Briefing of Building material

Construction materials are materials used in construction. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, rock, sand, wood, and even twigs and leaves, are used to construct buildings.In addition to naturally occurring materials, there are many man-made products in use, some more synthetic, some less so.The manufacture of building materials is a well-established industry in many countries and the use of these materials is often grouped into specific specialist trades such as carpentry, insulation, plumbing and roofing.They form habitats and structures including houses.

Total cost of building materials

Building materials have historically trended from natural to man-made and composite; biodegradable to non-perishable; local (local) to global transport; repairable to disposable; it was chosen for increased fire safety levels and improved earthquake resistance.These trends tend to increase the initial and long-term economic, ecological, energy and social costs of building materials.

Economic costs

The initial economic cost of building materials is the purchase price.This often drives the decision on what material to use.Sometimes people look at the energy efficiency or durability of a material and see the value in paying a higher initial cost in exchange for a lower lifecycle cost.For example, asphalt shingle roofs cost less to install than metal roofs, but metal roofs last longer and therefore have lower annual life cycle costs.Some materials may require more attention than others, and the specific cost of maintaining certain materials may also affect the final decision.The risk when considering the life cycle cost of a material is whether the building is damaged by things like fire or wind, or whether the material is as durable as advertised.Material cost should be taken into consideration, taking the risk to purchase flammable materials to prolong the service life. As the saying goes, "you must do it, you must do it".

Ecological costs

Pollution costs can be macro or micro. Macro-environmental pollution from the extraction industries on which construction materials such as mining, oil, and logging depend creates environmental damage at source and during raw material transport, manufacturing, product transport, retail, and installation.An example of a microscopic aspect of pollution is the exhaust of construction materials in buildings or indoor air pollution.Red List building materials are materials that have been found to be hazardous.There is also the carbon footprint, which is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced during the life cycle of a material.Life cycle analysis also includes the reuse, recycling or disposal of construction waste.Two concepts that account for ecological economics of building materials in construction are green building and sustainable development.

Energy costs

Initial energy costs include the amount of energy used to produce, transport and install materials.Long-term energy costs refer to the economic, ecological and social costs of continuously producing energy and delivering it to buildings for their use, maintenance and eventual demolition.The initial embodied energy of a structure is the energy expended in extracting, fabricating, delivering, and installing materials.LIFE continues to grow as building materials themselves are used, maintained and reused/recycled/disposaled, and how materials and design can help minimize a structure's lifecycle energy consumption.

Social cost

The social cost is the injury and health of those who produce and transport the materials, and if there are problems with the building biology, the potential health problems of building occupants.Globalization has had a major impact on people in terms of jobs, skills and self-sufficiency, when manufacturing facilities close, and the cultural aspects of opening new facilities.Fair trade and labor rights aspects are the social costs of global building material manufacturing.