GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS SYSTEM: PERFECT WAY TO ACHIEVE PARIS AGREEMENT OBJECTIVES

- Nikhil Kaitwade

Associate Vice President Market Research, Future Market Insights

With the rising negative climatic consequences and global warming, various nations are attempting to improve the global climate. The Paris Agreement is one such endeavour. The core goal of the Paris Agreement is to improve the world's response towards climate change by maintaining the global temperature rise in this century below 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, and also to pursue measures to restrict the temperature rise even lower to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the agreement intends to strengthen nations' capability to cope with the effects of climate change, as well as to align financing flows with low GHG emissions as well as a climate-resilient path.

To meet this temperature target, various countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, hope to reduce global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) as early as possible, while acknowledging that this reduction will take more time for developing countries' parties, to strike a balance between removals by sinks of GHGs and anthropogenic emissions by sources in the second half of this century.

One of the significant impacts of climate change is being caused by the building and construction industry globally. The carbon impact of traditional construction is tremendous and terrible. Additionally, 650 million tonnes of building and demolition garbage were produced in the United States alone in 2019, more than twice as much as the nation's municipal solid waste. It is expected that by 2025, construction waste is projected to increase to 2.25 billion tonnes annually.

Furthermore, using conventional building methods result in new issues. Deforestation and the destruction of forests occur when wood is extracted from them for building materials in an unsustainable way. This technique deprives trees of their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, which in turn increases the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and accelerates global warming. To combat this issue, various nations have shifted from traditional building materials to green building materials for sustainable development to alter climatic changes. According to Future Market Insights, an ESOMAR-certified market intelligence firm, the global market for green building materials systems is anticipated to grow at a strong CAGR of 11.8%, reaching US$ 823 billion by 2032. The strong demand for green construction materials is attributed to their low maintenance and operating costs as well as environmental caps and laws globally.

In this blog, we will discuss what is hempcrete and how hemp can help in lowering the carbon footprint; the use of green materials for the construction of a 'zero-carbon' neighborhood in Paris and similar projects that are aimed at achieving goals of the Paris agreement; and, lastly, examples of sustainable urban development models in the UK and France.

Hempcrete - the secret material used for green building housings

Hempcrete, also known as hemplime, is a biocomposite material made of hemp hurds in a combination with sand, lime, or pozzolans that is used in construction as well as insulation. Natural construction materials like hempcrete have earned a devoted following amongst green builders and can be seen in residences from Cape Town, South Africa, Asheville, North Carolina, and Cambridgeshire, England. Sustainable building materials like that of hempcrete are ready for a far larger breakthrough in the United States with the federal government vowing to renovate and build millions of houses to combat the climate catastrophe.

For the various nations to aid the Paris Agreement, hempcrete is an ideal green building material for sustainable constructions globally. While ordinary concrete as well as the cement binder account for 9% of the yearly carbon footprint in the construction sector, hempcrete does the opposite: this can trap carbon dioxide generation. A block of hempcrete obtained 'a carbon capture of 307.36 kg of carbon dioxide per cubic meters of LHC' after 28 days of life. After being combined, hemp with lime effectively absorbs carbon, compensating for emissions from other building materials. In addition, cultivating hemp helps to purify the air by removing carbon dioxide. At the same time, its insulating, as well as absorbent qualities make it excellent for use in the walls - it surpasses several commonly used materials. By using hempcrete as an insulator in the building walls, the demand for the air conditioners along with other energy-intensive heating/cooling systems can be effectively eliminated, making hempcrete an interesting sustainable material currently available and consequently reducing the GHG emissions too.

Various projects are being constructed globally using this new green building material. For example, in the 18th Arrondissement of Paris, a new structure designed by the French architectural company Barrault Pressacco has 15 social housing flats as well as two ground-floor businesses. Since the walls of the wood-framed structure are made of hempcrete rather than concrete, it already complies with recently implemented government standards addressing the sustainability of the new public building projects. Within the frame, layers of hempcrete are sprayed on before being completed with an inner lime rendering.

Also, after the 2018 Farm Bill Act in the US, hemp construction materials were formally authorized in the US residential building code in September 2022 by the International Code Council (ICC). Hempcrete was thought to provide a long-lasting fiber-insulating wall assembly that is fire-resistant, carbon-sequestering, and insect- and mold-resistant. Hempcrete is a great zero-carbon green construction material that can reduce the carbon footprint of the US construction industry since hemp accumulates carbon in a structure's walls; thus achieving the aim of the Paris Agreement.

Green Materials to be used for the first 'Zero-Carbon' neighborhood

With the worsening climatic conditions, various cities have sought to build up carbon-negative and carbon-neutral constructions. For instance, the construction of Paris' first 'zero-carbon' neighborhood is about to begin. When a neighborhood development is described as being 'zero-carbon', it signifies that the quantity of carbon it emits during construction is equal to the amount of carbon it will eliminate or absorb from the environment, offsetting its formation (this is what advancements in the UK would refer to as being 'net-zero'). There is a concentrated effort to use materials to reach the net-zero goal rather than leaning heavily on merely covering the buildings with greenery, which can potentially veer into green washing.

Such projects are focussed on interchanging traditional building materials with that of the green building material system. All of the facades, barring the glass, will be made of natural elements from the Île-de-France area, such as terracotta bricks, hemp, and unprocessed soil. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) as well as French-origin stone will be used to construct 80% of all building superstructures instead of metal or concrete. This is in line with a growing trend of mass wood being used in construction because of its capacity to store carbon. The promise made by France to use at least 50% wood or bio-based elements in the building of all new government buildings by the state by 2022 is reflected in the use of timber on ever bigger sizes, especially for the aquatics center for the impending Paris 2024 Olympics. Such developments are sure to take the country towards achieving the goals of the Paris agreement.

One of the most stunning instances of green architecture in Asia, the Arthaland Century Pacific Tower by SOM was inspired by Typhoon Yolanda and the global warming catastrophe. The superstructure as well as the substructure of the building are primarily made of concrete, except for a few accents of wood in the interior fit-out. The building's floor and roof were created by Megawide using in-situ strengthened concrete slabs, while the interior walls were built using medium-weight hollow concrete blocks.

An increasing number of sustainable urban development models

Now and again, a green building offers a glimpse of a low-carbon future that so many environmental plans predict. For instance, the city of Paris has developed a ground-breaking eco-village full of similar structures with the creation of Clichy-Batignolles. The extensive reconstruction project, which started in 2002, is currently roughly 80% done and was expected to be completed in 2022.

One of the first cities in the world to establish a climate change action plan, Paris set emissions reduction targets for greenhouse gasses that went beyond and above those set forth by the European Union. Clichy-Batignolles aspires to provide concrete proof of the city's commitment to decreasing its carbon footprint and as an experimental laboratory for examining what is feasible in climate-sensitive rebuilding by utilizing almost all of the green builders' toolset. Paris has shown the potential of several current methods to create carbon-neutral cities with Clichy-Batignolles. The city has given other towns across the world a functioning example of a low-carbon society by utilizing so many green building materials system technology in one location.

On the other hand, the UK, too, has some magnificent green buildings and is hence promoting the trend more to achieve the Paris agreement goals. For instance, the National Trust HQ works out of one of the UK's greenest workplaces. Due in significant part to an array of solar panels on the roof, that provide 30% of the building's yearly power needs, carbon dioxide emissions are 65% lower than those of comparable developments. The entire structure was constructed with eco-friendly materials, including water-based paints as well as PVC-free linoleum. The building's rugs, which were manufactured from wool from the Trust's herds of Herdwick sheep, and the air snouts on the rooftop, which were built from recycled beer cans, are just two examples of the clever ideas here.

Conclusion

With the increasing climate change all across the globe, various nations globally, are taking up some serious steps towards containing the pollution and severe climate changes throughout the nation. Following the Paris agreement, these nations are aimed at green and sustainable buildings to lower the carbon footprint of the construction industry. Green materials have been proven to have almost negligible climatic impacts and lesser GHG emissions too. This is why various new sustainable building projects are taking place throughout the world.

Apart from the above-mentioned materials, there are some more significant green building materials being used in the construction sector. Cork grows rapidly and emits almost little carbon, much like bamboo. Even after being sustained under pressure, the cork remains durable, and flexible, and returns to its former shape. It is frequently used as a component in floor tiles due to its durability and toughness. Additionally, it is ideal for insulating sheets as well as subflooring due to its superior shock absorption capabilities. It also does a fantastic job of absorbing sound. It is also fire resistant, particularly if left untreated and hence does not emit harmful gasses as it burns, making it a useful thermal insulator. Cork does not absorb moisture or decay since it is almost impermeable.

Another is sheep's wool, which is an excellent substitute for insulation made of toxic chemicals. It requires less energy to manufacture as well as insulate the buildings just as well as traditional insulation. Sheep's wool helps soundproof the building and improve energy efficiency. It is more common, easier to collect, regenerates rapidly, and does not affect the environment when compared to certain other insulation materials like hay and cotton.

As technology advances, the properties of these green building materials will get enhanced too, which in turn would help to lower the emissions and cause lesser harm to the climate henceforth. With such expectations, the world can be positive toward achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2050.

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