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Materials |
Building materials should be considered in terms of their entire life cycle. In addition to natural resource consumption, their impact depends on the energy required for manufacture and transportation, product durability, and their ability to be reused or recycled.
Goals
- Minimize consumption and depletion of material resources
- Reduce life cycle impact of materials on the environment
- Minimize waste generation in building construction, occupation, renovation, and demolition
Strategies
| M1: | Do a durability plan | |
| M2: | Use life cycle analyses of all major building materials to reduce their impact
Insulation |
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| M3: | Consider general approaches to lessening environmental impact of materials
Insulation | Paints, Stains and Coatings |
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| M3a: | Use local materials | |
| M3b: | Reuse and salvage buildings and materials | |
| M3c: | Use recycled and recyclable materials | |
| M3d: | Use materials from renewable and biodegradable sources | |
| M3e: | Use durable materials | |
| M3f: | Use materials with low-impact manufacturing processes | |
| M4: | Design for less materials use | |
| M5: | Design for adaptability | |
| M6: | Manage construction waste responsibly | |
| M7: | Manage resident waste responsibly | |
Other Resources
Publications and Links
University of Michigan. Center for Sustainable Systems. U.S. Material Use Fact Sheet. 2007.
See full list of recommended resources and links in our library.
