Awareness towards Efficiency of Green and Conventional Building Materials used in Pakistan
Efficiency of Green and Conventional Building Materials
Keywords:
Green Buildings, Green Materials, Sustainability, Conventional, Efficiency.Abstract
All over the world; including Pakistan, there is a great deal of emphasis being placed on the need for ‘green’ structures which are efficient with minimum negative impact during construction as well as during their lifecycle, and have a positive impact on climate and surrounding environment. This study reveals an effort to investigate the efficiency of green building materials available in local markets. It also aims to analyze the awareness levels of different people with respect to green building materials. A comparison of cost of green and conventional building materials is given, the materials are delimited only to wall and ceiling. An analysis of a house constructed using green building materials is also part of the study. The study uses mixed method research; a questionnaire is used for testing the awareness level of people. Results conclude that architects know the benefits of green building materials but contractors and building residents must be guided about advantages of materials. Materials like a green roof, insulation, low Emissivity (E) windows and low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints are more energy efficient than conventional ones. Cool brick and fly ash brick are discussed as upcoming green materials in Pakistan. The study shows that going green costs more than conventional materials but there are long term benefits for the society at large, thereby giving them the incentive to adopt green building materials. The study opens the new horizon in front of scholars to give way to the professionals and laypersons to opt for green building materials.
References
Churchill, W. A British politician, A speech in the house of commons on 28 October (1944).
Roodman, D.M. & N.A. Lenssen. Building Revolution: How ecology and health concerns are transforming construction, Worldwatch Paper 124.Washington, D.C.: Worldwatch Institute, March (1995).
Milani, B. Designing the green economy: The postindustrial alternative to corporate globalization. Rowman & Littlefield, USA. ISBN 13: 978-0847691906. (2000).
Ji, Y., & S. Plainiotis. Design for sustainability.Beijing: China Architecture and Building Press. ISBN 7-112-08390-7. (2006).
Ali, M. Z. Challenges and Opportunities of Green Building in Pakistan (Doctoral dissertation). (2013).
Spiegel, R. & D. Meadows. Green building materials: a guide to product selection and specification.(1999).
United States Green Building Council (USGBC) https://new.usgbc.org/ Retrieved on 10th Sep. 2019.
Zhang, Y., H. Wang. W. Gao. F. Wang. N. Zhou. D.M. Kammen. & X. Ying. A Survey of the Status and Challenges of Green Building Development in Various Countries. Sustainability, 11(19), 5385.(2019).
Hwang, B. G. & J.S. Tan, Green building project management: obstacles and solutions for sustainable development. Sustainable development, 20(5), 335-349 (2012).
Goel, A., L.S. Ganesh. & A. Kaur. Deductive content analysis of research on sustainable construction in India: current progress and future directions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 226, 142-158. (2019).
Tariq, I., & M.A. Khan. An experimentation study to investigate the effect of green roof construction on indoor temperature in local climatic conditions. Sci.Int.(Lahore), 28(4),3755-3758, ISSN 1013-5316; CODEN: SINTE 8 3755 (2016).
Pakistan Green Building Council (PGBC), https://pakistangbc.org/ Retrieved on 10th Aug. 2019.
Rabin, E. Article on “Ask the Green Architect: Top Ten Green Building Questions” https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2005/09/15/ask-green-architecttop-ten-green-building-questions. (2005).
Vandermeulen, V., A. Verspecht, B. Vermeire, G.Van Huylenbroeck. & X. Gellynck. The use of economic valuation to create public support for green infrastructure investments in urban areas. Landscape and Urban Planning, Vol. 103, No. 2, pp 198-206 (2011).
Sproul, J., M.P. Wan, B.H. Mandel. & A.H. Rosenfeld. Economic comparison of white, green, and black flat roofs in the United States. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 71, pp 20-27 (2014).
Saadatian, O., K. Sopian, E. Salleh, C.H. Lim, S. Riffat, E. Saadatian. & M.Y. Sulaiman. A review of energy aspects of green roofs. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 23, pp 155-168, DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2013.02.022 (2013).
Mohammed, R. & Z.H. Alibaba, Affordable green roof system for middle income households. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp 366-373 (2016).
Parizotto, S. & Lamberts, R. Investigation of green roof thermal performance in temperate climate: A case study of an experimental building in Florianopolis city, Southern Brazil. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 43, No.7, pp 1712-1722 (2011).
Al-Homoud, M. S. Performance characteristics and practical applications of common building thermal insulation materials. Building and environment, Vol.40, No. 3, pp 353-366 (2005).
ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers https://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/ASHRAE Retrieved on 14th July 2019.
Window types and technologies, https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/window-types-andtechnologies Retrieved on 15th Sep. 2019.
Brettner, T., R. Kuropka. & H. Petri. Recipe developments of low VOC interior paints. FATIPEC Congress, 24, A-259 – A-267 (1998).
Buday, M., F. Cater, S. Foulkes, N.S.O. Prakash. & D. Wilson, Sherwin Williams: Splashing into the low VOC paint market. GlobaLens, a division of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. Case 1-428-993. 1 – 16 (2010).
3D-printed 'cool brick' may provide cooling solution for arid locations https://www.bdcnetwork.com/3dprinted-cool-brick-may-provide-cooling-solutionarid-locations Retrieved on 13th June (2019).
Bhanumathidas, N. & N. Kalida. Fly ash for Sustainable Development; Ark Communications.(2002).
Trust Business Solutions (TBS) Pvt Limited, Lahore https://www.tbs.com Retrieved on 23rd June (2015).
