nobody knows we were there, and the problems are all fixed.

When should Aeroseal be part of the design conversation?

We’re working really hard for Aeroseal to be part of the specifications of new buildings and in renovation. That is a great time to spec Aeroseal and make sure we’re part of that process from the very beginning so we can ensure ducts are tight.

Then if you’re working with your customers and you find any of these problems, whether it’s indoor air quality or you feel like they’re using too much energy or there are mold issues and you’re not sure where it’s coming from, Aeroseal is able to come in and do a no-risk audit to the facility and really inspect that ductwork to come up with a plan for how to fix it.

How does this work for a retrofit?

It’s difficult to go back and fix a building that’s been around for 100 years and really improve it. That is really rare. But Aerosol can do that, and in a way that doesn’t disrupt the occupants.

How does Aeroseal work with new construction?

We do this in new construction all around the world. We have a lot of work in the Middle East, where it’s so important to make sure all of those new high-rises are able to cool the occupants.

We also do a lot of new construction in the United States. For that application, it’s a lot easier because there’s not as much prep involved.

We do a lot of work with universities, for example, in classrooms and dorms. We make sure we’re diluting any contaminants [through proper ventilation] that may be there like viruses and ensure everybody in that space is getting the correct amount of fresh air but also that it’s temperature controlled, so they’re comfortable in their space as well. In a university lab environment, where you’re working with materials that are very toxic and need to be exhausted properly, that is another great application of Aeroseal.

What misconceptions exist about air sealing technology?

I get a lot of questions about whether the sealant is safe. People don’t want to put something in their nursing facility that’s going to create more problems, for example. Aeroseal has no VOCs off-gassing after it’s cured. It’s a vinyl acetate polymer, so it’s very safe. It’s the same thing used in baby pacifiers and hairspray. It’s not going to burn anyone or have any toxicity.

Another question is about longevity of the sealing. People want to know if this has to be done every year or every five years. Aeroseal has been shown to last for more than 30 years. We don’t have to come back and do it again. As long as there are no changes to the ductwork in the HVAC system, it’s a one and done kind of measure.

What does the future look like for air sealing?

People are focusing on indoor air quality in their facilities more than ever before. It’s really important. We see a lot of problems in buildings that I think before would have been brushed under the rug or put off for years. Now there really is a focus on making sure indoor air quality is safe for occupants. People are much more educated on how healthy a building should be and what impact it has on them. An educated public is really helping make sure buildings are healthy and safe for everyone involved.

The post Check Your Ductwork: Improving Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation appeared first on gb&d magazine.

• Interest and innovation in climate-friendly electric residential and commercial systems was clear at the 2024 AHR Expo.
• Experts at LG Electronics USA expect a 4 to 6% increase in heat pump adoption nationwide this year.
• The success of green HVAC and products like water heaters is a function of innovation, consumer education, government incentives, and regulatory requirements.

A lot of innovation is happening in the HVAC industry. To understand how much, look no further than the 1,600 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees at the 2024 AHR Expo in Chicago in January. Braving icy conditions outside, original equipment manufacturers, installers, engineers, design/build professionals, wholesalers, distributors, facility managers, and educators had little else to discuss beyond ways everyone stays comfortable inside—and to a great extent, how to do so sustainably.

The magnitude of the show was noticeable, sprawling across both the North and South halls of the enormous McCormick Place conference center. Many remarked on how it had a very post-Covid feel. “We see things getting back to the pre-pandemic levels,” says Steve Scarbrough, senior vice president and general manager with LG Electronics USA. “We’re also past the supply chain problems that plagued the building and appliances industry the last couple of years. LG has product in stock and available, ready to satisfy the growing demand for heat pump solutions as the electrification movement continues to grow and evolve.”

LG has product in stock and available, ready to satisfy the growing demand for heat pump solutions as the electrification movement continues to grow and evolve.

AHR, sponsored by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, bills itself as the world’s largest HVACR marketplace event. In addition to the expo, educational sessions covered topics like low-global warming potential refrigerants (including training HVACR technicians in handling and installation), VRF test procedures and efficiency ratings, humidity controls to support healthy buildings, and adiabatic humidification technologies for decarbonization.

One of the education sessions at the show covered the ongoing implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act incentives—something LG is watching carefully and excited to ramp up as needed. The act brings opportunities to consumers, businesses, installers, and the company itself. LG currently offers a diverse array of low-carbon, electricity-driven products, and continues to invest heavily solutions that aide in efforts to maximize energy efficiency and reduce dependency on fossil fuels.

The Push and Pull of Energy Efficiency

Photo courtesy of LG Electronics USA

The enactment of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, also known as “the climate bill,” makes energy upgrades in things like heat pumps far more affordable to homeowners. By priming the pump, so to speak, it already drives consumer demand. But there are other influences on the adoption of heat pumps, water heating systems, smart appliances, EV charging, and rooftop solar in residential and commercial structures.

Scarbrough recently shared some of his insights on that and on the continuing innovation happening at LG with gb&d.

How does LG stand out at an event like AHR?

We ask the question, “How do we advocate for change?” That’s something we do in many ways, but in particular through consumer education. As almost everyone in this industry knows, the adoption of advanced, low-carbon HVAC systems is driven by consumer demand but also “by the pen,” that is, by regulations and incentives.

How do you educate consumers?

In California alone millions of consumers have purchased at least one LG product.

This overall brand awareness allows us to communicate directly to them about our breadth of offerings, including HVAC solutions, and the incentives and rebates available on products they might be interested in having.

The heat pump market has expanded a lot in California, right?

Yes. In October of last year, we participated in a two-day summit hosted by the California Energy Commission that explored affordable, reliable, and equitable pathways to electrifying buildings. California is all-in on building electrification, so we joined with government, industry, academic, and nonprofit organizations to figure out how to get it done. Importantly, there was a special emphasis on decarbonization for low- to moderate-income customers.

To be clear, home electrification is a major inflection point for us at LG. As Chris Ahn, senior vice president of LG Electronics USA Air Solutions business division, says, we are transforming into a smart life solutions company over the next several years.

What goals came out of that California summit?

The goal is to install 6 million heat pumps in the state by 2030. To do that we have committed to expanding our manufacturing capacity, we’re collaborating with the state’s energy commission to make heat pumps a standard for homes, and we’re working to maximize the efficiency and load flexibility of our heat pumps so we help the state achieve its climate goals while “being good citizens of the electric grid,” as we see it.

Note: The California Energy Commission has endorsed heat pumps as highly efficient electric technology for water and space heating because they produce lower emissions than traditional HVACs and water heaters. The commission’s 2022 energy code establishes heat pumps as standard equipment in new homes (single family), and more than 1.5 million are already in place in the state.

Tell me about the $8 billion LG is investing in 2024 on electrification strategy.

The investment is a strategic combination of R&D and marketing as well as hiring the people needed to make it possible to further achieve sustainability standards and meet regulatory demands. LG is leading the charge to revolutionize the way we use energy to power our homes and appliances, and we want to not only hold onto our leadership position but also continue to bring new technologies and innovation to the market.

California is relatively new to heat pumps, compared to other places?

That’s the power of the pen, in how different state regulations and incentives have a lot to do with where these products are installed. In some states, the regulatory infrastructure is in place to take advantage of the incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, so in those places, consumers can already get the rebates provided by the bill. But in other states, it will take a few years to get that set up.

What external factors drive sales of advanced sustainable products?

In 2023 mortgage interest rate hikes reduced new home construction. But in the commercial sector things accelerated because the pandemic-related supply chain issues were resolved. We think there will be a slow but steady return in the residential sector in 2024 as interest rates ease, with nationwide growth in heat pump adoption in the 4 to 6% range.

How will LG continue to be a “smart life solutions company?”

Consider the momentum. In 2023 there were more heat pump systems sold than traditional air conditioning systems nationwide.

LG’s product suite includes HVAC, water heating systems, energy storage systems, robots, smart appliances (kitchen and laundry), televisions, and EV charging. In fact, LG can provide products for up to 80% of the electrical demand in your home.

What does the future look like with regard to water heaters and electrification?

The Department of Energy tells us water heaters can account for up to 18% of a home’s energy consumption. Switching to something that is more efficient can have a big impact.

In 2023 LG introduced its Inverter Heat Pump Water Heater, which can save up to 76% on energy costs when compared to a conventional electric water heater. We also offer the Air-to-Water Heat Pump Monobloc, which provides water-pipe based space heat (radiators or in-floor) and hot water.

We also collaborate with numerous industry associations, including Rewiring America, a nonprofit that promotes broad electrification as an environmental, economic, and social issue. Rewiring America speaks of electrification as a way our lives can improve while we save money and the climate.

The post Heating, Cooling, and Water: AHR 2024 Knows the Future is Electric appeared first on gb&d magazine.

• Architects and designers are increasingly turning to a large list of sustainable building materials for projects.
• Sustainable building materials typically have low embodied carbon or incorporate recycled waste products.
• Bamboo, mass timber, adobe brick, stone, reclaimed wood, and low-carbon concrete alternatives are some of the most popular sustainable building materials.

The construction and use of built structures produces roughly 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, according to a 2019 report from the International Energy Agency. The construction industry as a whole is responsible for producing 25% of the world’s solid waste and extracting more than 30% of the planet’s natural resources. This is largely due to the types of building materials traditionally used in modern architecture—many of which require significant energy to harvest, prepare, and manufacture.

These figures can be mitigated by the widespread adoption of sustainable building products. Here are 25 of the most promising sustainable building materials in 2024.

What Makes a Material Sustainable?

Sustainable building materials like cross laminated timber help architects create greener buildings. Photo by Daniel Shearing

Before we explore the different types of sustainable materials, let’s take a moment to discuss what makes a material sustainable, especially considering that “sustainability” has become a bit of a buzzword.

In the realm of green architecture, construction, and design, sustainable materials are considered to be those materials whose collection, refinement, production, and long-term use has minimal negative impact on the environment. Most sustainable materials are derived from—or are wholly—natural, renewable resources like stone, bamboo, adobe, and the like, but the category can also include recycled materials like plastic.

25 Types of Sustainable Materials

1. Mass Timber

The Brock Commons Tallwood House is constructed primarily from CLT and is one of the tallest mass timber buildings in the world. Photo by Pollux Chung

Mass timber refers to a subset of engineered wood made by binding together multiple layers of wood planks. The resulting product is much stronger and more structurally sound than traditional timber, which allows it to be used as a viable, low-carbon alternative to concrete.

There are four main categories of mass timber: cross-laminated, nail-laminated, dowel-laminated, and glued-laminated.

• Cross-laminated timber (CLT). Several layers (typically an odd number) of wood planks are glued together, with each layer perpendicular to the one above and below it.
• Nail-laminated timber (NLT). One of the oldest forms of mass timber; layers of wood are bound together by nails.
• Dowel-laminated timber (DLT). Wood planks are drilled and then bound together by long wooden dowels.
• Glued-laminated timber (Glulam). Layers of wooden planks are attached to one another using glue.

These mass timber products offer increased compression strength and flexibility compared to traditional raw timber. As a result, they can be used to construct load-bearing features such as structural panels, beams, and posts, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for large-scale timber construction.

Because mass timber products are pre-cut and pre-manufactured in an offsite factory they offer a high level of quality control and therefore produce less waste during construction. “With normal construction you have tons of waste,” Paulo Martins, principal of Paulo Martins Arquitectura & Design—the firm that designed one of Portugal’s first mass timber homes—previously told gb&d. “It’s a much cleaner way of making houses. It uses less space because as the wood arrives at the building you mount it immediately. You don’t have to store the materials. You can reduce the number of trucks going out and coming in [and their] carbon emissions.”

Pros of Mass Timber

• Carbon sequestration. Mass timber absorbs carbon during its growth period and sequesters it throughout its operational lifespan, greatly reducing a structure’s overall embodied carbon.
• Fast construction. Because mass timber is manufactured offsite, arrives pre-cut, and is lighter than other structural building materials, onsite construction of mass timber buildings is much faster than it is for concrete or steel buildings, only requiring about three-quarters of the time.
• Durable and strong. Mass timber has a strength-to-weight ratio that is comparable to steel or concrete and performs well during seismic activity; properly constructed and maintained mass timber structures have an estimated lifespan of 50 to 100 years.

Cons of Mass Timber

• Susceptible to water damage. Like any wood product mass timber is susceptible to water damage in the event of prolonged exposure to moisture or high humidity levels; this can lead to rot, warping, and a reduction in structural integrity.
• Higher upfront costs. From a per-unit standpoint mass timber is more expensive than steel or concrete and has as much as a 26% higher front-end cost; these higher upfront costs, however, are partially balanced out by the reduced labor needs, faster construction times, and higher end-of-life salvage value associated with mass timber construction.

2. Terrazzo

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in DC features poured-in-place epoxy terrazzo. Photo courtesy of Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies

First invented in the late 1500s, terrazzo is a type of composite wall and flooring treatment traditionally consisting of chipped marble, granite, and/or quartz that is then cast in a cementitious binder, with most modern terrazzo cast in epoxy resin.

Terrazzo flooring became more common in the 20th century after Italian quarrymen began casting leftover marble and granite chips in cement to pave their terraces. It is this reuse of stone refuse—an already sustainable material—that would otherwise go to waste that makes terrazzo an eco-friendly building material.

Even today most terrazzo suppliers—including Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies—uphold the tradition of sourcing their aggregate material from local quarries, which also helps to reduce carbon emissions incurred as a result of the shipping process.

“We take a lot of things that would be put into the waste stream that we can reclaim and reuse in a terrazzo floor,” James Bateman, terrazzo division manager of Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies, previously told gb&d.

Pros of Terrazzo

• Easy to clean. After installation terrazzo requires very little upkeep and is extremely easy to clean; periodic sweeping/vacuuming and mopping using soap and water is enough to prevent dirt and grime from accumulating.
• Customizable. Because terrazzo is a mixed-composite material, there are a wide variety of colors, designs, and aggregates to choose from, making it extremely customizable; marble and granite are the most popular choices but terrazzo can also accommodate everything from quartz, silica, glass, metal chips, and even shells.
• Long-lasting. Like stone, terrazzo possesses incredible durability and lasts for a very long time; once installed, terrazzo can go between 40 and 100 years before needing to be replaced, with most lasting upwards of 75 years.

Cons of Terrazzo

• Can be expensive. One of the main downsides of terrazzo is its upfront cost, which can drastically increase a project’s overall construction price; on average, a single square foot of terrazzo typically costs $22 for both the materials and installation, but prices can range as high as $90 per square.
• Can be difficult to install. The installation process for terrazzo is incredibly precise and generally requires hiring experienced professionals; improperly installed terrazzo can lead to visual defects and compromised structural integrity.

3. Structural Insulated Panels

SIPs are a type of high-performance composite paneling that is used to create energy-efficient walls, floors, roofs, and foundations for residential and light construction projects. Photo courtesy of FischerSIPS

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are a type of prefabricated, high-performance composite paneling used in residential and light construction projects to create walls, floors, roofs, and even foundation systems. SIPs consist of an insulated core sandwiched between two sheathing panels and are typically fastened with screws to a structural frame. SIPs are extremely strong and share the same structural properties as traditional I-beams, with the insulated core acting as the web and the sheathing fulfilling the function of the flanges.

Most SIPs use oriented strand board (OSB) for their sheathing and feature a polyurethane insulated foam core, though natural fiber insulation or plant-based polyurethane rigid foam may also be used to maximize sustainability. OSB is already considered to be a sustainable material, as it sequesters carbon and is typically produced from new growth rather than old growth trees.

One of the main benefits of using SIPs in construction is that they improve a structure’s overall energy efficiency, reducing heating and cooling energy loads by at least 50% when compared to traditional timber-framed structures. This is largely because SIPs are prefabricated in highly. controlled environments that greatly reduce the possibility for air leakage and thermal bridging. “Because SIPs are more airtight than your typical structure, you don’t have a lot of air passing in and out of your house,” Damien Pataluna, owner of FischerSIPS, previously told gb&d.

Pros of SIPs

• Faster construction. Because they are prefabricated ahead of time and then shipped to the job site, SIPs help reduce both construction times and on-site labor requirements; a study conducted by the RS Means unit of Reed Construction found that SIPs reduce on-site construction times by as much as 55%.
• Strong and durable. SIPs are designed to shoulder in-plane compressive loads of roughly two tons and are capable of bearing the lateral loads caused by high winds and earthquakes; buildings constructed from SIPs are, on average, two-and-a-half times stronger than traditional sick-framed structures.
• Improved indoor air quality. The airtight construction of SIPs helps reduce air leakage and ensures that indoor air circulation only occurs through controlled ventilation systems that filter out pollutants, greatly improving indoor air quality.

Cons of SIPs

• Higher upfront costs. While building with SIPs is one of the cheapest options for constructing high-performance, energy-efficient structures, SIPs still cost 3 to 7% more than traditional stick-framed buildings.
• Difficult to modify onsite. Because SIPs are prefabricated entirely off-site and then shipped to the job site as a finished product, they are more difficult to modify onsite should any corrections or adjustments need to be made.

4. Recycled Rubber

Regupol uses more than 115 million pounds of recycled rubber—or approximately 9 million reclaimed tires—each year to manufacture a wide range of flooring products. Photo courtesy of Regupol

Natural rubber is derived from plant matter and eventually decomposes over time, making it a more environmentally friendly option than, say, plastic. Historically, however, the harvesting and production of rubber—particularly for use in tires—has contributed to deforestation and pollution.

Fortunately rubber can be recycled and reused once it’s reached the end of its operational life cycle. One of the most common uses for recycled rubber in the built environment is flooring, as the natural elasticity of rubber makes it ideal for absorbing impacts, resisting damage, and makes for a more comfortable surface to stand or walk on for long periods of time.

REGUPOL, for example, is one of the leading manufacturers of rubber flooring products and an industry innovator in the reuse of post-consumer tires. “The company’s products use 93% to 96% post-consumer waste, diverting that from landfills to recycle 99M tons of elastomers per year and helping to support the ecological health of our planet and the water table,” Wil Younger, marketing manager for REGUPOL, previously wrote for gb&dPRO.

Pros of Recycled Rubber

• Durable. Rubber flooring has a naturally high tensile strength thanks to its chemical composition, which makes it extremely durable and resistant to tearing or excess wear from exposure to the elements.
• Noise reduction. Rubber acts as a natural acoustic dampener and can help reduce noise transmission between floors or walls; when paired with rubber wall panels and/or rubber ceiling treatments, rubber floors significantly aid in sound control, making them ideal for use in gyms and schools.
• Shock absorption. Rubber’s elastic and viscous properties also make it an excellent shock absorber, one that is capable of withstanding heavy impacts and vibrations without sustaining damage; this makes rubber ideal for use as flooring and provides improved seismic resistance.

Cons of Recycled Rubber

• Potential higher upfront cost. Recycled rubber products, especially flooring, can be more expensive than other products in the same class, with poured rubber flooring being one of the most expensive options; these higher upfront costs are, however, typically justified by the high durability and long lifespan recycled rubber products offer.
• Can be difficult to install. When used as flooring, recycled rubber rolls, mats, and panels can be cumbersome to handle; installing rubber flooring can be somewhat time-consuming, as the rubber must first acclimate to the ambient temperature and requires dry-fitting before it can be properly installed.

5. Stone

The Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton received a Tucker Design Award from the Natural Stone Institute in August 2020. Designed by architecture firm DIALOG, this project used Polycor’s Indiana limestone in standard gray. Photo courtesy of Polycor

Stone is one of the oldest building materials known to man. Readily available and constantly being produced by the earth, stone has a naturally low embodied energy, an extremely long life cycle, and releases no volatile organic compounds into the air, making it one of the most sustainable materials there is—especially if sourced locally.

Thanks to the sheer variety of stone types (e.g. granite, sandstone, marble, basalt, gneiss, quartz) and the wide assortment of stone products—raw stone, cut stone, stone slabs, stone panels, etc.—stone has a nigh-unparalleled range of construction uses and is extremely versatile.

Polycor, one of leading producers of high-quality stone in North America, has supplied stone for everything from floors and countertops to wall cladding and columns.

Pros of Stone

• Extremely durable. Stone is an incredibly strong material and many types of stone have high load-bearing capabilities; stone is also quite resilient and is able to withstand the elements with ease.
• Low maintenance. Once installed, stone products typically require very little maintenance—in most cases, periodic cleaning with soap and water and occasional grout/mortar touch-ups are all that’s required.
• Versatility. As previously hinted at, the sheer variety of stone types and stone products makes stone an incredibly versatile material, one that can compliment a variety of architectural styles and functions.

Cons of Stone

• Can be expensive. Compared to many other natural building materials, stone can be extremely costly, especially if your project requires a high-quality stone like marble or certain granites.
• Heavy. Similar to something like precast concrete, stone is an incredibly heavy material, which makes it difficult to transport and install—this can also have the unintended consequence of increasing construction time and emissions.
• Requires skilled workers. When it comes to stonemasonry, there is little room for error, as stone can be very difficult to move or alter once set in place; as a result, stone always requires skilled, experienced workers.

6. Reclaimed Wood

Indoor reclaimed wood accent wall and table by Woodstock Architectural Products. Photo courtesy of Woodstock Architectural Products

Wood is another building material that has been used for millennia—and while timber is technically a renewable resource, it can take a long time to regrow, especially if harvested unethically. That’s why utilizing reclaimed wood in new construction projects has become common practice.

“Reclaimed wood reduces the demand for harvesting new timber and minimizes deforestation. Proper forest stewardship is essential to ensure trees grow for years to come,” Kevin Fults, an expert in the wood industry, previously wrote for gb&d. In most cases reclaimed wood can be used exactly as you’d use new wood, giving it a variety of applications, such as: building frameworks, flooring, furniture, walls, rafters, fences, etc.

If the reclaimed wood you’re using in your project has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, it can go toward earning LEED points.

Pros of Reclaimed Wood

• Reduces waste. Wood accounts for roughly 8.3% of all landfill waste, according to the EPA, despite the fact that much of it is still viable for construction purposes. Incorporating reclaimed wood into a project helps minimize waste and extends the wood’s operational lifespan.
• Aesthetically pleasing. The weathered, aged look of reclaimed wood also gives construction projects a character you might not get from fresh timber.
• Natural insulator. Regardless of whether it’s new or reclaimed, wood is a natural insulator with a low thermal conductivity, which means it will help keep interiors warm even in cold climates, thereby reducing a structure’s electric heating loads.

Cons of Reclaimed Wood

• Can be expensive. If you aren’t collecting recycled wood yourself, sourcing it from a company can be expensive—sometimes even more expensive than buying new wood—as reclaimed wood must be processed and inspected before it is ready for reuse.
• May contain chemicals. If the history of your reclaimed wood is unknown, it’s possible that it may contain unwanted chemicals that could damage occupant health in the long-term.
• Susceptible to pests. Similarly, reclaimed wood can contain hidden pests like termites and woodlice that can compromise its structural integrity—and even if it hasn’t been damaged by insects, reclaimed wood is still susceptible to future attacks.

7. Adobe Brick

Construction of an adobe brick building by the organization Gyaw Gyaw on the Thailand-Burma border. Photo courtesy of Jonathan González.

Like stone and timber, adobe brick is another sustainable building material that has been used for centuries, particularly in the American southwest, Central America, and South America. As a composite material, traditional adobe is composed primarily of sand, clay, and silt that has been mixed with water and some organic material like dung or straw that acts as a binding agent.

This mixture is then pressed into a wooden frame to create bricks. Once dried, adobe bricks are exceptionally strong and may be stacked like conventional bricks to construct load-bearing walls or laid out in rows to form flat surfaces like roofs.

After adobe bricks have been put in place, they are covered with plaster, stucco, or whitewash to protect them from the elements. Because adobe bricks are produced using local, non-toxic materials, produce little-to-no carbon emissions, and last for a long time, they are considered to be extremely sustainable.

Pros of Adobe Brick

• Energy-efficient. Adobe brick has a high thermal mass and low thermal conductivity, making it extremely effective at regulating indoor temperatures without the need for heating and air conditioning; as a result, adobe brick buildings are considered to be energy-efficient.
• Durable. Like most earthen materials, adobe brick is extremely durable and boasts a high compressive strength; when properly maintained, adobe bricks can last for thousands of years.
• Fire-resistant. Because adobe bricks are composed primarily of earthen materials, they are naturally fire-resistant, capable of withstanding wildfires with minimal damage.

Cons of Adobe Brick

• Heavy. Due to their composition, adobe bricks are quite heavy. This can slow down construction and typically necessitates the installation of concrete foundation or footings, which can add to a structure’s overall carbon footprint.
• Not suitable for all climates. Generally speaking, adobe brick is best suited to very warm regions that receive little rainfall, as regular exposure to water or freezing temperatures can lead to accelerated deterioration.
• High-maintenance. In order for adobe bricks to retain their structural integrity, they must be inspected regularly so any signs of damage (holes, cracks, etc.) can be addressed immediately; adobe bricks also require you reapply their coating every few years.

8. Earth Bags

For the most part, earth bags are exactly what they sound like: bags that have been filled with earth. If you want to get more specific, earth bags typically feature a plastic bag or sack that is then filled with a mixture of local soil. This mixture generally contains moist subsoil with a sufficient clay content, as clay helps the sediment remain cohesive—in some cases, crushed volcanic rock or gravel may be used.

For construction purposes earth bags are laid out and stacked in staggered courses, similar to how brick walls are built. They are capable of supporting straight or curved walls and, in the case of the latter, often feature domed roofs. Once earth bag walls have been erected, they are finished with a plaster; this helps them better withstand the elements.

From a sustainability standpoint earth bags are extremely environmentally friendly, as they require very little energy to produce, last a very long time, and can be recycled once they reach the end of their life-cycle.

Pros of Earth Bags

• Inexpensive. Earth bags typically make use of locally sourced sediment, so they are extremely cost-effective; this makes earth-bag construction a viable building strategy even in impoverished and low-income areas.
• Durable. As long as earth bags are properly installed and maintained, they are capable of withstanding everything from severe weather to earthquakes with ease; in terms of their actual lifespan, earth-bag buildings can stand for hundreds of years.
• Low-emission. Earth-bag construction requires very little energy expenditure compared to other construction methods, resulting in fewer carbon emissions

Cons of Earth Bags

• Labor-intensive. When it comes to both their production and construction, earth bags require a lot of manpower, as they necessitate the collection, transportation, and placement of hundreds (if not thousands) of pounds of sediment.
• Limited construction use. While earth bags have a variety of uses in small-scale construction projects, they are significantly less feasible for larger, more-involved building projects.
• Aren’t suitable for all climates. Earth-bag structures can handle a lot of abuse, but they don’t fare well in extremely wet climates, as prolonged dampness can cause the bags to expand and contract, resulting in structural deterioration.

9. Bamboo

The Green School in Bali, sometimes referred to as the bamboo school, is a private, international school that teaches pre-K through high school. The campus highlights the natural environment and teaches sustainable practices. Photo by Tommaso Riva

Over the last few years bamboo has seen an explosion in popularity—a phenomena largely attributable to bamboo’s contemporary aesthetic and extremely fast growth rate. Unlike most hardwoods, which typically require twenty years between planting and harvesting, bamboo can be harvested every five to seven years. Bamboo also absorbs twice the amount of carbon, requires less water, and doesn’t need fertilizer to grow.

Traditional bamboo construction produces very little waste and utilizes the whole bamboo pole, split poles, and finely-worked bamboo slats to build everything from bridges and huts to the structural support systems of buildings. The Arc, designed by IBUKU for the Green School in Bali is a testament to how bamboo can be used to build the majority of a structure.

Bamboo can also be formed into planks using one of two methods: cutting poles into thin strips, drying them, gluing them together, and laminating the finished project or by shredding bamboo culms down into fibrous strands and weaving them back together to create stranded bamboo planks.

Laminated bamboo has a variety of construction uses ranging from fences and flooring to furniture and interior decorations. Due to its improved strength and durability, stranded bamboo is used almost exclusively for flooring.

Pros of Bamboo

• High strength-to-weight ratio. While it may not be as strong as steel, bamboo nevertheless has a high strength-to-weight ratio, which means it can safely support a range of complex structures.
• Joint mobility. Compared to most other building materials, bamboo joints have a higher range of mobility—this quality, along with its lightness, makes bamboo a great building material for earthquake-prone regions.
• Biodegradable. Once the construction life-cycle of bamboo is complete, it can be left to biodegrade and may be used for composting purposes in as little as six months.

Cons of Bamboo

• Moisture damage. Bamboo is only durable when it’s dry—if regularly exposed to water, it can develop fungal rot and deteriorate in just a year’s time.
• Attracts pests. Like hardwood, untreated bamboo is susceptible to attacks from termites and beetles, which can reduce bamboo’s lifespan by a significant margin; in order to deter pests, bamboo must be treated with boron.
• Shipping distance. Because bamboo doesn’t grow as well outside of Asia and South America, it must be shipped long distances, which can result in increased carbon emissions.

10. Cork

Lustrous flooring made largely of cork creates a cozy feeling. The cork is not only a more sustainable option; it is a natural sound insulator. Photo by Ivo Tavares Studio

Unlike timber, bamboo, or even hemp products, cork products do not require that the entire plant be harvested—rather, the bark is all that’s collected and doing so doesn’t harm the tree itself. This means that a single cork oak tree can be harvested multiple times throughout its natural lifespan, typically at intervals of once every nine years.

After it is harvested, cork is shredded, compressed into sheets, and baked in a kiln—the finished product is then cut into planks, tiles, or left as a sheet, at which point it can be used for construction purposes, typically as either flooring or insulation.

Once cork products reach the end of their construction-use cycle, they can be composted back into the earth.

Pros of Cork

• High insulating capacity. The cells of cork bark contain small pockets of air that effectively prevent heat from getting through, making it an excellent insulator.
• Antimicrobial. Because it contains phenolic compounds, cork is naturally antimicrobial and is highly resistant to fungus, mold, and mildew growth.
• Fire resistant. In its natural state, cork is extremely fire-resistant; it will burn, but it does so very slowly and without a flame, which reduces the pace at which fire spreads.

Cons of Cork

• Susceptible to UV damage. When used as flooring cork has a tendency to yellow and fade over time if regularly exposed to sunlight.
• Can be expensive. Generally speaking cork is more expensive than, say, laminate flooring, largely due to the higher level of skill required to harvest cork without killing the tree, as well as the fact that cork is only harvested once a year.
• Highly responsive to humidity. Unlike hardwood, cork expands in all directions when exposed to high humidity, which means it requires more room for movement; when humidity is low, it can cause gaps to appear in cork flooring, especially if it isn’t glued down.

11. Hempcrete

An alternative to concrete hempcrete is a composite material formed by mixing hemp hurds with lime, pozzolans, or sand. As is the case with any crop, hemp absorbs carbon while it grows and continues to store carbon after it has been processed into hempcrete, thereby reducing its overall carbon footprint and making it much more environmentally-friendly than conventional concrete.

Hempcrete’s high thermal mass and lightweight nature makes it great as an insulator or to form non-load-bearing infill walls. It can also be applied to existing walls as a plaster.

Pros of Hempcrete

• Renewable. Hemp is a renewable material with a very rapid growth cycle. Once planted, hemp stalks can be harvested in just three to four months, making it more sustainable than hardwood, softwood, and even bamboo.
• Mold-resistant. Thanks to the inclusion of lime in the initial production process, hempcrete is both antimicrobial and antifungal, making it resistant to mold and mildew, which helps to improve indoor air quality.
• Moisture control. Hempcrete is capable of absorbing extreme amounts of moisture without jeopardizing its structural integrity or insulative properties, making it an excellent choice in areas with high humidity.

Cons of Hempcrete

• Long drying time. Once cast hempcrete typically requires between 6 and 8 weeks before it fully dries and can hold a proper finish, thereby extending the overall construction time by a considerable margin.
• Low compressive strength. Unlike traditional concrete hempcrete has a fairly low compressive strength, which means it cannot be used to construct load-bearing walls.
• Learning curve/limited experts. Because hempcrete is a fairly recent invention, it isn’t particularly well-known within most construction spheres—as a result, it can be hard to find a company or contractor with the experience necessary to build with hempcrete.

12. Timbercrete

Similar to hempcrete Timbercrete is another alternative to traditional concrete and is formed by combining sawdust and small wood chips with water, concrete, and binding agents. It is lighter and produces fewer carbon emissions than concrete, while also offering improved insulative properties.

In its current form Timbercrete is best suited for use in exterior walls that prioritize insulation over load-bearing capacity, though it can also be used in roofing due to it being lighter than concrete.

Similar to concrete Timbercrete can be molded on-site or precast ahead of time and shipped to the project site.

Pros of Timbercrete

• Ready availability. Due to the fact that both concrete and sawdust/wood chips are readily available in most places, Timbercrete can be sourced locally, thus reducing construction time, costs, and emissions.
• High thermal capacity. Timbercrete is capable of absorbing and storing thermal heat during the day and releasing it slowly throughout the night; this helps improve a structure’s overall energy efficiency.
• Traps carbon. Unlike conventional concrete and many other traditional building materials, Timbercrete traps carbon and keeps it from entering the atmosphere.

Cons of Timbercrete

• Low load-bearing capacity. Compared to concrete Timbercrete has a much lower load-bearing capacity, which means it can’t be used for structural support.
• Requires precise mixing. In order for Timbercrete to be structurally sound it needs to be mixed correctly. Considering Timbercrete is a relatively new material, there aren’t many guides detailing the precise mixing process.
• Limited uses. Because it’s weaker than concrete, timbercrete has fewer practical uses and is mainly confined to non-structural walls, fences, and small exterior structures.

13. Sheep’s Wool

Crafted from a blend of wool and flax, the new Craggan Flax fabric retains the raw appeal of its natural composition while maintaining its contemporary aesthetic of a chunky weave. Photo courtesy of Camira

Unlike most of the other materials on this list, wool isn’t prized for its durability, strength, or versatility, but for its insulative qualities. As a natural insulator, wool is an excellent alternative to conventional fiberglass insulation; it doesn’t contain any dangerous substances, effectively regulates temperature, is flame-resistant, and helps remove toxins from the air.

Wool has also been used as a sustainable alternative to synthetic-fiber carpets, as it requires less electricity to manufacture and doesn’t include any harmful chemicals. In recent years, companies like Camira have even started using wool—in conjunction with other natural materials—to produce furniture fabric.

Pros of Sheep’s Wool

• Absorbs sound. Wool is a natural sound absorber and is capable of reducing noise by as much as 50%, allowing for a much quieter and comfortable indoor environment.
• Fire-resistant. In the event of a fire, sheep’s wool will not help fuel the blaze—rather, wool only chars when exposed to flames, as there isn’t enough oxygen in the air to support full combustion.
• Humidity-resistant. Rather than absorbing ambient moisture caused by humidity, wool actually adsorbs moisture, meaning it traps and stores water molecules inside of its porous fibers before allowing it to evaporate into the air.

Cons of Sheep’s Wool

• Expensive. Regardless of whether it’s used for carpeting or insulation, wool typically costs more than other natural alternatives, thereby increasing the overall construction expenses.
• Susceptible to insect damage. As anyone with an old wool sweater knows, wool is often targeted by moths, silverfish, carpet beetles and other insects, reducing the product’s longevity.
• Chemical treatments. In order for wool to be protected from insects, it must be treated first; unfortunately, most treatments contain unwanted chemicals like borax that have been linked to certain reproductive issues.

14. Precast Concrete Slabs

Fabcon’s precast concrete wall panels save projects time and money while being ultra durable and efficient. Photo courtesy of Fabcon

Traditionally concrete is mixed and cast onsite, which can make it difficult to maintain a consistent product quality. Precast concrete slabs and panels, on the other hand, are prepared, cast, and cured in a highly controlled setting and then shipped to the project site. This helps minimize waste production, uses less water than pour-in-place concrete, and reduces the amount of soil and water contamination.

Some precast concrete manufacturers, like Fabcon, also use recycled materials in their precast slabs, which helps keep waste out of landfills and reduces carbon emissions. Today precast concrete is used to build everything from foundations and walls to bridges and even entire buildings.

Pros of Precast Concrete

• Consistent. Because they are produced offsite, precast concrete slabs have a higher degree of quality control and are therefore more uniform in composition.
• Durable. As is the case with poured-in-place concrete, precast concrete slabs are incredibly durable and capable of weathering the elements—and even some natural disasters—with ease; on average precast concrete is designed to last between 50 and 100 years.
• Low maintenance. Once installed precast concrete is incredibly easy to keep clean; if left unsealed precast concrete needs to be power washed once every four to six years, and sealed concrete slabs only need to be hosed down every so often.

Cons of Precast Concrete

• Heavy. Precast concrete slabs are, by nature, extremely heavy. This is only a problem because they have to be shipped to the project site, and their weight can increase shipping times, which in turn increases transportation-related carbon emissions.
• Difficult to alter. Once cast concrete is especially difficult to alter; should any last minute changes need to be made to a project’s dimensions, it can necessitate a complete re-cast or redesign of the slabs themselves.
• Can be tricky to install. Precast concrete slabs are heavy and can be a bit awkward to maneuver, requiring a crane to lower them into place, which can add to the overall construction expenses.

15. Straw Bales

Straw has long-since been used for construction purposes around the world, and straw bales were used to construct houses in Germany as far back as the early 1600s; in the United States, straw-bale construction has been a staple of Nebraskan-architecture since the late 1800s.

Today straw bales are used as both a structural component—stacked in rows to form walls, which are then plastered over—or as insulation. When used structurally straw bales are typically stacked on a foundation and tied together with wire mesh or wood pins before receiving a coat of lime- or clay-based plaster.

Because the plants commonly used for straw—rye, oats, wheat, and rice—are easy to grow, are widely available, contain no toxins, and have low embodied energy, straw bale structures are considered to be very sustainable.

Pros of Straw Bales

• Fire-resistant. Perhaps unexpectedly, straw bales are actually incredibly resistant to fire damage due to how tightly they are compacted; this makes straw bale construction an ideal choice in areas prone to wildfires.
• Good insulator. The density of straw bales also aids in both acoustic and thermal control, which can help dampen sound and reduce the building’s heating and cooling needs.
• Affordable and easy to produce. Raw straw is an inexpensive material and bales are extremely easy to put together—both of which help cut down on overall construction time and costs.

Cons of Straw Bales

• Can attract pests. Depending on the grain content, moisture, and time before it was baled, straw bales can attract a multitude of pests, including both insects and rodents.
• Susceptible to water damage. Should the exterior shell of the structure crack or start to leak, it can allow water to seep in and dampen straw bales, compromising their integrity and promoting mold growth; high humidity can also negatively affect straw bales.
• Not as structurally sound. If built improperly or if constructed on inadequate soil, straw bale buildings can become structurally unsound due to movement of the bales, which can in turn crack plaster or even allow load-bearing walls to collapse; earthquakes and high winds can also negatively impact the structural integrity of straw bale homes.

16. Recycled Plastic

Circula comes in recycled plastic designed in collaboration with Boomplastic. Photo courtesy of Studio Rygalik

On average the United States produces approximately 40 million tons of plastic waste each year—and roughly 85% of that waste ends up in landfills. Due to its abundance and long lifespan, recycled plastic has high potential for use in construction and design: it can be molded into shingles, added to concrete, incorporated into roadways, formed into bricks or tiles, and even used to make recycled-fiber carpets.

As it stands there is already too much plastic on earth and more is being made each year. Recycling existing plastic for mass use in construction projects is one way to help reduce the need for new plastic production.

Pros of Recycled Plastic

• Long-lasting. Plastic is somewhat infamous for its incredibly long lifespan, but this can actually be a plus when recycled plastic is used in construction, as it reduces the need for maintenance and replacement, saving costs in the long run.
• Easily molded. Recycled plastic can very easily be molded into a variety of shapes, a quality that gives it an almost endless array of design possibilities.
• Water- and pest-proof. Recycled plastic is waterproof and does not attract pests like termites or mice.

Cons of Recycled Plastic

• Inevitably produces microplastics. Over time and with use recycled plastic products shed microscopic plastic particles; these microplastics end up in the soil, air, and water and can leach harmful chemicals into the environment.
• Thermal expansion and contraction. If regularly exposed to fluctuating temperature changes, recycled plastic building materials can expand and contract at a rate that compromises their structural integrity.
• Low load-bearing capacity. While durable, recycled plastic doesn’t have very high compressive strength, making it unsuitable for load-bearing features like columns or beams.

17. Plant-based Polyurethane Rigid Foam

Plant-based polyurethane rigid foam is one of the leading sustainable alternatives to rigid foam insulation. Unlike its predecessor, PPRF does not contain chlorofluorocarbons—a group of compounds that contribute to anthropogenic climate change—making it much better for the environment.

Plant-based polyurethane rigid foam is produced using either a combination of hemp, kelp, and bamboo or vegetable oil and is primarily used as insulation, though it can also be used in furniture.

Pros of PPRF

• High thermal resistance. Plant-based polyurethane rigid foam has high thermal resistance, making it an ideal insulator. It’s so good, in fact, that PPRF has a higher R-value than polystyrene and fiberglass insulation.
• Can be composted. Unlike traditional rigid foam, most PPRF products can be composted at the end of their life-cycle; this helps keep construction waste out of landfills.
• Lower carbon emissions. Generally speaking, plant-based polymers are easier to extract than petrochemical-based polymers and subsequently require less energy to manufacture, thereby reducing overall carbon emissions.

Cons of PPRF

• Expensive. Compared to traditional polyurethane foam, PPRF is significantly more expensive; on average one kilogram of PPRF costs between $18 and $19.15.
• Harder to come by. PPRF is a relatively new material, one that is still being tested and improved upon; as such it can be difficult to find a local supplier, which can increase a project’s overall construction time and costs.

18. Natural Fiber Insulation

Greenfiber’s wall insulation starts as a plant material, is made into paper, and reused as insulation. Photo courtesy of Greenfiber

Intended as alternatives to conventional chemical- and mineral-based insulations, natural fiber insulations encompass a range of organic compounds with natural insulative properties, including such materials as hemp, cotton, wood fiber/cellulose, straw, wool, etc.

For the most part natural fiber insulation is safer to handle and install than traditional fiberglass insulation, as they typically contain fewer irritants and chemicals. Natural fiber insulation also boasts a lower carbon footprint and produces less waste—qualities that many natural fiber insulation companies, like Greenfiber, pride themselves on.

“Greenfiber uses a low-energy manufacturing process that results in materials with the least-embodied energy of most major insulation products. The production process generates little no waste or byproducts because we leverage recovered material to start with,” Jason Todd, the director of market development and building science at Greenfiber, previously told gb&d.

Pros of Natural Fiber Insulation

• Low- or zero-VOC. Generally speakin- natural fiber insulation contains fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than traditional mineral or chemical insulations, which helps improve indoor air quality and long-term occupant health.
• Fire resistant. Many natural fiber insulations possess natural flame retardant qualities, which helps slow the spread of fire and allows more time for occupants to escape; natural fiber insulations that aren’t intrinsically fire resistant are made so after the fact through the addition of borate.
• Temperature regulation. Natural fiber insulations are adept at regulating interior temperatures, which helps reduce a built structure’s heating and cooling needs.

Cons of Natural Fiber Insulation

• Can be expensive. Some types of natural fiber insulation, such as sheep’s wool or cotton, are more expensive than their chemical- and mineral-based counterparts.
• May not be as effective. While all natural fiber insulations offer some measure of temperature regulation, most are not as effective as conventional fiberglass insulation—at least, not per inch of insulation material, anyway.
• May require more material. For natural fiber insulation types with lower R-values—that is, insulative capabilities—more insulation material is required to bring it up to par with traditional insulation types; thicker layers of insulation means thicker walls, which can encroach on usable floor space.

19. Mycelium

Mycelium refers to the microscopic network of hyphae strands that make up the vegetative tissue of fungal colonies. When mycelium spores are introduced to organic waste, they quickly grow and send out roots that then consume the waste until all that’s left is a block of mycelium.

This block of mycelium can then be carved or broken into smaller pieces and set in molds to form bricks—some companies, like the New York–based Ecovative Design, even use mycelium to create foam insulation.

Due to its rapid growth rate, consumption of waste material, non-toxicity, and low-emission production, mycelium is an incredibly sustainable material.

Pros of Mycelium

• Highly insulative. Thanks to its molecular composition, mycelium has naturally high insulative properties—it isn’t flammable, effectively regulates temperature, and acts as an acoustic dampener.
• Biodegradable. Mycelium as a building material is 100% biodegradable and can be composted once it outlives its construction purpose, thereby reducing demolition waste.
• Easily produced. One of the hallmarks of mycelium is that it is both quick and easy to produce, without generating waste or harmful emissions in the process.

Cons of Mycelium

• Low compressive strength. Compared to traditional building materials like concrete or stone, mycelium has a very low compressive strength; as such, mycelium bricks cannot be used as load-bearing supports.
• Susceptible to moisture. When regularly exposed to moisture—even just ambient humidity—mycelium becomes less structurally sound and starts to break down.
• Shorter lifespan. As mycelium becomes less resistant to moisture over time, it becomes more vulnerable to damage from humidity and mold. As a result mycelium has a shorter lifespan than many other building materials.

20. Green Concrete

Photo courtesy of Geneva Rock

While the term “green concrete” can apply to any concrete that includes added measures to reduce its environmental impact, it typically refers to concrete that contains a high percentage of recycled waste materials like fly ash, silica dust, slag, and even previously-cast concrete aggregate.

“Rather than dumping asphalt and concrete from construction demolition into landfills, we recycle those materials to be used in future projects,” Nathen Schellenberg, vice president of specialty construction at Geneva Rock Products, previously wrote for gb&d. “On average Geneva Rock recycles 1 million tons of asphalt, concrete, and other aggregate materials every year.”

Green concrete can be used in construction in much the same ways as traditional concrete and has been utilized to construct everything from bridges and buildings to dams and other infrastructural projects.

Pros of Green Concrete

• High thermal resistance. Like traditional concrete, green concrete has a high thermal resistance and is capable of absorbing and storing heat; when incorporated into passive solar design, green concrete can significantly help reduce heating and cooling requirements.
• Utilizes recycled materials. Green concrete makes significant use of recycled materials and helps keep waste out of landfills.
• Low carbon emissions. On average the mixing of green concrete produces 80% fewer carbon emissions than traditional concrete, as less energy is required to break down the materials.

Cons of Green Concrete

• Higher reinforcement costs. Most green concrete is reinforced with stainless steel, which typically costs more than the carbonized steel rebar used to reinforce conventional concrete.
• Lower compressive strength. In most cases, green concrete has a lower compressive strength than normal concrete, which means it cannot safely support as much weight.

21. Ferrock

Designed as a substitute for conventional cement, ferrock is a concrete-like substance produced by mixing recycled ground-up glass and steel dust with water and ferrous (iron-rich) rock. Once combined, this mixture is then poured and exposed to carbon dioxide, at which point iron carbonate forms, effectively trapping carbon in the ferrock.

After it sets ferrock becomes extremely strong and can be used for construction in all the same ways that concrete can be used. Due to the fact that ferrock is resistant to both chloride and sulfate damage, it can even be used in construction projects that come into contact with saltwater—a marked improvement over traditional concrete, which erodes in saltwater.

Pros of Ferrock

• Incredibly durable. Thanks to its unique composition, ferrock is resistant to rot, corrosion, chemical exposure, oxidation, rust, and even UV damage; ferrock is also five-times stronger than conventional concrete and has a higher compressive strength.
• Absorbs carbon dioxide. While it’s true that ferrock produces carbon during its production process, it makes up for it by absorbing a higher quantity of carbon as it dries, effectively making ferrock a carbon negative material.
• Utilizes recycled waste. On average 95% of the materials used in ferrock come from recycled waste products like silica and steel dust.

Cons of Ferrock

• Not suitable for large projects. Ferrock requires a ready supply of silica and steel dust, both of which typically aren’t available in large quantities; as such, ferrock is better suited to small-scale projects.
• Steel dust can become costly. If ferrock becomes more popular, the cost of steel dust is likely to increase, which can make it harder and more restrictive to come by.
• Lack of experience. Due to the fact that ferrock is a pretty modern invention and hasn’t been widely adopted, it can be hard to find construction crews with the necessary experience to create and work with ferrock.

22. Smart Glass Windows

As perhaps the most technologically advanced material on this list, smart glass windows are a truly innovative way for building’s to make the most efficient use of natural light and solar heat.

Also referred to as switchable glass, smart glass windows are constructed using a type of glass that allows for adjustment of the window’s reflective properties. Currently, there are two categories of smart glass windows: electrically switchable and thermochromic.

Electrically switchable smart windows use either micro-blinds, polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal devices, suspended-particle devices, or electrochromic devices to actively adjust the opacity of the glass when an electric charge is applied. Thermochromic smart glass windows, on the other hand, use what is called a phase-changing polymer to passively adjust the window’s opacity once the glass reaches a certain temperature.

Pros of Smart Glass Windows

• Blocks UV rays. Smart glass windows are capable of blocking 95% of all UV-rays without actually reducing the amount of natural light they let in; this also helps minimize glare.
• Energy efficient. When switched to the opaque setting, smart glass windows reduce the amount of incoming solar heat, which can greatly reduce a building’s need for air conditioning.
• Provides privacy. An added benefit of smart glass windows—especially electrically switchable windows—is that they provide privacy when switched to the opaque setting, making them ideal for use in office buildings.

Cons of Smart Glass Windows

• Expensive. Compared to traditional windows, which typically only cost between $10 and $15 per square foot, smart glass windows are significantly more expensive—on average, expect to pay between $50 and $150 per square foot.
• Requires specialized installation. Due to the fact that smart glass windows are more complex than standard windows, they require experienced professionals to install them; this can raise a project’s overall construction costs.
• Some require electricity. As it currently stands the most popular types of smart glass windows are those that require an electric charge to switch between transparent and opaque; this can reduce the amount a building saves on energy costs by installing smart glass windows.

23. Reclaimed & Recycled Steel

Low-carbon concrete, a compact shape, high-quality windows, steel and natural ventilation are all elements of the new Munch Museum. The building is connected to a district-heating system and a seawater cooling plant and features an energy control system that optimizes energy consumption. The building has no parking spaces, given its location close to the city’s largest public transport hub and 100 cycle-parking spaces. Photo by Einar Aslaksen

When a building or infrastructural project is demolished, it leaves behind a lot of material, especially when it comes to steel, which is one of the most popular contemporary building materials and often used as the structural framework for large buildings. Approximately 90% of the steel used in built structures can be recycled and reused in other projects, either as is (columns, beams, etc.) or, in the case of scrap steel, after being melted down and re-forged.

Ultimately this helps keep a significant amount of waste out of landfills and reduces the amount of emissions produced by the steel industry.

Pros of Recycled Steel

• Reduces waste. The most obvious benefit of using reclaimed or recycled steel is that it reduces demolition waste and extends the lifespan of existing products—which is almost always more sustainable than manufacturing new ones.
• Saves money. Even though reclaimed steel is practically identical to new steel in terms of quality, it is significantly less expensive, thereby decreasing a project’s overall construction costs.
• Durable. Just like new steel, recycled steel is an incredibly durable material with a very high load-bearing capacity, making it suitable for large construction projects; steel can withstand everything from severe weather to earthquakes and has an average lifespan of 50 to 100 years.

Cons of Recycled Steel

• Difficult to alter. Once steel has been cast and prepped for construction, it is very difficult to make changes after the fact; if recycled steel is available, it may not be the correct size or shape, which can increase overall construction time and costs should alterations become necessary.
• High maintenance. As is the case for any steel product, recycled steel requires frequent maintenance and routine painting to keep it free of rust and corrosion.
• High thermal conductivity. Steel in any form is highly conductive of heat; when it is used as a building’s framework, it can pose both an increased fire hazard and often results in higher cooling loads, thereby increasing energy-related costs.

24. Rammed Earth

Rammed earth blocks make up the walls of the Child Care Center, an alternative daycare in Villeta, Paraguay designed by Equipo de Arquitectura. Photo by Federico Cairoli

As one of the most abundant materials on the planet, it’s only fitting that dirt—or more accurately, rammed earth—is on this list.

Constructed by gradually pouring a damp mixture of selected aggregates (typically dirt, sand, silt, gravel, and clay) in between flat panels or into a flooring mold and then compacting it in successive layers, rammed earth is an age-old building practice that has since undergone a modern revival. Cement or lime is often added as a stabilizer to help improve the load-bearing capacity of rammed earth walls.

As long as adequate subsoil is available, rammed earth structures can be built in just about any biome, even those that receive regular rainfall—provided, of course, that they are properly maintained.

Pros of Rammed Earth

• Readily available. Generally speaking, rammed earth constructs are created using locally sourced and easily extracted renewable materials, which significantly reduces a project’s carbon emissions and construction waste.
• Durable. The very nature of rammed earth makes it an extremely durable material, one that can withstand inclement weather, fires, and even seismic activity with ease; if properly constructed, rammed earth structures can last for thousands of years.
• High thermal mass. Similar to concrete rammed earth has a high thermal mass, which means it is extremely capable of absorbing heat during the day and then releasing it at night; this can help improve energy-efficiency and reduce the heating and cooling loads of a structure.

Cons of Rammed Earth

• Long curing times. Once the form is removed from around a rammed earth wall, it usually takes a full month for the wall to cure and harden completely, which can extend construction time significantly.
• May require additional insulation. Rammed earth’s high thermal mass can help regulate interior temperatures, but it often needs added insulation when built in colder climates.
• Limited uses. Due to the nature of how rammed earth is formed, most structures featuring rammed earth walls are limited to one story (maybe two, if you’re lucky) and are confined to simple floor-plan shapes.

25. Composite Roofing Shingles

The recycled waste in composite roofing shingles also makes it a sustainable material.

Unlike traditional asphalt shingles, composite shingles are produced by combining recycled waste (typically plastic and rubber) with other materials like laminate, wood, and synthetic polymers. Most companies mold their composite shingles off of real slate or cedar shingles, which makes the end result a convincing replica of a much more expensive roofing material.

However, not all composite shingle manufacturers use recycled materials in their products, so you should verify before making your choice.

Pros of Composite Roofing Shingles

• Durable. Due to their composition, composite shingles are extremely durable and have a very high impact rating, which means you won’t have to worry about severe weather damaging them; on average, you can expect composite shingles to last for fifty years.
• Low maintenance. While this is true of most modern shingles, composite shingles are very easy to take care of. All that’s required is periodic washing with soap and water.
• Versatile design options. Composite shingles can be made to look like aesthetically pleasing cedar and slate shingles, but they also come in a variety of colors, making it easier to customize a building’s exterior.

Cons of Composite Roofing Shingles

• Shorter lifespan than true slate. Composite shingles typically last longer than traditional asphalt shingles, but they don’t last as long as the slate shingles they’re designed to emulate, which means they’ll need to be replaced more frequently.
• More expensive than traditional shingles. This is both a pro and a con in the sense that, yes, composite shingles are more expensive than conventional shingles, but they also last longer, which more or less makes up for the added upfront cost.
• Harder to find. Due to the fact that composite shingles are a fairly recent innovation in the roofing industry, it can be difficult to find companies and contractors that actually offer them.

Are Sustainable Materials Nontoxic?

The wood products and paint used throughout Urban Frontier House are all free of Red List ingredients. Photo by Clark Marten

Generally speaking sustainable materials strive to be as nontoxic as possible and many natural building materials have no toxins whatsoever. This does not, however, mean that all sustainable materials are completely free of toxic or caustic compounds.

Many natural fiber insulations, for example, require treatment with borate to protect them from pests, and most sustainable concrete alternatives still contain lime, a caustic compound that can cause chemical burns. It’s always a good idea to check whether a material contains toxic or otherwise dangerous chemicals before implementing it in a project.

One of the easiest ways to verify that a building material or product does not contain harmful ingredients is to look for a Red List Free label. Compiled by the International Living Future Institute, the Red List is a comprehensive guide to the so-called “worst in class” chemicals, materials, and elements known to cause serious harm to human and ecosystem health.

All products bearing a Red List Free label fully disclose 100% of their ingredients at or above 100ppm and do not contain any of the chemicals on the Red List.

Are There Alternative Sustainable Materials for All Building Materials?

Covestro offers MDI—a core component of high efficiency rigid polyurethane insulation—in a climate neutral version through the use of bio-waste as an alternative raw material. Photo courtesy of Covestro

There isn’t a readily available sustainable alternative for each type of building materials, but the industry is moving in that direction. More sustainable alternatives are being developed and experimented with every year.

As the number of sustainable building materials increases, the easier it becomes to replace conventional construction products with environmentally friendly alternatives—without compromising the structure’s integrity or its occupants’ health in the process.

Conclusion

Incorporating sustainable building materials into your next project is one of the easiest ways to reduce a structure’s long-term environmental impacts, as sustainable materials typically require less energy to produce, minimize or reuse construction waste, and often aid in the sequestering of carbon emissions.

Sustainable building materials also help save money in the long run, even if they sometimes have higher upfront costs, as they are designed with durability in mind and often have very long lifespans compared to their non-sustainable counterparts.

At the end of the day, your project, its occupants, future generations, and the planet all benefit from the use of sustainable building materials.

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• Sustainable capitalism aims to balance long-term economic growth with human and environmental health.
• Proposed pathways include protecting natural capital, adopting circular economy principles, and increasing government regulations.
• Critics argue capitalism is inherently at odds with sustainability and cannot support long-term economic growth while protecting the environment.

Over the last three decades it has become increasingly clear that the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels is the largest contributing factor to climate change, with 100 companies responsible for more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed adoption of a sustainable-capitalist model is often touted by supporters as the solution to the impending climate crisis, thought to be capable of addressing the environmental problems of its predecessor while still facilitating long-term economic growth.

Here we covers the basics of the sustainable capitalist ideology, its proposed pathways to implementation, and criticisms.

Capitalism vs Sustainable Capitalism

Sustainable capitalism aims to rectify the wrongs of capitalism and balance environmental health with long-term economic growth. Photo courtesy of ICC, Getty Images

Before we can explore sustainable capitalism, we need to understand how capitalism functions as an economic model. Capitalism is best understood as an economic system built on the idea of privatized ownership of the means of production and the operation of these means for profit, characterized by wage labor, voluntary exchange, competitive markets, private property, and capital accumulation.

Modern capitalism is generally recognized as having emerged from 16th century agrarianism and the mercantilist practices conducted by European countries between the 16th and 18th centuries. It became the dominant mode of production following the Industrial Revolution and the rapid globalization of the 19th and 20th centuries.

In short, capitalism is all about, well, capital—how to manage it, how to generate more, and how to keep generating it. Economist Milton Friedman theorizes that it is, in fact, the social responsibility of businesses in a capitalist society to increase their profits by any legal means possible, regardless of how ethical, moral, or detrimental to the environment those methods may be. It is this idea of infinite growth and unscrupulous profitability that has historically put capitalism at odds with sustainability.

What is Sustainable Capitalism?

In 2022 Kingspan harvested 26.1 million liters of rainwater, progressing toward a target of 100 million liters of rainwater annually harvested by 2030. The IKON Global Innovation Center—Kingspan’s headquarters in Ireland, uses nearly every Kingspan product manufactured as a sort of showcase of possibility. Photo courtesy of Kingspan Light + Air

Sustainable capitalism—first proposed and defined by Al Gore and David Blood in their 2011 “A Manifesto for Sustainable Capitalism”—suggests businesses can be both profitable and sustainable by investing in environmentally friendly technologies and adopting ecologically responsible methods of operation.

At a base level sustainable capital can be defined as a conceptual economic model that seeks to implement and practice the core tenets of capitalism in a manner that supports long-term economic growth without jeopardizing human or planetary health in the process. This is done primarily by limiting environmental externalities by integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into the market’s risk-management strategies.

Gore and Blood identify the following economic measures and policy changes as inherent to the adoption of sustainable capitalism:

Proposed Pathways to Sustainable Capitalism

Here are a few proposed pathways for achieving sustainable capitalism at a meaningful scale.

Identify and incorporate risks from stranded assets.
Mandate integrated reporting.
End the default practice of issuing quarterly earnings guidance.
Align compensation structures with long-term sustainable performance.
Incentivize long-term investing with loyalty-driven securities.
Reinforce sustainability as a fiduciary issue.
Create advisory services for sustainable asset management.
Expand the range and depth of sustainable investment products.
Reconsider the appropriate definition for growth beyond GDP.
Integrate sustainability into business education at all levels.

Protection of Natural Capital

Sustainable capitalism treats natural resources and ecosystems like forests as capital rather than points of extraction, making their preservation a matter a fiduciary responsibility. Photo courtesy of Western Forest Products

As an economic model capitalism prioritizes capital and the protection of said capital above all else—at least, in theory. Financial, economic, and manufactured capital, for example, are all well-protected under capitalist doctrine, but the same cannot be said for natural capital.

Natural capital encompasses air, water, soil, living organisms, and all other organic ecosystem yields that form the backbone of society as we know it. Rather than protect these resources, modern capitalism often exploits them for immediate profit, resulting in over-extraction and pollution of crucial ecological systems—exemplified by the estimate that humans currently consume roughly 1.7 Earth’s worth of resources each year.

Under sustainable capitalism natural capital is managed as any other form of capital. Supporters of the sustainable-capitalist model argue that by treating natural resources and the stewardship of those resources as a form of capital, it incentives their protection. In this manner preserving the natural world becomes not just a moral responsibility, but a fiduciary responsibility—one that is crucial to a business’ risk-management planning.

Incentivize & Invest in Renewable Energy

Investing in renewable energy is central to a successful sustainable-capitalist society. Photo courtesy of Otovo

Carbon and other GHG emissions must be curbed as soon as possible to prevent climate catastrophe. Sustainable capitalism recognizes this and aims to encourage investment in renewable energy technologies while ensuring a just transition away from fossil fuels that creates jobs and provides new opportunities for employment.

Governments can incentivize decarbonization by offering subsidies for renewable energy, offering renewable energy tax credits, and creating clean energy assistance programs that make things like solar, wind, and geothermal power more accessible to businesses, regardless of their size.

Adoption of a Circular Economy

Amsterdam aims to achieve a full circular economy by 2050, at which point everything that the city produces will either be reused, repurposed, or recycled. Photo by Alan Jensen

Capitalism has historically utilized a linear “take, make, and throw away” model of production and consumption, one that puts profit above all else, even at the expense of increased waste generation. “Excessive waste is the unfortunate byproduct of a consumer culture that grew during a time when the world did not understand the perils of overconsumption,” Richard Skorpenske, head of sustainability and public affairs at Covestro, previously wrote for gb&dPRO. “Through a combination of market forces, design trends, and consumer demand, an ‘extract, use, discard’ cycle became the dominant mode of manufacturing and consumption.”

A circular economy, on the other hand, seeks to create a closed-loop system of production and consumption—that is, it emphasizes reusing, refurbishing, repairing, leasing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as is feasible in order to greatly reduce resource extraction and waste generation.

In theory a sustainable capitalist society is not at odds with a circular economic model, as the recycling and reuse of resources, materials, and products can be made profitable through a variety of means. Recycling centers, for example, make money by selling recycled materials to companies and industries that need them, who can then manufacture and sell recycled-content products for a profit.

Internalize Environmental Externalities

Sustainable capitalism looks to end the externalization of pollution through practices like emissions trading. Photo by Kendall McCaugherty

One of the problems sustainable capitalism aims to remedy is traditional capitalism’s externalization of pollution, a practice that has allowed the market to drastically minimize environmental accountability with regard to the hazardous byproducts it generates in the pursuit of profit. In economics an externality refers to an indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party that comes about as an effect of other parties’ activities.

Air pollution caused by fossil-fuel based energy production, for example, is considered a negative externality, as the cost of air pollution on society is not paid for by the manufacturers or users of that energy to the rest of society as a whole. All consumers in this example suffer as a result of said pollution, but none are compensated for it.

Rather than treat pollution as an acceptable byproduct of industrial production, sustainable capitalism looks to internalize the cost of negative environmental externalities. This is seen in practices like emissions trading, which forces companies to factor the costs of pollution into their expenses and sets a quota limit for the amount of emissions they can produce. Entities that exceed their quota are then forced to purchase the right to emit more, while entities with fewer emissions sell the right to emit more carbon to other entities.

Because carbon trading directly impacts the profitability of companies with high emissions, it theoretically incentivizes the adoption of cost-effective carbon reduction strategies and encourages investment in green energy solutions.

Regulated ESG Reporting

Under sustainable capitalism, mandated ESG reporting would make it easier for investors and stakeholders to support businesses that prioritize sustainability. Photo courtesy of Geneva Rock

Ending environmental externalities requires the ability to effectively identify and measure an entity’s emissions. This can be achieved through the mandated and regulated reporting of ESG factors, or those non-financial-related performance indicators used to evaluate the overall social impact and sustainability of a company.

Requiring companies to consistently and comprehensively report on their ESG performance—especially with regard to their resource use and emissions—is considered integral to the successful implementation of sustainable capitalism as it helps facilitate sustainable investment by improving transparency.

When ESG reports are made public and accessible, it makes it easier for investors, stakeholders, and financial institutions to support businesses that prioritize sustainability and whose actions align with sustainable development goals. This in turn incentivizes the adoption of green business practices and contributes to the development of a more sustainable global economy.

Extended Producer Responsibility Policies

Extended producer responsibility policies applied to fossil fuels would require the fossil fuel industry pursue carbon capture/storage solutions, such as those offered by Carbfix. Photo courtesy of Carbfix

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is similar to the internalizing of environmental externalities in that it passes the responsibility of pollution and other environmental costs onto the polluters themselves—and not just for the pollution incurred as a result of manufacturing, but all pollution generated throughout a product’s life cycle.

The EPR concept was first defined by Thomas Lindhqvist in a 1992 report to the Swedish Ministry of the Environment and is best described as an environmental protection strategy that makes a product manufacturer responsible for the product’s entire life cycle, including its collection, recycling, and final disposal. Applying EPR policies to fossil fuels, for example, would require the fossil fuel industry pursue carbon capture/storage and nature-based solutions.

Expanding and mandating EPR laws can also help prevent greenwashing—or the process by which corporations use sustainability rhetoric in their marketing to deceive consumers without making a concerted effort to reduce their environmental impact—by instating stricter substantiation requirements and requiring greater transparency of business operations.

Is Sustainable Capitalism Possible?

Johnson Controls, a leading producer of efficient fire, HVAC, and security systems, practices sustainability by investing in green energy. Photo courtesy of Johnson Controls

If capitalism and sustainability are not inherently at odds, there is no reason some form of sustainable capitalism can’t exist, provided that, as outlined previously, x,y, and z conditions were met, such and such regulations were put in place, and all entities—both producers and consumers—do their part.

Supporters of sustainable capitalism will tell you such an economic model is realistic and entirely possible to implement successfully, but there are still some who are doubtful.

Criticisms of Sustainable Capitalism

Most critics of sustainable capitalism believe that modern capitalism is inherently at odds with sustainability. Image courtesy of Covestro

Sustainable capitalism (like capitalism itself, or any other economic model for that matter) is not without its critics. Most of these criticisms are founded on the belief that sustainable capitalism is, fundamentally, an oxymoron, and that capitalist growth is inherently unsustainable—a sentiment even John Fullerton of the Capital Institute shares.

These critics believe capitalism simply cannot be practiced in a manner that supports exponential economic growth while also protecting the environment, as modern capitalism is not designed for cooperation, conservation, or other sustainable practices. Critics suggest a systemic overhaul or replacement of the current model is required to achieve meaningful change, with proposed alternatives spanning a range of political ideologies.

There are also supporters of capitalism who argue the increased government regulation inherent to sustainable capitalism is counter to the very concept that makes capitalism so popular in the first place—that is, a largely unregulated, free-market economy controlled by companies and corporations rather than a central governing body.

What is Real-Time Rendering?

10 Green Plumbing Solutions in 2024

The post What is Sustainable Capitalism? appeared first on gb&d magazine.

• Buildings change over time due to both materiality and environmental impacts.
• Pre-compressed foam expansion joints can help ensure building longevity and occupant comfort and safety, among other benefits.
• Pre-compressed foam technologies are installer-friendly and have improved fire safety compared to traditional sealants.

No building is resistant to change. The structures that are best poised to stand the test of time are those where builders and architects have anticipated just how they might change over time—both due to the materials and the environment around it.

“All building materials have some sort of coefficient of expansion,” says Steve Pierson, Tremco CPG building envelope connections category manager. Environmental influences like seismic events, extreme weather, and even seasonal temperature changes can also impact a building, causing expansion and contraction that could put a building’s structural integrity and occupants at risk.

“That’s why we need expansion joints to support structures as they experience expansion and contraction,” says Pierson, who specializes in sealants and has more than 10 years’ experience in commercial construction. Also called a movement joint, expansion joints are discreet gaps that are designed into various building elements to accommodate natural movement without sacrificing the continuity or performance of those elements. The joints may be sealed with backer rod and sealant, pre-compressed foam, extruded rubber glands, metal systems, or even combinations of materials to fill and protect the openings. “If we didn’t have them designed into our buildings, various interface points would experience premature failure, and you’d be in trouble.”

Pre-compressed foam expansion joints are one solution that can help fend off future building envelope failures. This type of joint sealant consists of a factory-compressed foam that is manufactured in sticks or rolls, offered at varying widths, that can be cut to any length. They can be specified with or without a factory-applied pre-cured liquid sealant facer. Compatible with most commercial construction substrates, including metal, concrete, mortar, stone, and wood, they self-expand to fill the joint when installed and are capable of up to plus or minus 50% movement from the mean joint size.

“The main difference between a pre-compressed foam and a traditional expansion joint filler, such as a sealant and backer rod, is how the joint opens up and if it experiences tension. With a traditional expansion joint filler, the joint is in tension as it opens up, and that puts stress on the sidewalls of the joint,” Pierson says. “On the other hand, a pre-compressed foam is constantly pressing outward on the walls of the joint, so it’s always in compression. There’s never any tension in the system. In layman’s terms pre-compressed foam is a little bit gentler on the joints, so there is much less likelihood of a joint failure that would allow air or moisture to penetrate the wall cavity, causing mold growth or structural damage.”

In buildings made from concrete or with metal joints, using pre-compressed foam technologies might not be a make-or-break building solution. “But some substrates, like stucco or exterior insulation and finish systems, benefit from a highly compliant joint filler,” Pierson says. “That’s where pre-compressed foam, which puts less stress on sidewalls of the opening, is a huge advantage.”

Here are seven key benefits pre-compressed foam expansion joints can bring to your next project.

1. Easy Installation

Pre-compressed foam technologies can be used for horizontal and vertical joints and can be ordered with a factory applied, pre-cured liquid sealant facer. That means you don’t have to hold up construction timelines waiting for the perfect environmental and installation conditions or added curing time required for traditional liquid sealant products. Pre-compressed foam expansion joints are also installer-friendly in that they do not require the same type of specialized workmanship or training to install compared to backer rod and sealant methods.

2. Low VOCs

Because pre-compressed foam expansion joints come with pre-cured sealant facers and arrive at the project site ready for installation, there are no VOC concerns for construction crews or future occupants. “There is no real off-gassing to speak of with pre-compressed foam joints,” Pierson says.

3. Increased Sustainability

Pre-compressed foam technologies offer several environmental benefits that traditional expansion joint sealants don’t.

“There’s definitely less jobsite waste with pre-compressed foam expansion joints,” Pierson says. “You don’t have tubes or pails of material that accumulate onsite.”

Pre-compressed foam technologies also add a layer of insulation, which increases energy efficiency, reduces heat transfer, and increases a building’s R value.

4. Acoustical Performance

Foam is naturally able to reduce the transmission of sound waves, resulting in decreased noise pollution between the interior and exterior environments. The foam can increase the sound transmission class (STC) of a wall assembly and improve sound attenuation performance (the higher the STC number, the more sound is blocked). Especially for structures near high-traffic areas or where occupant privacy is important, sound dampening is an important design feature for owners and tenants.

5. Improved Fire Safety

In case of a fire foam expansion joints can play a big role in occupant safety and building longevity. Tremco CPG foam products, under the Willseal brand, are one-, two- and three-hour fire-rated. If a wall assembly is exposed to fire, a two-hour fire rating gives occupants about two hours to evacuate the building.

Pre-compressed foam expansion technologies also help stop the spread of fire and smoke throughout a building by filling in any gaps that horizontal and vertical joints might bring to a wall assembly.

“If you have any breaches in a traditional sealant system, you can get issues with smoke infiltration into adjacent areas,” Pierson says. “A lot of the pre-compressed fire-rated foam expansion joints have an integral smoke seal barrier in them as well as fire-retarding intumescent built into the foam. You get a ‘belt and suspenders’ solution with fire-rated foam expansion joints.”

6. Building Resiliency

Most pre-compressed foam technologies are made of either a closed-cell EVA foam or open-cell polyurethane foam core. The foam core can be treated at the factory with various materials (called “impregnations”) to improve a building’s longevity. Impregnations enhance the foam’s water, fire, and/or vapor transmission resistance.

“From a long-term reliability standpoint, you can get a pre-compressed foam with a long-wearing facer, like a silicone sealant, that’s good for upwards of 25 years or more,” Pierson says. “But behind that you also have the foam core itself, which in something like an open-cell foam, can be impregnated with a hydrophobic compound. So basically if anything makes its way through the sealant, you’ve got that there waiting as a second line of defense.”

7. Customization

Pre-compressed foam technologies can be customized both for different looks and dimensions.

“If the main driver on your projects is aesthetics, pretty much any color, chemistry, or other aspect you require or can imagine can be applied at the plant,” Pierson says. Pre-applying sealant in the controlled setting of a factory ensures a uniform sealant thickness across all sticks, so you know exactly what appearance and performance to expect when the product arrives and is installed.

“The other thing you’re able to do, depending on the type of pre-compressed foam technology, is factory-made transitions, such as changes in plane and or intersections,” he says. For more complex details like a four-way intersection, the foam can be custom manufactured for that connection “so you’re not relying on field fabrication and all the risks that come with it for critical expansion joint intersection points.”

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• Light pollution is defined as the presence of excessive, misdirected, or inappropriate artificial lighting.
• Light pollution manifests primarily in the form of either glare, clutter, light trespass, or sky glow.
• Nighttime light pollution obscures the sky, contributes significantly to energy waste, disrupts wildlife, and negatively impacts human health.

Anyone who has ever looked at a picture of Earth at night can tell you that light pollution is a global problem. Large splotches of concentrated, intense light illuminate huge swaths of North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, while only the most remote places enjoy total darkness.

Unfortunately light pollution is rarely treated as the serious issue it is, largely because most people wrongly assume that it does not have as significant or as severe an impact on human and environmental health as air or water pollution.

Here we take an in-depth look at light pollution and its causes, the problems that stem from excess light production and exposure, and a few of the most effective methods for reducing light pollution.

What is Light Pollution?

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Light pollution is an extremely prevalent type of manmade environmental pollution described as the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, misdirected, or excessive artificial lighting. It is estimated that the rate of light pollution is increasing at two times the rate of population growth, with approximately 83% of all humans—and 99% of all Americans—experiencing light-polluted night skies, according to DarkSky International.

Light pollution generally falls into one of four categories or types:

• Glare. Excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort and may pose a safety hazard (e.g. bright headlights while driving).
• Clutter. Extremely bright, excessive, and confusing groupings of multiple light sources (such as those found in cities and other dense urban areas).
• Light trespass. Any light that falls where it is not needed or intended (e.g. street lights that cast light upward).
• Sky glow. The phenomenon by which the night sky over cities, towns, and other inhabited areas appears to “glow” as a result of excessive glare, clutter, and light trespass.

Like all pollution light pollution is considered to be a side effect of industrial civilization and arose out of the rapid electrification of the early 1900s. Despite concerns regarding the effects of light pollution arising as early as the late 19th century, light pollution has only worsened in the years since—so much so that it is estimated that roughly two-thirds of Earth’s population have never seen a truly natural night sky.

What Causes Light Pollution?

It may be obvious that, well, light is the root cause of light pollution, but certain types of artificial lighting are more harmful than others.

Streetlights & Parking Lots

Street lights are responsible for roughly 20% of all light pollution. Photo courtesy of GGA+

With more than 4 million miles of roads in the US alone, streetlights account for a significant portion of light pollution. Estimated percentages have wavered significantly over the years, but a recent study suggests streetlights are responsible for approximately 20% of all light pollution.

Illuminated parking lots also contribute to light pollution, with many keeping their lights on all throughout the night—even when they’re empty.

Electronic Messaging Centers

Electronic messaging centers, or EMCs, are another major source of urban light pollution. Many modern electronic billboards are close to 10 times brighter at night than traditionally lit billboards—and because EMCs cannot be shielded without impeding their base function, they contribute significantly to light trespass and urban sky glow.

Residential, Landscaping & Other Outdoor Lights

It’s estimated that outdoor residential lights emit roughly 15 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Photo by Jaime Navarro

Porch lights, flood lights, and other outdoor residential lights are rarely designed to limit light trespass and are estimated to emit approximately 15 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. In a similar vein, landscaping lights—such as those used to illuminate pathways, driveways, pools, stairs, et cetera—often rely on daylight sensors to turn on and off, meaning they stay on all night even when no one is around.

Other outdoor lights—be they illuminated signs/billboards, inground lights, post lights, et cetera—that do not feature proper shielding also contribute to light pollution by casting a portion of their light upwards instead of directly where it’s needed.

Greenhouses

Perhaps the most unexpected cause of light pollution, large industrial greenhouses account for a significant amount of light trespass and often contribute to sky glow in otherwise low-light areas.

Because industrial greenhouses are a relatively new phenomenon, most governments do not have regulations in place to limit the amount of light they can produce. This allows operators of large-scale greenhouses to keep their lights on for all or most of the night—often with little to no legal consequences—something many do to maximize crop yields and minimize grow times.

Stadium Lighting

Outdoor stadiums often employ extremely bright, high-intensity spotlights that worsen light pollution and contribute to urban sky glow. Photo courtesy of Covestro

Most outdoor stadiums, fields, and sports centers—even non-professional ones—are equipped with extremely high-intensity spotlights that are essentially designed to replace the sun once night falls. These lights do an excellent job at illuminating the field of play for both athletes and spectators but are often improperly shielded and so contribute to increased light pollution in the form of light trespass and glare.

Because of their high positioning and the relative proximity of many outdoor recreational facilities to parks and other green spaces, stadium lights are a prime contender for nearby habitat disruption.

Satellites

Another surprising source of light pollution is orbital satellites, which reflect light back to Earth—both during their operational lifespans and once they inevitably die, break up into small debris fragments, and join the cloud of “space junk” orbiting the planet.

A research study by the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Comenius University in Slovakia that was subsequently published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters found that satellites and other Earth-orbiting objects are responsible for brightening the night sky by at least 10% over natural light levels.

Interior Lighting

Buildings that keep all or most of their interior lights on at night are a major source of light pollution. Photos by Greg Benson

While the vast majority of light pollution is caused by outdoor light sources, a not-insignificant amount comes in the form of light trespass from interior lighting. Many commercial buildings, for example, keep all or a portion of their lights on throughout the night—typically justified as a safety precaution—with some of that light spilling out through large windows.

A number of buildings, like hospitals, operate on a 24-hour basis and require interior lights to be on throughout the night to provide essential services.

What’s the Problem With Light Pollution?

Like noise pollution, light pollution is often considered to be one of the more trivial forms of environmental pollution, one without significant detrimental effects. And while it’s true that light pollution doesn’t pose the same immediate health hazards as, say, air or water pollution, it is problematic for a number of reasons.

Obscures the Night Sky

Extreme light pollution prevents a large portion of the population from being able to see more than a handful of stars at night. Rendering courtesy of Hennebery Eddy Architects

Light pollution’s most obvious and immediate impact is that it obscures the night sky—and while the average person may not spend much time looking up at the stars, the work of astronomers is depends on being able to view the night sky unobstructed. Of course, there’s also something to be said for the average person’s ability to look up at the night sky and see stars without issue, as such an act is one the majority of humans throughout history have had the privilege of experiencing.

Evidence suggests stargazing is beneficial for one’s mental health, as it helps to increase attention span, reduces feelings of stress and anxiety, and fosters a sense of cosmic awe—which can lead to reduced feelings of confinement and a greater sense of well-being.

Energy Waste & Carbon Emissions

Street lights illuminate the space above them as well as below. Photo by Chase Daniel

On average outdoor lighting uses roughly 120 terawatt-hours of energy per year in the US, with most of that going toward illuminating streets and parking lots. According to estimates by DarkSky International, 30% of that light is wasted as a result of light trespass, costing the US approximately $3.3 billion dollars each year and producing roughly 21 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

When you factor in other countries’ contributions to electric light waste and their subsequent emissions, it becomes apparent that light pollution is, in fact, a major contributor to anthropogenic climate change.

Disruption of Wildlife & Ecosystem Health

Trees that receive more artificial light as a result of nighttime light pollution are tricked into believing days are longer than they actually are, resulting in delayed dormancy during the fall and early emergence in the winter—both of which put them at higher risk of frost damage. Rendering courtesy of JZA Architecture

Perhaps the most distressing aspect of light pollution, however, is its detrimental impact on plant and animal life. For billions of years all life on Earth has relied on—and evolved alongside—the predictable day-night cycle, so much so that it is encoded in the very DNA of both plants and animals. Many species depend on this predictable rhythm of day and night to tell them when to sleep, when to hunt or forage, and when to reproduce.

Artificial light pollution has been shown to negatively impact various animal species in the following ways:

• Sleep-wake patterns. Artificial light is known to interrupt and unbalance the circadian rhythm of many animals, impacting a range of behaviors and biological processes; a German study on city-dwelling blackbirds, for example, found that light pollution and traffic noise caused them to become active as much as five hours earlier than birds in natural areas.
• Reproduction rates. Studies observing the impact of artificial light on wetland habitats have observed declining reproduction rates in frogs and toads, whose nightly croaking—an integral component of the mating process—is disrupted by excessive light.
• Migration patterns. Certain species of animals—such as sea turtles and some birds—that use moonlight as a guide during migration are often thrown off-course and die as a result of light pollution.
• Population numbers. Billions of nocturnal insects drawn to artificial light sources are instantly killed upon contact with these lights each night, drastically reducing their population numbers—a problem considering many birds, bats, amphibians, and other animals depend on these insects as a primary food source.

Light pollution is also known to have a detrimental effect on plant life. It’s no secret that the vast majority of plant species need light—be it sunlight or a strong enough electric light—to produce food via photosynthesis, but even weak artificial light can affect a plant’s biological processes. Potential disruptions stemming from light pollution include:

• Increased leaf size. Plants that grow near street lights tend to have larger leaves than normal, increasing their number of stomatal pores and causing these pores to remain open for much longer than plants growing under conventional unlit night conditions; this makes the plant significantly more susceptible to drought and air pollution.
• Delayed dormancy. Deciduous trees that grow close to street lights are tricked into believing that days are longer than they actually are and typically hold onto their leaves longer than trees growing under natural conditions, which makes them more susceptible to ice damage.
• Early emergence. Artificial light can also cause plants that depend on day length to time events—such as budding and flowering—to start these processes earlier than normal, putting them at higher risk for frost damage.
• Reduced biodiversity. Some plant species respond well to excess artificial light and as a result produce more biomass, send out more offshoots, and produce more seeds than normal, crowding out other species and reducing ecosystem biodiversity as a whole.

All in all, light pollution—like any other type of pollution—has a myriad of negative effects on plant and animal life and is partially responsible for the accelerated extinction rates observed within the past century.

Negative Impact on Human Health

Natural sunlight is integral to maintaining a healthy body, as it helps dictate circadian rhythm. “By exposing your body to daylight throughout the day, your healthy human circadian rhythm will have a significant role in regulating your sleep-wake cycle and have a positive impact on your eating habits and digestion, body temperature, hormone release, and other important bodily functions,” Neall Digert, vice president of innovation and market development at Kingspan Light + Air, wrote in a previous gb&dPRO article.

Light pollution, however, negatively impacts human health by disrupting the body’s circadian rhythm. This is largely due to the fact that melatonin—the hormone responsible for managing the sleep-wake cycle and synchronizing circadian rhythms—is almost exclusively released when it is dark. Exposure to light (particularly blue light) during nighttime hours impairs the pineal gland’s ability to secrete melatonin, which can in turn cause insomnia, lead to the development of anxiety and mood disorders, lower body temperature, and elevate the estrogen/progesterone ratio.

Recent scientific studies have even shown a possible connection between low melatonin levels and certain cancers, as severe melatonin deficiency can lead to suppression of the immune system.

How to Reduce Light Pollution

Photo courtesy of Archasol

Fortunately, light pollution is one of the very few forms of pollution that is almost entirely reversible. The following methods comprise the most effective strategies for reducing light pollution.

Turn Off Unnecessary Lights

Photo courtesy of Archasol

When it comes to reducing light pollution, the most obvious answer—turning off unnecessary lights—is also the simplest one. If a light doesn’t absolutely need to be on, it shouldn’t be.

Increase Awareness

While not the end-all-be-all of light pollution mitigation, increasing public awareness as to the causes and effects of light pollution is nevertheless an important step. Organizations like the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), for example, have made it their mission to take back the night sky by educating the public about light pollution, bringing awareness to the actionable steps one can take to reduce their own light emissions.

The IDA even certifies parks, reserves, and other places that have taken measures to preserve the dark night sky, recognizing their commitment to reducing light pollution at the source. Newport State Park in Washington and the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve in Idaho were the first places in the US to receive the IDA’s dark sky reserve designation.

Similar to the IDA, the National Park Service also considers preserving the night sky a priority, with many national parks hosting stargazing events to raise awareness as to how light pollution affects our health and the environment.

Design Better Light Fixtures

Photo courtesy of Archatrak

Some lights are necessary, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do a better job at reducing light pollution. Many outdoor light fixtures waste a significant amount of the light they produce by shining it in directions (namely upward) that don’t need to be illuminated.

“If you have an acorn-type fixture lighting a street, half of the energy consumed is shining upward, not going toward the task,” Pete Strasser, technical director at the International Dark Sky Association, told gb&d in a previous interview. “Why spend half a streetlight bill doing something it’s not supposed to do? A streetlight should light the street, not the undersides of airplanes.”

Designing and installing better light fixtures—that is, fixtures that shine light downward and feature shields to prevent unnecessary illumination—can drastically reduce light trespass and sky glow in both rural and urban areas. Full cutoff light fixtures are best at reducing light pollution, as they significantly reduce the chance for light to escape above the horizontal plane while also reducing the effects of glare.

Switch to Warm-Colored LEDs & Low Pressure Sodium Lights

Light pollution can also be reduced by adjusting the types of light sources we use. Most astronomers, for example, request urban areas switch to aluminum gallium indium phosphide LEDs or low-pressure sodium lights, as the principal wavelength they emit is relatively easy to work around or filter out entirely.

Both types emit a warm yellow or amber light that has a significantly lower impact on sky glow than traditional LEDs or metal halide lights, which are much whiter in comparison. When paired with proper shielding, these lights contribute very little to night sky light pollution.

Install Timed or Motion-Sensing Lights

Photo courtesy of Archatrak

Some lights that stay lit all night—such as street lights and security lights—don’t need to provide constant illumination, although they do need to be able to turn on at a moment’s notice. Motion/occupancy sensors can be extremely beneficial in reducing light pollution by only triggering lights when a vehicle or person is present.

Archasol is a trading division of Archatrak and leading supplier of solar-powered urban light products. Their SolarStreet light pole uses an infrared motion sensor to detect when a vehicle is approaching and temporarily raises the brightness of its LED lights before reverting back to lower light conditions after 10 seconds.

Alternatively, lights may be designed to operate on a timer to ensure they only turn on during periods of regular, anticipated traffic, occupation, et cetera. Timers are generally considered to be less effective at reducing light pollution than motion or occupancy sensors but are still a significant improvement over constant illumination

Keep Blinds & Curtains Closed

Residential light pollution can be kept to a minimum simply by keeping blinds and curtains closed during nighttime hours when interior lights are in use. Sufficient window coverings also have the additional benefit of preventing exterior light pollution from entering when occupants are asleep, which helps maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. This isn’t to say that every single window in the country needs to be covered with full black-out curtains, but reducing light loss from homes and apartments is a crucial step in mitigating light pollution.

Consult Lighting Designers

Photo courtesy of Archasol

To ensure new construction and development projects do not contribute as much to nighttime light pollution as they have in the past, developers should consult with professional lighting designers to take care of their lighting needs.

“You can have a well-lighted place that’s not dark but that’s also without any light pollution. It just takes the skill of a lighting designer—one of the least utilized experts in the field, they’re half engineer and half artist,” Strasser says. “They’re very careful with where they place lights. You know it’s going to be well done and certainly won’t pollute as much as someone putting in a lowest-bid installation of floodlights.”

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• Indoor air is frequently polluted by residential combustion, the circulation of small particulate matter, and VOC off-gassing.
• One of the most effective ways to improve indoor air quality is by investing in a HEPA air purifier.
• Exhaust fans, regular HVAC filter replacement, dehumidifiers, and routine cleaning can all help improve indoor air quality.

Clean air is something many of us take for granted. But is the air you’re breathing actually clean? Studies conducted by the EPA suggest indoor air can contain two to five times more pollutants than outdoor air—a serious issue given that the average American spends 90% of their time inside.

Poor indoor air quality costs the US economy close to $10 billion annually, either in the form of reduced worker productivity, sick days, or any of the other detrimental impacts arising from indoor pollution, according to the Indoor Air Hygiene Institute (IAHI).

Let’s explore some of the most common causes of interior air pollution and ways to improve indoor air quality (IAQ).

What Causes Indoor Air Pollution?

All Going Street Commons homes feature open floor plans, modern, Energy Star-certified appliances, abundant natural lighting, and building systems and finishes to help ensure healthy indoor air quality. Photo by Jillian Lancaster

Before we get into the methodology of how to improve indoor air quality, let’s talk about what causes indoor air pollution in the first place, as this helps us better understand why certain methods are more effective than others.

Some of the most common causes of indoor air pollution include:

Particulate Matter, Allergens & Mold

Particulate matter is sort of a catch-all term for the microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. When referring to indoor air pollution, particulate matter typically encompasses dust, dirt, smoke, soot, and pollen, all of which can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. Very fine particulate matter is even more detrimental, as it can penetrate the deepest parts of the lung and even enter the bloodstream.

In a similar vein, allergens—which includes pollen and dust as well as dust mites, pet dander, and mold—are also common indoor air pollutants that cause respiratory upset in occupants, albeit at varying levels of severity. Of these allergens, mold (and by extension, mildew), is perhaps the most universally damaging and can cause coughing, sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes, difficulty breathing, as well as other symptoms, even in people who do not suffer from allergies or existing respiratory conditions.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are chemicals that possess a high vapor pressure at room temperature and off-gas molecules into the surrounding air over time. Exposure to VOCs can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, as well as nausea, dizziness, headaches, and difficulty breathing.

When present in high concentrations or for long periods of time, VOCs can cause or exacerbate respiratory illnesses, damage the central nervous system, and even cause certain cancers.

Residential Combustion

Indoor air also becomes polluted by way of residential combustion, or the burning of various substances in the home, particularly fuel. Two-thirds of US households burn some sort of fuel—be it wood, natural gas, propane, heating oil, etcetera—to heat their home and water, cook their food, or dry their clothes. At the micro level residential combustion also includes such activities as burning candles or incense and smoking.

Residential combustion produces harmful emissions—most notably carbon monoxide but also benzene, nitrogen dioxide, and others—that negatively impact both human and environmental health.

Radon & Carbon Monoxide

While it doesn’t affect all households, radon—a naturally occurring radioactive gas—can be a serious detriment to respiratory health when present. An odorless, colorless, tasteless gas, radon is naturally released from the earth and normally dissipates soon after, leaving zero negative impact on an area’s overall air quality.

Radon becomes a problem when enclosed structures are built atop sites where the gas is present, as it can enter buildings through foundations, basement floors, cracks in walls, etcetera and build up until it reaches dangerous levels. Long-term exposure to radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

Similarly carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that isn’t found in high concentrations in every single building, but all buildings that rely on some form of fuel combustion for operating purposes are at risk of carbon monoxide pollution. Exposure to carbon monoxide can cause dizziness, fatigue, headaches, chest and muscle pain, shortness of breath, amongst other symptoms—and long-term exposure can even result in death.

15 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality

There are a variety of both low-cost and moderately expensive ways in which indoor air pollution can be addressed.

Here are 15 ways to improve the indoor air quality of your home or office.

1. Purchase a HEPA Air Purifier

Photo by Matthew Millman

One of the single most effective ways to improve indoor air quality is to invest in a high-quality, portable air purifier that uses a high efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters have a MERV rating of at least 17 and are able to remove over 99% of particulates measuring 0.3 microns and larger from the air.

Air purifiers that use a HEPA filter are capable of capturing pollen, dust, dirt, moisture, as well as some bacteria, viruses, and submicron liquid aerosols greater than 0.3 microns in size. Particles smaller than 0.3 microns may still be captured by a HEPA filter via the process of diffusion, albeit with less efficacy.

Air purifiers are available in a range of operating capacities, with some designed to purify the air in a single room and others able to purify even a 3,000-square-foot home. Be sure to follow manufacturer recommendations with regard to how often the filter needs to be changed.

2. Invest in a Purifier that Neutralizes Pathogens

ActivePure purifiers transform ambient humidity into ActivePure molecules that neutralize pathogens, fungi, mold, bacteria, pollen, and VOCs. Photo courtesy of ActivePure

HEPA air purifiers are an excellent means of improving indoor air quality, but they aren’t infallible, either—especially when it comes to reducing the spread of airborne pathogens, which typically fall in the 0.1 to 0.2 micron range. To prevent the spread of mold, germs, and other disease-causing microorganisms, invest in an ActivePure purification unit.

ActivePure uses technology that was originally developed in conjunction with NASA as a means of recreating the natural photolysis process—that is, the decomposition of molecules by the action of light—indoors. “ActivePure works against the [molecule’s] outer coats punching holes in the protective shell and inactivates the pathogen in the same way sunlight does, enabling it to work against the whole spectrum of pathogens,” Dr. Deborah Birx, chief medical and science advisor at ActivePure and former White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, previously told gb&d.

In practice this technology transforms ambient humidity in indoor environments into ActivePure molecules that then circulate through the indoor space, neutralizing bacteria, fungi, mold, pollen, pathogens, and VOCs. Once switched on the ActivePure device fills a space with ActivePure molecules in seconds, removing harmful pollutants from the air without the need for chemicals or additional ventilation and using minimal energy.

3. Use Low-VOC Products

Valspar’s Signature paint is one of this brand’s low- and no-VOC offerings. Photo courtesy of Valspar

Using low-VOC products can help improve air quality and occupant health in the long run. Many household products emit VOCs, including paint, carpeting, cleaning agents, wood preservatives used in furniture, and even some hobby supplies.

Fortunately there are many low-VOC alternatives for most products, in which the amount of VOCs they emit is considered safe by the EPA. Paint, for example, is one of the largest and most common sources of VOCs in buildings. Many companies, like Valspar, offer low-VOC paint products. Non-flat paints are considered low-VOC if they contain fewer than 100 grams of VOCs per liter, while flat paints are deemed low-VOC if they contain fewer than 50 grams per liter.

Chemical cleaning agents are another common source of VOCs. Replacing strong, synthetic cleaners with non-toxic, natural cleaners that are low in VOCs can help improve indoor air quality and prevent the headaches, dizziness, eye and throat irritation, and vision problems associated with exposure to VOCs.

4. Open Your Windows

Sharp House was designed to be as economical as possible in construction, with exposed cast-in-place concrete and large glass exposures to the north and south to allow for solar gain and cross ventilation. Photo courtesy of Marc Thorpe Design

Indoor air often contains more pollutants than outdoor air, which means opening your windows—even for just 10 minutes a day—can help improve indoor air quality by allowing fresh air to replace stale air, removing or diluting airborne pollutants to a safe level. This is the core concept behind cross ventilation, or the process by which windows on either side of a building are opened to allow prevailing winds to enter, circulate throughout the interior, and then exit out the other side.

That said, opening your windows is not recommended if you live somewhere with poor air quality, like a dense urban center or near a busy roadway, nor is it wise to open windows on days where code orange or code red air quality alerts have been issued. Doing so will worsen indoor air quality and put occupants at a greater risk for developing respiratory problems.

5. Install & Use a Range Hood

The range hood over this stove helps remove indoor air pollutants produced during the cooking process. Photo by Nat Rea

Cooking is a common cause of indoor air pollution—one that produces everything from odors and steam to smoke and other combustion byproducts. Both electric and gas stoves emit varying levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide during their operation.

Installing a high-performance, energy-efficient range hood—which is really just a type of exhaust fan—over the stove and using it while cooking is the most effective way to remove these pollutants from the air. When switched on a range hood draws in cooking-related pollutants and then exhausts them outside through a vent.

6. Vacuum & Dust Regularly

Central Vacuum Systems like those of BEAM make it easier than ever to clear the air. Photo courtesy of BEAM

Particulate matter is the most common category of pollutant found indoors and manifests primarily as dust. Most residential dust is a mixture of dead skin cells, dust mites, pollen, soil particles, hair, clothing fibers, microplastics, and other microscopic particles—all of which can irritate the respiratory system when inhaled.

Dust naturally accumulates over time, but some surfaces attract and hold onto dust better than others; carpeted floors and rugs, for example, easily collect dust and re-release small particulates into the air each time someone sets foot on them. Regular vacuuming and periodic deep-cleaning of carpets and rugs can help prevent dust buildup, as can regularly wiping down hard surfaces with a damp microfiber cloth.

Air ducts can also accumulate dust, dirt, dander, and even mold, reducing the efficiency and quality of interior air circulation, which is why the National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends having a professional clean out air duct systems every few years.

7. Install an HVAC UV-C Lamp

The Charlotte of the Upper West Side housing and retail development in Manhattan is one of the first residential buildings in New York to UV-C light throughout its mechanical ventilation systems. Photo by Joshua McHugh

Installing an HVAC UV-C lamp is another way to prevent airborne viruses, fungi, bacteria, and other illness-causing microorganisms from circulating throughout an indoor space. Ultraviolet, or UV, light has gained popularity as a disinfectant, especially in the wake of the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic.

“The advantages of disinfecting lighting are it is environmentally friendly, rapidly kills anti-microbials within seconds, and does not create any resistance,” Dianne Dunnell, director of interior design at Margulies Perruzzi, previously wrote for gb&dPRO.

Germicidal UV light is categorized by various intensities, with UV-C light being the strongest, emitting radiation at a level between 185 and 254 nm. UV-C lamps break down the DNA/RNA of germs, destroy the nucleic acid in bacteria, and functionally prevent cell replication in other microbes, rendering them harmless. Because direct exposure to UV-C light is harmful to humans, UV-C lamps are best installed in HVAC systems where they can sterilize the air before it is circulated throughout a building.

8. Invest in a Dehumidifier

Inside the Indiana Street House, designed by Studio 804. Photo by Gaffer Photography

High humidity levels in an interior space can negatively impact air quality as a result of excess moisture in the air. Eliminating humidity altogether isn’t ideal as some ambient moisture is needed to prevent nosebleeds, coughing, and dry skin, but too much moisture can exacerbate asthma, allergies, and other respiratory conditions, as well as lead to mold and mildew growth. When partnered with high temperatures, excessive humidity can also increase VOC off-gassing, which is why relative humidity levels should be kept between 30 and 50%, according to the EPA.

If you live in an exceptionally humid region or are dealing with moisture problems beyond your control, investing in a dehumidifier can help bring indoor humidity levels to that recommended level. Dehumidifiers work by drawing air in through a fan, passing said air over condenser coils to cool it down, contracting it, and then blowing warmer, dryer air back into the room.

Portable dehumidifiers collect the leftover condensation in a drawer that must be periodically emptied, while fixed dehumidifiers typically empty the leftover condensation through a hose leading outdoors. When choosing a dehumidifier, take care to consider just how much moisture it will need to contend with on a daily basis to ensure that it will operate effectively, as different models perform at different levels.

9. Change HVAC Filters Regularly

HEPA and ULPA filters are able to remove at least 99.97% of sub-2.5-micron particles. Photo courtesy of Filtration Group-HVAC

Another easy way to improve and maintain indoor air quality is to routinely change HVAC system air filters. Most HVAC companies and air filter manufacturers recommend changing your HVAC unit’s air filter every 30 to 90 days, but very few people actually adhere to this schedule, resulting in excessive filter buildup that ultimately weakens the filter’s ability to trap small particulate matter.

Changing your HVAC filters at the manufacturer’s recommended intervals is an incredibly simple, low-cost way to improve indoor air quality and ultimately helps your HVAC system run more efficiently. It’s also a good idea to use high-efficiency filters in your HVAC system, with most experts recommending filters with at least a MERV 13 rating.

10. Keep Indoor Burning to a Minimum

Fireplaces, gas stoves, and other fuel-burning appliances or systems are a common source of indoor air pollution. Photo courtesy of The Industrialist

Indoor burning, or residential combustion, removes oxygen from the air and replaces it with gasses and particles like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and other harmful compounds. When inhaled in high concentrations and/or for long periods of time, the airborne byproducts of residential combustion activities can lead to the development of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Keeping these activities—e.g. lighting candles or incense, smoking, using the fireplace, gas stoves, or any other fuel-burning systems—to a minimum, or eliminating them altogether, will help improve indoor air quality.

Reducing indoor burning may not be as feasible in buildings that rely on a furnace for their heating purposes, but steps can be taken to decrease the amount of indoor pollutants they emit. Using MERV 13 rated furnace filters, for example, will help trap at least 85% of all particles sized 1.0 micron and larger—and at least 50% of particles in the 0.3 to 1.0 micron range—without restricting airflow. Changing these filters every three to six months will help ensure efficient operation.

11. Seal Leaks & Gaps

Photo courtesy of Aeroseal

Leaks and gaps in a building’s envelope are a major source of energy waste, but also allow moisture and particulates like dust and pollen to enter, adding to interior air pollution. Locating and sealing up these areas of intrusion—such as around windows and doors, in attics and basements, around outlets and plumbing, et cetera—can significantly increase indoor air quality by reducing the risk of hidden mold growth while also reducing stress on existing ventilation systems.

Aeroseal offers comprehensive air sealing solutions for existing buildings that are both convenient and non-invasive. “Aeroseal employs a fog-like aerosol substance that, when introduced into ductwork and pressurized, effectively seals leaks from the inside without the need for external interventions,” Bob Swilik, vice president of product strategy at Aeroseal, told gb&d in a previous interview.

12. Install & Use Exhaust Fans

Using exhaust fans while bathing or showering can help remove excess moisture and prevent mold and mildew growth. Photo courtesy of Oatey

An easy way to avoid mold and mildew growth in high-moisture areas—bathrooms, for example—is to install and use an exhaust fan. Most residential homes already have exhaust fans inside their bathroom(s), which serve to expel humid air produced when bathing or showering.

In order to ensure maximum moisture removal, the American Lung Association recommends running exhaust fans for 30 to 45 minutes after bathing. Installing a new exhaust fan or replacing an old fan with an energy-efficient alternative—such as those bearing the ENERGY STAR label—will not only help improve indoor air quality, but will also help reduce energy consumption as well.

13. Test for Radon

The View Plus air quality monitor includes a built-in display and sensors for radon, particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide (CO2), humidity, temp, airborne chemicals (VOCs), and air pressure. Photo courtesy of Airthings

As previously mentioned, radon is a rarer—but no less serious—source of indoor air pollution that can have severe health implications if left unchecked. If you’re worried about the possibility of being exposed to radon without knowing it, you can order a low-cost radon test kit from the American Lung Association to verify whether radon is present or not.

If the test fails to detect radon, you don’t need to worry about contracting radon poisoning—but should the test show that radon is present, however, you’ll want to look into having a radon mitigation system installed. There’s no way to get rid of the gas entirely, but a properly-installed radon mitigation system will lower the amount of radon to EPA acceptable levels (below 4.0 pCi/L) and reduce the chance of developing radon poisoning to near zero.

Airthings carries an all-in-one product called the View Plus which features a built-in display and sensors for measuring radon levels, as well as carbon dioxide, VOCs, air pressure, humidity, temperature, and particulate matter.

14. Install & Maintain Carbon Monoxide Detectors

While you may not think about them as such, carbon monoxide detectors are just as much a means of maintaining indoor air quality as they are means of ensuring occupant safety. Like radon, carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that, if inhaled in large amounts or for a prolonged period of time, can result in carbon monoxide poisoning that may lead to severe injury or even death.

Carbon monoxide is produced as a result of incomplete combustion and can accumulate in buildings as a result of poorly ventilated or incorrectly installed appliances—namely stoves and hot water heaters—or due to poorly ventilated fireplaces and other fuel-burning systems. Installing carbon monoxide detectors and keeping them in proper working order is one of the simplest ways to verify whether CO is present in large quantities, after which steps may be taken to remedy the issue.

15. Incorporate Plant Life

Plants can help improve indoor air quality by producing oxygen and raising a room’s relative humidity. Photo courtesy of Ambius

Properly implemented vegetation can also help improve indoor air quality. This is largely due to plants’ ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen as well as their ability to raise the relative humidity of a space.

“In addition to enhancing moods, reducing stress and fatigue, and improving one’s overall well-being, a high number of larger plants that are actively growing can help raise the relative humidity level in certain environments,” Matthew Kostelnick, senior horticulturist for Ambius, previously told gb&d. “By increasing the relative humidity level, plants can have a relaxing effect on people, reduce dust, and remove allergy-inducing particles. Specifically, larger plants that are actively growing—like dracaenas, palms, ficus, ferns, et cetera—can help raise humidity levels and help with air quality due to a high level of metabolism and photosynthesis.”

Plants can be integrated into interior spaces via pots or using more involved solutions like living walls, like those offered by Ambius. Ambius is a global leader in providing innovative indoor vegetation solutions, especially when it comes to vertical planting surfaces and living walls.

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