A methodology for environmentally-aware materials selection in construction

The 20th century has witnessed the development of a huge range of materials for engineering and construction, during which time the Earth’s population has increased by between 3 and 4 times. There has been a corresponding increase in economic activity, and the global construction industry is now very large, and is a massive consumer of materials and energy. The environmental impact of all these activities has become a matter of major concern, and, as a consequence, we are exhorted to be more economical with materials and energy. Construction is no exception and it needs to be more efficient and environmentally aware, as well as more economical in its selection and use of materials. This is not a simple problem. Environmentalists and ecologists have proposed a number of criteria for assessing the impacts of materials use, and engineers have devised rational methods for materials selection on the basis of their physical and mechanical properties. This paper reviews one of these selection methods and some of the environmental criteria, and examines the problem of incorporating environmental parameters into the selection method. It is concluded that environmental criteria can be built into a rational selection method.