NEW BOOK PROVIDES DESIGNERS WITH A TOOL TO HELP CALCULATE EMBODIED CO2 IN THEIR BUILDING DESIGN
- Author: David Bennett
- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: RIBA Publishing (23 July 2010)
- Language English
It is a fact that between 5% and 8% of the world CO2 emissions come from the production of concrete. This means that there has been an ecological case made against concrete in recent years which has questioned its green credentials. I even wrote an article recently where concrete lost the ‘green race’ when compared to its inseparable construction counterpart – steel… but it was a narrow call, mainly because steel can be recycled many times over. In this new book, the author argues for the benefits of using concrete to create sustainable architecture and highlight its great thermal properties and provides tools to help us understand all concrete’s sustainable characteristics.
As an Architect, I find it is difficult to find good reliable (or unbiased) information to help you decide on a material choice when designing a building, and even more difficult to find real monitored examples of these materials in action and their effects on the environment. This book is important because concrete being the most commonly used material in the planet, the book provides one of the few sources today where you can find detailed information on the embodied carbon of a variety of constituent parts of concrete which allows architects like myself to consider minimising the embodied carbon of their buildings.
Based on real-world evidence and independent research, published by the Royal Institute of British Architects, Sustainable Concrete Architecture provides designers with a tool to help calculate the total embodied CO2 in their building designs. Highly illustrated and detailed in scope, the book combines comprehensive technical analyses of concrete materials together with useful case studies demonstrating the value of the material in low-energy, green buildings.
The book is arranged in two parts
Part 1 (Technology) takes a detailed technical look at embodied CO2 in different forms of concrete including cement, cement replacements, formwork, precast, reinforcements, aggregates and concrete blocks. The manufacturing and distribution processes of each material product are described and embodied CO2 figures are given. CO2 audit figures are also included for materials which have been subject to an audit. Embodied CO2 tables, construction industry CO2 audit figures. The book then goes on to cover the heating and cooling of buildings, and how to use concrete’s thermal mass to reduce long-term energy consumption.
Part 2 (Case Studies) (The most valuable part in my view…) contains 24 superbly illustrated, detailed case studies which show the materials covered in Part 1 being used to create visually exciting, efficient new buildings. Building types covered include residential buildings, offices, education buildings and visitor centres. Each case study includes a statement on the building’s energy efficiency, how it was specified and designed, and an environmental impact study which details the SAP ratings where applicable.
An invaluable resource for anyone involved in the design and specification of efficient, sustainable buildings
Building with concrete alone will never enable us to reduce emissions to levels to the levels of CO2 emissions of, say, 1,000 years ago which will help our planet greatly, but at least with a resource like this, designers can begin to understand with tangible examples what the real value is of this versatile and ancient material. I believe this is a must-have for any modern architect or designer out there who is serious about sustainable architecture.
Sustainable Concrete Architecture
Click here to see extracts from the book…
