Selection of building materials based upon ecological characteristics: priorities in function of environmental protection

Abstract

Numerous scientific researches show that the activities connected with building materials produce significant negative environmental effects. Observed from the point of architecture, the use of building materials is found to be one of the critical factors of environmental pollution and degradation. The purpose of introducing architectural interventions, including proper selection, is the reduction of the negative environmental impact of building materials. The aim of this paper is to define, from the ecological aspect, basic principles for the selection of building materials. First, principles were defined through the all - inclusive analysis of every phase in the life cycle of building materials. Summing categories: embodied energy and embodied CO2 are discussed afterwards. In the order to simplify the procedure of arriving at a decision, priorities in selection were emphasized in every separate segment of this paper. The selection of building materials with reduced negative environmental impact (ecologically correct building materials) is one of the key decisions in the process of designing ecologically correct buildings.