Do you know what your home is built of?

Written By You Tell Me Collective
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Do you know what your home is built of? - With more durable and simpler materials towards a new future in construction

Today’s construction uses hundreds, even thousands of materials that can be harmful to humans and the environment. What is the effect of these materials? Why do we build like this?

We have a misconception about what is good construction. New homes are rising in growth centres at an accelerating pace and it is widely thought that “quantity replaces quality.” Founder contractors have no interest in building high quality housing or developing ecologically sustainable and long-lasting building materials, as everything current “is selling well.”

Today, construction is driven by efficiency thinking, in which the most cost-effective solutions are selected from materials that meet regulations but can have a noticeably short service life. The designed service life of a concrete frame commonly used in construction is 50 years: this means that 95% of structures will last at least 50 years and half of them almost 150 years (Punkki, 2017, p. 66). However, apart from the body, the service life of other materials may be significantly shorter. For example, building technology, the outer parts of the external walls, wall coverings, windows and fixed furniture may be designed for only 10 or only 25 years (Ranta-aho, 2019, p. 40). A complete renovation of a building during the renovation phase - except for the frame - takes a lot of effort and cost, which in turn does not provide an incentive to renovate the buildings. “Disposable construction” has also become an economically attractive option - construction, like the demolition of buildings, is good business.

In addition, there is no precise information on the substances contained in building materials. For example, the European Chemicals Agency Echa says that it does not know the exact composition of any concrete admixture, as their use has not been restricted or controlled. Today, almost all concrete material contains additives (Pulkkinen, 2013, pp. 12-13). If the substances and chemicals contained in building materials have not been comprehensively documented and the building components have not been designed for re-use, there is a risk that the materials will end up as unsorted construction waste during the demolition phase. In addition, materials that are currently banned in new construction may have been used in future buildings. For example, harmful PCBs were used in concrete, sealants, and adhesives until the 1980s (Pulkkinen, 2016. p. 23). In the current “demolition boom”, demolition may be justified by the circular economy (which is a good goal in itself), but can we be sure that the materials that end up in recycling do not contain harmful substances?

In the past, buildings were built of natural materials, allowing them to be recycled or reused if the building was demolished. For example, solid wall bricks could be used in another building. Today, for example, concrete can be difficult to be reused as such. For example, it is not known exactly how concrete admixtures dissolve in the environment during the reuse phase. (Pulkkinen, 2013). In addition, adhesives, solvents, paints, and other compounds containing harmful substances are used in almost all construction. However, the exact long-term effects of these substances on human health or the environment are not known (Löfroos, 2018). Even the harmful health effects of asbestos were not initially known.

 

The current construction method does not encourage repair, and this is not sustainable in terms of climate or material consumption

The materials used in construction should be durable, healthy, and recyclable. Repair should be a natural, easy, and economical option. Simpler, mono-constituent materials can be easily reused and recycled. We simply cannot afford to continue the current way of building if we are serious about halting climate change and keeping our planet habitable for future generations. We already have the knowledge and know-how, we need only political will and courage to invest in a more sustainable future. Now is the time to act - what kind of future do you want to see? You Tell Me.

Sources:

You Tell Me Collective
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