This article explores the potential of innovative building materials like Renco and cross-laminated timber (CLT) to address the construction industry's significant environmental impact. It highlights the challenges posed by traditional construction methods and introduces Renco, a composite material made from recycled materials, as a lighter, greener alternative to concrete and steel. The article also examines the use of CLT in sustainable building projects, emphasizing its renewability and low embodied carbon. It showcases examples of both Renco and CLT in action, demonstrating their potential to create eco-friendly and resilient buildings.
The construction industry is 'by far' the largest emitter of greenhouse gases of any sector, according to the U.N. Builders and designers are attempting to tackle climate change using new products, tools that measure carbon emissions and by using natural materials such as wood. 'The better that other industries become at reducing their carbon burden, then the more exposed construction will become as an outlier,' according to one industry expert.
The problem of stolen manhole covers in Turkey might seem an unlikely starting point for a new way for buildings to withstand earthquakes and tackle the construction industry's environmental issues, but when a Turkish businessman heard about a new material that prevented the thefts, it sparked an idea. Cast iron is traditionally used to make the manhole covers that protect drainage systems. But back in 2010, a spate of thefts of the covers for scrap metal in Turkey meant that an alternative, with equally strong material needed to be used to secure them. And when Engin Yesil read about this super-strong composite in news reports, he wondered whether it could be used to construct buildings that were able to withstand earthquakes — Yesil began manufacturing the composite, known as Renco (short for 'renewable composite') consisting of up to 40% repurposed materials including resin and fiberglass. Since 2011 more than 200 buildings in Turkey have been built using Renco blocks, which fit together like Lego bricks and are secured with glue. Yesil wondered whether Renco had potential in the U.S., and after more than a decade of research and testing, Renco was used to build an apartment complex in Palm Springs in 2023. Renco claims to be greener than other building materials. The construction sector is 'by far' the largest emitter of greenhouse gases of any sector, Renco weighs about 80% less than concrete, meaning more of it can be transported per truck, and also has 82% less embodied carbon than structural steel, according to a report by the Renco is also 100% recyclable, according to Patrick Murphy, managing director of Renco USA. He said the new composite marks a step-change in building materials. 'In construction, there's basically three ways to build, right? You have concrete, steel and wood, and that's basically been the same thing for 100 years … so this is really the fourth way to build that's been approved,' he told CNBC by video call. This year, Renco will begin manufacturing in the U.S. for the first time, with a Florida factory opening in the coming weeks that can produce enough building blocks for around 9,000 average-sized apartments. As with other materials used in construction, Renco isn't without an environmental impact, with blocks currently shipped from Turkey to the U.S. while the Florida factory is being completed. And, while Renco's Turkish manufacturing plant is powered by renewable energy, Renco isn't the only company aiming to build more sustainably. On the other side of the Atlantic, a British firm is designing buildings using a well-known material — wood. Architecture firm Waugh Thistleton designed its first building made from cross-laminated timber, or CLT, in 2001 and has since built around 30 in the U.K., Europe and the U.S. It uses products certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council, or equivalent, meaning the wood has to come from forests that are managed in ways that meet a number of internationally-agreed standards. the construction industry to shift to bio-based building materials such as sustainably sourced timber and bricks to decarbonize the built environment. The Black & White Building in London's Hackney area is the city's tallest 'mass timber' office building, with six stories. Designed by architect Waugh Thistleton, its embodied carbon is a third lower than similar buildings.'The idea that we can build from replenishable materials has become something that has become increasingly important to us,' said Andrew Waugh, Waugh Thistleton founder and director. 'And then the more you do it, the more you realize that there are health and wellbeing benefits to that, that actually people are much happier and healthier surrounded by natural materials than they are surrounded by polystyrene ceiling tiles and … drywall ,' Waugh told CNBC by video call. But the U.K. has been slow to adopt wood as a building material, something that is 'frustrating' to Waugh. Around 60% of the waste produced in the U.K. comes from the construction industry, according to building with wood produces little on-site waste. Again, building with wood is not without its environmental concerns: the timber used in Waugh Thistleton's projects is often transported from Europe.In the coastal independent state of Monaco, known as a playground for the rich due to its low taxes, a newly-built 'eco neighborhood' known as Mareterra has put sustainability at its hear
Sustainable Construction Renco Blocks Cross-Laminated Timber CLT Eco-Friendly Buildings Environmental Impact Construction Industry
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