Materials & Resources

Intelligent use of materials in buildings is a key strategy in making the built environment more environmentally responsive. More environmentally sensitive materials such as carpets made of plastic bottles, roof tiles made of recycled tires, or flash as a partial substitute to cement are beginning to emerge on the market. Lawson (1996) and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) Environmental Design Guide provide a good base of background information on the life cycle assessment of materials. Factors that must be considered in selecting materials include:

• Storage of Recyclables
• Local/Regional Materials
• Environmentally Responsible Materials
• Embodied Energy

Storage of Recyclables

Ensure that provision can be made for an easily accessible area that serves the entire building and is dedicated to the separation, collection and storage of materials for recycling.

Provide an easily accessible area that serves the tenants and is dedicated to the separation, collection and storage of materials for recycling some of the following:

• Paper
• Metals
• Plastics
• Glass
• Printer Cartridges

For buildings greater than 4 storeys these areas should occur on a floor by floor basis.

Reduce costs by reducing the source of production. This may be encouraged with company policies for printing and photocopying double sided. It may also be developed through a purchasing policy that reduces packaging and ensuring paper is reused where possible.

Establish an efficient waste reduction, recycling and reuse program.

Local/Regional Materials

Encourage the increased demand for building products that are manufactured locally, thereby reducing the environmental impacts resulting from their transportation and supporting the local economy.

The tenant operation manual should provide information on the following issues:

• Establish a strategy for the replacement of fitout items such as carpets, partitions and computers that are manufactured locally
• Establish a preference for materials that are extracted, harvested or recovered within the area.

Environmentally Responsible Materials

Establish a benchmark for proposed materials used in the design. Fitouts are a major contributor to embodied energy within the building, any new materials increases embodied energy content due to transportation etc. Aim to reuse and recycle a minimum of 10% of fitout alterations. Consider using a database that should as a minimum include:

• CO2 emission
• Primary energy used in extraction, production and transport
• Oil feed consumption
• VOC and Nox emissions
• % of recycled materials in finished product
• Toxic pollutants arising from manufacture
• Water consumption
• Waste generated
• SO2 emissions
• Mineral consumption
• Reserves of raw materials
• Consider carpet leasing schemes
• Toxic pollutants arising from combustion

Develop a material data sheet for all suppliers to fill in to add to the Life Cycle Data. Currently this area of knowledge is under development, however, by requiring the suppliers to fill in such a form future information may be easier to access.

The building supervisor and operation manual should indicate the appropriate level of repair replacement and cleaning to be used on building materials.

The tenant operation manual should provide information on the following issues and a minimum:

• Establish an environmental strategy for the replacement of fitout items such as carpets, partitions and computers.
• Ensure that toxic items such as lighting ballasts, batteries and fluorescent lights are recycled.

Embodied Energy

Greenhouse gases arise from the production, transportation, and installation of materials contained in a building. Lowering the embodied energy lowers overall greenhouse gas emissions. The tenant operation manual should provide the following guidance as a minimum.

Refits are sources of embodied energy input, ensure that they are only carried out as necessity.

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