Goldholme Stone’s Lincolnshire limestone is ranked at No. 1 for six of the eight environmental impacts assessed, and No. 2 for the remaining two. And with an overall score of just 42, it achieves the lowest environmental impact score of the six, commonly specified building materials in the study. The next best material, clay brick, scores 91 while third ranked reconstituted stone scores 141.
The study, ‘A Comparison of the Environmental Impact of Various Building Materials’, (researched and compiled by environmental assessment consultant Hughes Craven [formerly Halletec Associates]), compares five construction materials to Goldholme Stone’s Lincolnshire limestone. Clay Brick, Reconstituted Stone, Timber Cladding, Glass/Steel and Plastic Cladding were assessed and ranked alongside the limestone for the following environmental impacts:-
Energy in manufacture Pollutants emitted Waste in production Impact of processing plant Life of product Maintenance in service Carbon dioxide footprint Recycling potential
The results give assurance to a growing number of environmentally conscious architects like Hamiltons and supports their decision to use English limestone for both aesthetic and sustainability reasons. Hamiltons director Craig Casci said they chose it “Because it is a UK stone and it was greatly liked by Westminster Planning Department and a more interesting alternative to Portland, with warmer tones, especially when wet. We also specify loadbearing stone and the strength and hardness met the specification.”
The stone was fixed by London stone contractor Stonewest and Mr. Casci noted that the finished building “has generated a great amount of interest from both press and public.”
Phil Kerry, Managing Director of Goldholme Stone commented, “We’re pleased the environmental impact of building materials has become an important issue for the construction industry. Locally-sourced materials are often the best option when sustainability is an important design factor.”
The full study can be downloaded from Goldholme Stone’s website at http://www.goldholme.com/impact.htm
By: Alan Gayle
Posts Tagged ‘Construction Materials’
Environmentally sensitive English limestone used for luxury apartments in Montrose Place, London
December 20th, 2009Waste Management and Recycling
October 28th, 2009Concern over our environment has seen a massive increase in recycling globally which has grown to be an important part of modern civilization. As a society we manage to produce a vast amount of materials that are just thrown away, waste management is the collection of these materials in order to recycle them and as a result decrease their effects on our health, our surroundings and the environment. Practices in waste management are different the world over, dependant on certain issues such as how developed the nation is, if it is a city or rural area and so on. The management of waste is not only the responsibility of governments and the manufacturer, but also an individual’s duty. Waste management is an issue that has to be dealt with daily in order to control the huge amounts of waste currently passing through our towns and cities.
Australia is one such country that is giving attention and priority to how it handles its waste, and this has resulted in the emergence of companies offering environmental services for resource recovery and recycling. To reduce the impacts of waste and unwanted resources on the environment it is important to educate the populace about waste items and how they can be processed or recycled.
There are several resource recovery systems in place and facilities that have been developed to deal with these issues. Natural recovery systems make use of of food, organic and green waste and are then dealt with in in-vessel compost systems, whilst materials collected for recycling include glass, plastic bags, metals and paper. Automated and manual methods are used to sort materials from construction sites, such as brick, tiles and concrete and after being sorted are re-used for road base and construction materials. E-waste (electronic waste) comes from items such as old computers which are taken apart in order to recover materials like cabling, aluminium, copper, glass and plastics. Bioreactor landfills are deployed to generate green energy through the capturing of biogas from municipal waste. There is also help provided for councils to award innovative technologies which can be used to recover recyclables.
We can all help out when it comes to waste management and recycling in Australia. It may not seem effective to recycle products as a household, but put all those households together and you will produce a result. It is each person’s responsibility to do what they can to conserve resources, reduce landfill volumes and produce new materials using less energy. Some cities in developed nations keep a record of their resource recovery systems in order to identify if they are working effectively, evaluate them and update them if necessary, this information can then be passed onto other areas or nations to help them in the recycle challenge. Deciding to recycle is a simple step and surprisingly easy to start. If you are unsure where to begin there are lots of resources, including the local environmental sector, who will be eager to teach you how to recycle your leftover waste and check on the internet too for information.
By: Michiel Van Kets
