Implementation of sustainable materials in an existing residential building and comparison

Abstract

Construction and construction related industries are chiefly responsible for depletion of natural resources and environmental problems, hence it is necessary to solve these issues using sustainable materials and techniques. In the study, a few alternative sustainable materials have been selected and have been implemented in an existing residential building. The effectiveness of sustainable materials in reducing the embodied energy and carbon footprint is enumerated in the selected conventional building constructed in 2014 and re-estimated as per the current SR Book of rates. The materials like building blocks, flooring material, paints, doors and windows and conventional slabs are replaced by their alternatives chosen through a detailed literature survey. To quantify usefulness of green materials in terms of cost and positive environmental impacts like reduced embodied energy and carbon footprint, a similar green residential building is proposed and to conduct comparative study for green versus conventional with all respective aspects. Materials used are brick prepared using mine waste, SHGC glass, filler slab, Bamboo doors and windows and low VOC paint materials. Overall construction cost is also 15.2% lesser than conventional as per the abstract between re-estimated conventional building and the sustainable green building. The overall carbon foot print and the embodied energy of sustainable green building is 39.3% lesser than the conventional one.