Photo showing palm trees by alevision.co, via Unsplash

Climate

It is vital to ensure that the selection of building materials is appropriate for the climate in which they are used. Material performance can strongly vary, depending on the conditions to which buildings are exposed. For example, some structural materials have more appropriate thermal properties for hot or tropical climates than others, enabling better heat retention or cooling when these properties are needed. Earth based construction is not a new strategy, but one that has fallen out of favour in the last century as preferences for materials such as concrete and steel grew.  Beyond being a more appropriate material choice in some contexts, earth construction can reduce the need for brick firing or production of synthetic binders and additives, reducing fuel and material consumption, as well as reducing health risks from air emissions and chemical use.

However, a material with improved sustainability performance in one region may not provide the same in-use performance in another, and a whole lifecycle thinking approach can help ensure that material choices are optimal. Additionally, sustainability hotspots can vary between regions. For example, there may be increased impacts from extraction in one region that are not experienced elsewhere, and from increased transportation distances. The expertise of installers with a material, ability of the local supply chain to meet demand and ensure quality, and the availability of infrastructure for end-of-life processing all bear consideration when determining if a material is appropriate for a particular climate.

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Source: United Nations Environment Programme (2023). Building Materials and the Climate: Constructing a New Future. Nairobi

However, in some cases, learnings from material selection and market development can be transferred from one region to another where there are similarities in the climate. The Hub uses the Köppen-Geiger classification, which categorises regions as Tropical, Dry, and Temperate, according to the map below. Resources that apply to a particular climate are organised accordingly.

Map of Köppen-Geiger climate classification
map

 
Note: Tropical (A - regions Af, Am, Aw), Dry, (B - regions BWh, BWk, BSh, BSk) and Temperate (C - regions Csa, CSb) are used in the Sustainable Building Materials Hub to categorise resources where climate considerations apply.
Source: Beck, H.E., Zimmermann, N. E., McVicar, T. R., Vergopolan, N., Berg, A., & Wood, E. F., CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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SAICM Knowledge Buildings InfoHub - Chemicals in Products
2023-05-30
SAICM Knowledge Buildings InfoHub - Chemicals in Products

The Buildings InfoHub provides resources for designers, architects, builders, and other actors in the construction value chain to support actions to reduce the risks and impacts of chemicals in building materials.

Additionally, it provides information and case studies for policymakers, sustainability practitioners, and procurers to support the transition towards more sustainable and chemically safer building materials and products. 

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UNEP Eco-innovation Manual - Building Materials Supplement
2023-05-30
UNEP Eco-innovation Manual - Building Materials Supplement

Using the methodology presented in the Eco-innovation Manual, this supplement on building materials provides sector-specific information and guidance to sustainability consultancy service providers supporting companies in eco-innovation. It should be used alongside the Manual to provide further context at each step and examples of how the methodology, activities and templates can be applied in real life to a company in the building materials sector.

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C40 Knowledge
2023-03-01
How to reduce embodied emissions in municipal construction and lead by example

Almost half of a building’s emissions are hidden, embodied in the processes of extraction, manufacturing, transportation, construction, maintenance, retrofitting, demolition and end-of-life treatment. Reducing the impacts of construction and the emissions associated with it will require a significant shift in business-as-usual construction practices.

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Best practice guide to improving waste management on construction sites
2022-12-12
Best practice guide to improving waste management on construction sites

This guide is part of the Training Pack for waste prevention on construction projects. It provides specific, best practice advice to help with the prevention and reduction of waste as well as recycling of materials on construction sites. In the construction industry site waste may be managed by a third party or parties may be responsible for managing their own waste; this guide is aimed at both groups. 

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2022 Pedal to the Metal
2022-12-12
2022 Pedal to the Metal

Steel is essential for decarbonizing our energy system. We use it to build solar panels, wind turbines, and transmission towers. At the same time, the global iron and steel industry is currently responsible for 11% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 7–9% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to energy projects, we use steel for buildings, bridges, medical devices, and other important applications. As economies develop and build up infrastructure, global demand for steel will continue increasing.

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BEAM logo
2022-12-12
BEAM Estimator

More and more builders want to know: what is the carbon footprint of my building materials? And how can I reduce those impacts?

Builders for Climate Action built the BEAM estimator to help you, and made it easy to use and understand.

Input the main dimensions of your building, and you'll find a comprehensive list of all the available materials for all the main assemblies and the carbon footprint for each choice. Choose materials to create a model of an assembly or a whole building.

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Steel Zero
2022-12-12
SteelZero

SteelZero is a global initiative that brings together leading organisations to speed up the transition to a net zero steel industry.

Steel is the world’s most widely used material – but despite technologies existing for production to be decarbonised, steelmaking is currently one of the biggest emitters of CO2 globally. 

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LC3
2022-12-12
The LC3 project - Limestone Calcined Clay Cement

LC3 is a new type of cement that is based on a blend of limestone and calcined clay. LC3 can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40%, is made using limestone and low-grade clays which are available in abundant quantities, is cost effective and does not require capital intensive modifications to existing cement plants.

The objective of the LC3-Project is, through research and testing, to make LC3 a standard and mainstream general-use cement in the global cement market.

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Global Energy Monitor
2022-12-12
Global Steel Plant Tracker

From the Global Energy Monitor, The Global Steel Plant Tracker (GSPT) provides information on global crude iron and steel production plants, and includes every plant currently operating with a capacity of five hundred thousand tonnes per year (ttpa) or more of crude iron or steel. The GSPT also includes all plants meeting the five hundred ttpa threshold that have been proposed since 2017 or retired or mothballed since 2020.

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Professionals’ views of vernacular building materials and techniques for green building delivery in Ghana
2022-12-10
Professionals’ views of vernacular building materials and techniques for green building delivery in Ghana

Vernacular architecture is associated with numerous advantages. However, its adoption in the development of sustainable buildings is not appreciated. This paper examines professionals’ views of vernacular building materials and techniques for green building delivery in Ghana.

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