Mechanical Construction - Report Example

Mechanical Construction This report includes basic information about green building materials, sustainable construction and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) along with their impact on mechanical construction in general. Bamboo flooring has also been discussed. Green Building Materials According to Milani (2001, August 25), “a green material is one that simultaneously does the most with the least, fits most harmoniously within ecosystem processes, helps eliminate the use of other materials and energy, and contributes to the attainment of a service-based economy”. The subject of green building materials has always been in focus. A building can be made great by using green products instead of conventional ones. It is important to understand what makes a building material green and how can a green material be made greener. A designer can distinguish which material is green from environmental perspective by quantifying and weighing the life-cycle environmental impacts of different building materials. There can be multiple reasons why a product is considered green. Materials that can be reused instead of getting produced from raw materials help save energy as well as resources and are thus regarded as green. These are also called salvaged products that include bricks, lumbers and plumbing fixtures. Products that are made from recycled content are also considered green as they are pretty durable. Examples are plastic lumber that is produced from recycled waste, and recycled rubber flooring. Products made from pre-consumer or post-industrial recycling are also green. Moreover, there are green products which are made from recycling agricultural waste like straw. Impact on Mechanical Construction Green products have the specialty of saving or preserving natural resources (like energy and water) and maintenance requirements by using less building material than is specified. These are durable thus eliminating the need of replacing them with other conventional products. They have little manufacturing and environmental impacts and help minimize pollution by reducing chemical releases thus reducing health hazards that might be caused by building maintenance. Green building materials are considered a very good alternative to ozone-depleting materials. Certain green products like physical insect barriers reduce the use of pesticides thus maintain the air quality. In short, green building materials ensure a healthy and safe building process with reduced environmental impacts. Sustainable Construction “Sustainable construction aims at reducing the environmental impact of a building over its entire lifetime, while optimizing its economic viability and the comfort and safety of its occupants” (Isover.com, 2008). The quality of physical and mechanical design of a building very much contributes to the overall quality of life of the residents of that building. Sustainable construction gives important consideration to the environmental impacts besides creating a structure or building that is user-friendly and comfortable. It ensures that damage risks to the building, residents and environment are eliminated. The main objective of sustainable construction is to build healthier buildings which tend to comfort society, improve biodiversity, reduce polluting emissions, and ensure less consumption of resources. Impact on Mechanical Construction Sustainable construction ensures a better and healthier quality of life because it suggests mechanical construction with reduced waste and minimal use of energy. Natural resources like water are kept conserved. Efficiency is increased which automatically benefits economically. Indoor environment is maintained in a healthier way by reducing the toxins in wall and furniture paint with the use of low volatile organic materials free of formaldehyde. The occupants of the building are made to feel comfortable and happier by maintaining the air quality. This is why the mechanical construction industry is looking forward to sustainable construction of buildings. LEED “LEED is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings”, according to Canada Green Building Council (2009). LEED Green Building Rating System has been put forth by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It is actually a market-driven guide that includes conventional energy and environmental rules and suggests a standardized framework for green buildings or structures that should be environmentally sustainable. It weighs up the environmental impacts from a building standpoint over the buildings total life cycle. The main objective is to maintain a balance between the existing principles and the new upcoming practices toward the construction of green and environmentally sustainable buildings. LEED certifies that a building or structure has been built keeping in view the environmental principles and techniques to improve the overall performance; such as, minimized consumption of resources like energy and water, reduced polluting emissions, and better air quality indoors. LEED certification suggests standards that should be followed to improve sustainability, greenness and material efficiency for New Construction (LEED-NC) as well as for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB). LEED construction principles are now being applied in large commercial structures and buildings like in schools, hospitals, churches, government institutions and other large multi-storied projects. LEED also puts forth rules for building of homes, core and shell projects, neighborhood development, and commercial interior projects (abbreviated as LEED-H, LEED-CS, LEED-ND and LEED-CI respectively). In short, LEED certification can be applied to nearly all types of construction and is applicable all through the life cycle of the building. Bamboo Flooring Bamboo flooring is recognized as being green under LEED certification. It comes from bamboo which is a renewable resource and has wonderful environmental impacts. Bamboo does not need replanting as it regenerates itself, grows quickly and is harvested after it matures in just three years. Also it does not need extensive fertilization and pesticide treatment. It serves as an extraordinary green building material as it renews itself at a wonderfully fast rate. Green building industry is progressing toward bamboo hardwood flooring and parquet flooring as these are durable and beautiful. Designers prefer bamboo flooring so as to keep the look of the building friendlier. Bamboo hardwood flooring is considered to be very much stronger as compared to the conventional oak hardwood flooring and requires less maintenance. There is almost no formaldehyde content in bamboo. Floor sheets and planks made of bamboo are available in a large variety of colors and textures so as to be able to take the appearance of any other hardwood. Bamboo has been in use the East for decades but thanks to its great environmental impacts, designers are turning towards it progressively. There are a lot of bamboo flooring manufacturers around the globe who are preparing the eye-appealing hardwood flooring made of bamboo. A lot of building projects are going on which use bamboo flooring. Example is bamboo flooring turnkey projects by Turnkey Project Agencies in Delhi. Bamboo floors are installed and implemented like any other hardwood floor. Planks and sheets can be either nailed to or stuck to the ground or can be placed over an existing floor. Parquet patterns can be created by snapping together planks of similar sizes and contrasting colors. References Canada Green Building Council. (2009). What is LEED? Canada Green Building Council. Retrieved January 23, 2009 from http://www.cagbc.org/leed/what/index.php Isover.com. (2008). What is sustainable construction? Toward Sustainable Buildings. Retrieved January 23, 2010 from http://www.isover.com/Our-commitment-to-sustainability/Toward-sustainable-buildings/What-is-sustainable-construction Milani, B. (2001, August 25). What is a green material? Building Materials in a Green Economy. Retrieved January 23, 2010 from http://www.greeneconomics.net/BuildMatEssay.html#Introduction Read More