is a commercially manufactured insulated concrete form (ICF). It is manufactured from recycled, post-consumer plastics and, according to the manufacturer, offers the structural strength of concrete paired with high insulation values, sound attenuation and fire resistance.
Reclaimed lumber — Lumber reclaimed by "deconstruction" of a building or structure. This lumber can be used for non-structural applications such as paneling and flooring and, if re-graded, can be used in structural applications. Major advantages include usually higher quality surface characteristics (it often came from tight-grained old-growth lumber), less cost than new lumber and reduction in landfill wastes (although it can easily be mulched). Major disadvantages are that it is fairly labor-intensive to clean up and, after many years of drying, is often very hard to nail. It may need to be predrilled, increasing installation cost.
Recycled-content aggregate — Crushed and reused concrete salvaged from demolition projects. Some can be introduced as a percentage of the aggregate in new concrete, while some can be used for roadbed underlayment. The actual use of the product is limited to imagination and the structural requirements of the project. Use of the material also reduces the amount of new aggregate that must be mined from quarries and the associated environmental concerns associated with the operation.
Recycled-content material — Products manufactured using post-consumer materials such as plastic, fiber, wood and glass. Deconstruction of various structures can also produce a variety of "raw" materials to create new products from — everything from tiles to carpeting to composite flooring materials and beyond. Recycled-content materials help to reduce the need for new raw materials and the accumulation and manufacturing processes involved.
Recycled-content steel studs — Most new light-gauge metal studs are manufactured from a combination of new and recycled steel. About 66 percent of the total make-up is recycled content. Considering that the production of new steel is one of the highest embodied energy manufacturing processes, the use of recycled steel not only redirects a virtually ever-reusable resource, but can reduce significantly the impact on other environmental concerns. The use of light-gauge metal studs on interior infill and demising walls lessens the amount of wood studs needed for construction. However, more specialized skills are needed to install the material properly.
Roofing materials, safe and durable — This can have a variety of definitions depending on one's point of view, but essentially these are roofing systems designed to last a significantly longer time to delay having to remove them and sending them to the landfill. Modern fiberglass roofing materials now carry warranties between 20 and 40 years. Of course slate, concrete and fired clay tiles can last significantly longer. Additionally, a safe roof generally refers to a fire-safe roof.
SEER (or EER) — The energy efficiency at which air conditioners produce cooling. SEER, which stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio, is the amount of cooling produced (BTU) divided by the amount of electricity (watts) used. The higher the SEER, the greater the efficiency.
Solar water heating — Generally this is a method of heating domestic water by allowing ground- or rooftop-mounted panels to collect solar rays as the water flows slowly through a series of small tubes. The heat transfer is then stored either in a potable drinking-water vessel (your water heater) or introduced into a closed-loop transport system to provide environmental space heating.
Straw bale — This is a methodology developed to use special tightly bound straw bales as either bearing or infill walls in a variety of structures including homes. The straw bale system was an offshoot of the Nebraska straw house, where their construction more than 100 years ago solved the basic problem of no lumber. The bales provide a substantial increase in insulation value, but their installation can be rather labor-intensive.
Structural bamboo — Bamboo as a construction material has many uses. Because the material is very hard, it has recently found a niche as flooring material. However, the material is also very strong and with new methods of handling the material, structural uses of bamboo are finding their way into the construction industry. They can be derived into trusses, supporting poles and simple beams. However most building departments are not familiar with the capacity of the material, and builders will have to supply significant engineering and detailing to satisfy plan check requirements.
Sustainable deck materials — Most of us are familiar with the wooden deck. However, new materials on the market are making a dramatic impact in the form of recycled content decking and railing systems. Usually manufactured with recycled plastics, wood chips and binders, the materials hold up well to hostile environments and generally outlast even naturally durable woods such as redwood and cedar. The intent is to select materials that are sustainable or easily replaced with limited effect on the ecology. Similar to wood, these new materials are easily worked but are considerably more expensive. The trade-off is the longevity of the material. While there are variations to the support structure under these materials, treated wood is still the primary structural system.
