New materials for green buildings

The role of chemistry in projecting new buildings is imporatant, because new materials with better thermal properties for example have to be used. One of the problems of an efficient house is its capacity to be insulated to avoid dispersion of energy in the external environment and to minimize the use of energy. We need to use less energy and to use it in a more efficient way. New materials that are able to do a thermal insulation and that are made by recycled materials are a good options to build up green houses. In the last years, in the market there are materials made with around 85% of cellulose fibers from recycled newspapers, around 15% of boric acid, used as flame retardant. These materials are used for insulations of walls. There is a big work to do in finding new materials, may be with better thermal properties. You can find several informations about this concept by visiting this website on cellulose materials for building or this italian website about ecomaterials.

Building green: a sustainable way to the future!

Houses and buildings are responsible of a big consumption of electricity and emission of carbon dioxide all over the world. In the USA buildings and houses use around 70% of the electricity produced. Buildings require 40% of resources of our planet and they are planned to be not really efficient. In the last years a new idea of projecting houses, industries and commercial buildings grew up, based on sustainable priciples. Green buildings are constructed by using recycled materials, by avoiding dissipation of energy and with the possibility to become center of renewable energy production (through solar cells or photovoltaic plants). Reuse of water and ecological water treatment aid to preserve water resources and to plan a better future. In this scenario, the role of the materials scientist is really important, expecially in the study and choice of the materials to be used in the green buildings. There are all over the world agencies that work to give energetic certificates for green building like Casa Clima in Italy and USGBC in USA. The request of energetic certificates grew up in the last years all over the world and this helps us in reducing the emission of carbon dioxide and in managing in a better way our planet resources.