Minimising Use of New

Resources
Indhuja I Khadhambari I Mariam

Natural Resources

Anatural resourceisanythingthatpeoplecanusewhichcomesfrom
nature.Examplesofnatural resourcesareair,water,wood,oil,wind
energy,iron,coal.

Why Should We
Conserve Natural
Resources?

Toensurethatourfuturegenerationswillbenefitbyhavingaccessto
thenaturalresourcesweconservetoday.
Toprotecthumanandenvironmentalhealth

Minimising new
Resources

In building construction the three main resources that we use are

Materials,EnergyandWater.
The simplest way to minimise the use of new resources is to
REDUCE REUSE AND RECYCLE theexistingresources.

 "Reduce" istodecreasethegenerationofwastebyusing
materialsefficientlyandwisely.
"Reuse" is to use the same items repeatedly as long as
theyareusable.
"Recycle" ,referstomaterialrecycling,istouseofnonreusableitemsasrawmaterials.

Reduce, Reuse
and Recycle

Why should we
minimise the
use of new
resources

Global Energy Use

Industry
Building Services
Building
Construction;
6% Other; 11% Industry; 9%
Transport;
23%
Other
Building Services; 51%

Transport
Building
Construction

ReduceenergyrequirementsthroughPassivedesign.
Designwiththenaturalenvironment:
Orient building to maximise or protect from solar gains depending on
requirements.
Orientbuildingtomakeuseofplantingandlandscapetoprotectitfromor
takeadvantageofprevailingwinds
Designthebuildingenvelopetomoderateinternaltemperatures
Considerusingthermalmasstomoderatedailytemperaturevariations.

Reducing
Energy
Demands

Providelobbiesandconservatoriesasbufferzones.
Providenaturalventilationandcooling.
Designthebuildingenvelopetominimiseelectrical
lightingneedsEncouragearesource-savinglifestyle:

Climate Responsive design in University of Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queenslan

Renewableenergywind,solar,geothermal,hydroelectric,andbiomass
providessubstantialbenefitsforourclimate,ourhealth,andour
economy
Advantages:
LittletoNoGlobalWarmingEmissions
ImprovedPublicHealthandEnvironmentalQuality

Use Of
Renewable
energy

AVastandInexhaustibleEnergySupply
Providesaffordableelectricityacrossthecountryandcanhelpstabilize
energypricesinthefuture.
AMoreReliableandResilientEnergySystem

Why should
we minimise
use of new
materials?

Source:TheHindu,IsChennaireadytorecycle
constructiondebris?

According to a report by the

CentralPollutionControlBoard,
over 25% of the solid waste
generated in India comes from
constructionwastealone.
PredictedC&DWastegenerated
in India 716 Million Tonnes
(2015)

Materials

REDUCE

REUSE

RECYCLE

Build only when really

necessary.
Buildsmall.
Design for effective use
ofmaterials.
Design for durability
and
for
reduced
maintenance

Reuseexisting
buildings.
Reuseexistingbuilding
components.
Userecycledmaterials.

Segregate timber, inert,

metal and soil waste
duringconstructionand
demolition and ensure
theirrecycling.

IndiasfirstlargescaleC&DrecyclingfacilityinBurari,NewDelhi.
InitiativebyNorthDelhiMunicipalCorporation.
The Burari Plant is able to recover and recycle about 95% of the C&D
wastegenerated.
Recycled concrete aggregates are used for making pavement blocks, kerb
stones,draincover,andothernonloadbearingprecastproducts.
Mixedconcreteandbrickbaseconvertedtoaggregatesformakingmortar
sandandconcreteblocks.

Why should we
conserve water?

Water

REDUCE

REUSE

RECYCLE

Use
composting
toilets.
Use of Low flow
fixtures.
Select plants with
low watering
requirements.
Install low or dual
flush WCs.
Install irrigation
systems, grouping
plants by their
water requirements
Install water
meters.
Educate users and
adopt a waterconscious approach

Install grey water

collection systems
from
basins,
showers and baths
to flush WCs or
water gardens.

Collect
rainwater
for gardening.
Install a rainwater
recycling system.

Consumption
(lpcd)

Reduced
Consumption
(lpcd)
(Savings Of 35%
using low flow
fixtures)

Human
Consumption

10

Bathing

Water Use

Fresh
water

Recycled
Water

10

10

55

39

39

30

19.5

Washing

30

19.5

19.5

CleaningOf
houses

10

Total

135

85

75

19.5

Flushing

Water Balance
Chart

Table1:Domesticwaterusein
IndianCities,CPHEEOStandards.
Table2:TotalwateruseinUK
(Butler,2000)

Reduced Consumption
(lpcd)

19.5

 Location:RajajiNagarMainRoad,Madipakkam,Chennai.
Architect:P.RaviAndMs.Nidhi
Plotarea:3,790sq.Ft.
CertificationLevel:PlatinumRated(IGBC)
ProjectDetails:

Case study
Viswa
Shyamalam
Residence,
Chennai.

ViswaSyamalam,Chennai,aprivateresidenceholdsaplatinumrating
byTheIndianGreenBuildingCouncil(IGBC).
Themainobjectiveoftheprojectwastoachievesustainabilitybymeans
of3RsREDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE.

REDUCE,REUSEandRECYCLEofMaterials
Duringconstruction,standardizationwasdonetoreducetheuseof
materials.
Remnantmaterialswerereused.

Case study
Viswa
Shyamalam
Residence,
Chennai.

Brokentileswereusedforterracecladding;
Woodenscaffoldingpolesreusedforgardening;
Paintcansaspailsandflowerpots.
Eco-friendlybuildingmaterialslikefly-ashbasedcementandblocks,
recycledsteel,reclaimedwood,bambooscreenswereused.
Certifiedwoodorrapidlyrenewableplantmaterials,recycledmetal,and
UPVCwindows(whichdonotrequireanypaintingandtermitetreatment
forlifetime)areused.Intheentirebuildingnoteakandnoimported
materialwasused.

Case study
Viswa
Shyamalam
Residence,
Chennai.

Packagingwoodisre-usedforcompoundwallgateandmakingfurniture.
Terracecladdingisdonewithbrokentileswhichnotonlyconserves
materialbutalsoreducestheheatingressintothebuilding.

Case study
Viswa
Shyamalam
Residence,
Chennai.

RECYCLE

WATERCONSERVATION

RENEWABLEENERGY:

Kitchenandgarden
refuse is converted into
manure andusedinthe
homegarden.
Recycling of wateris
doneusingseparate
pipelineslaidfortoilet
flushandthegreywater.
Greywateristreated
usingRoot Zone
filtration system,
(bacteriaandplants)treat
thewaterbelowthe
groundundernatural
conditions.

ViswaSyamalamdepends
entirelyonrainwater
collectedinits60x40
grosssitearea.
Watercollectedis
purifiedwithnecessary
filtrationandreusedonsite.
Dual plumbing recycles
waterfortoiletflushing
andhorticulture.This
non-sewageandgrey
waterutilization
minimizesthedemandon
thelocalaquifer.
Water conserving
fixtures suchasultra-low
flushtoiletsandlow-flow
tapandshowerheads
fittedwithaerators.

Solar water heaters are

used.
Footpedallampcum
batterycharger,solar
lantern&emergency
lamps,sunpipes,solar
cookersareusedtoa
largeextent.
Forlocal transport
bicyclesareusedandfor
familycommutinghybrid
carbeingusedand
predominantlyelectric
trainsandpublic
transportarereliedupon.
Nearly90%ofallthe
materialsourcedfor
ViswaSyamalamis
locally manufactured
andthusensuringthat
evenduringthe
constructiontheuseof
fossilfuelsisminimized.

 Visitors Centre at the site of the massacre of the MacDonald.

Gaia Architects considered the use of materials and focused
on the principle that the most effective way to reduce the
use of materials is to maximise the life of the building.
This aim was pursued by following the principle of building in
layers, a concept put forward by Stewart Brand in his book
How Buildings Learn.

Case Study
Glencoe
Visitors Centre
Scotland, UK

Brand promotes a layered construction where each layer is

designed to be as independent as possible, providing
both flexibility and the ability to upgrade or modify
the exposed layers.

 The theory of building in layers was carried out by designing the

structuralframe,theservicesandthefinishesasdistinctelementswith
minimalinterconnections.
A timber portal frame was chosen and designed to be structurally
independent from internal partitions thereby producing a flexible
internallayout.
Internal partitions could be repositioned without affecting the
structuralframe,thusfacilitatingfuturechangestotheinternallayout
anduse.
The external cladding and the internal finishes are two layers
independent of the main structural frame, which can be maintained,
upgradedandalteredwithoutaffectingtheframe.
To enable the various layers to be accessed, all fixings are generally
bolted or screwed and adhesives are avoided altogether. This enables
elementstoberemovedwithoutdamage.
The dismantled elements can then be reused elsewhere or, if reuse
is impossible, recycled.
In order to maximise the potential for recycling, materials were
specified without coatings or finishes where appropriate, and
composite materials were avoided. Timber was used rather than
chipboardandmill-finishedaluminiumratherthancoatedsteel.

Case Study
Glencoe
Visitors
Centre
Scotland, UK

Top:ViewofGlencoeVisitors
Centre
Left:The timber sections of the
coveredentranceareaarebolted
or screwed to facilitate their
dismantling.
Right:Timber floor showing the
cover strip screwed to the
subfloor
withexposedfixings.

Waste as a Resource

More production equals more waste, more waste creates environmental

concernsoftoxicthreat.
Recycling of waste construction materials saves natural resources, saves
energy, reduces solid waste, reduces air and water pollutants and reduces
greenhousegases.
Theconstructionindustrycanstartbeingawareofandtakeadvantageof
thebenefitsofusingwasteandrecycledmaterials.
Studieshaveinvestigatedtheuseofacceptablewaste,recycledandreusable
materialsandmethods.

WASTE AS A RESOURCE

Waste as a
Resource

MATERIALS USED

Materials Used

TireRubber
ReclaimedAsphaltPavement
RecycledConcreteAggregate
RoofingShingles
Glass
Plastic
Carpet
CementKilnDust
FoundrySand
SilicaFume
FlyAsh
Slag
SwineManure
AnimalFat
CitrusPeels
SewageSludgeisareusedinconstructionisbecoming
increasinglypopularduetotheshortageandincreasingcost
ofrawmaterials.

 Wholetireshavebeenusedinartificialreefs,breakwaters,dockbumpers,
soilerosioncontrolmatsandplaygroundequipment.
Severalstudieshaveshownthattirewastecanbesuccessfullyusedin
concrete,grassturf,asphaltmix,embankments,stonecladding,flowablefill
andclaycomposite.

Tire Rubber

 Crushed aggregate has been used as base course or granular base in highway
construction.
Its primary function is to increase the load capacity of the pavement and to
distributetheappliedloadtoavoiddamagetothesubgrade.

Recycled
Concrete
Aggregate

 Glassiscomposedofsilicaorsandandcontainssomeamountsoflimestone
andsodaashusedtoproduceuniformqualityandcolor.
AccordingtotheAssociationofCitiesandRegionsforRecycling(ACRR),
peoplearoundtheworldsend1.5milliontonsofglasstolandfillseachyear.
Glassthatendsupinthelandfillwontbreakdownforoveramillionyears.

Glass

Glassculletcreatesworkabilityproblemsinconcretemixandthelikelyhood
ofalkali-silicareaction.
Beneficialusesareinthesecondaryapplications,suchasinthemanufactureof
fiberglassinsulation,roadbedaggregate,drivingsafetyreflectivebeadsand
decorativetile.

 Usesofrecycledplasticintheconstructionindustryincludeplasticstripstoadd
to soil embankments, which has positive results of increasing the measured
strengthinreinforcementofsoils.
HMA mixture has a higher stability,reduced pavement deformation; increase
fatigue resistance and provide better adhesion between the asphalt and the
aggregate.

Plastic

Grindedpolyethylenetoprovidebettercoatingorattachedeasilytotheaggregate
asthesurfaceareaofthepolymerincreases.

CARPET
Oldcarpetisbeingrecycledandusedincompositelumber(bothdecking
andsheets),tilebackerboard,roofingshingles,railroadties,automotive
parts,carpetcushionandsteppingstones.

Carpets

 CKD (byproduct of manufacturing Portland cement)is fine grained, highly

alkaline waste, removed from the cement kiln exhaust gas by air pollution
controldevices.
Uses of CKD may include: soil stabilization, waste treatment, cement
replacementandasphaltpavement.

Cement Kiln
Dust

CKDisperfectassoilstabilizerimprovingsoilsstrengthandminimizingwork
and cost. CKD is a quality adsorbent and natural alkaline that makes it an
effective waste treatment. CKD added to asphalt binder produces low ductile
masticasphaltandprovidesstrippingresistanceforthepavement.

 FlyAsh(FA)istheby-productofcoalcombustioninpowergeneration.
These processes and application include, but are not limited to, cement and
concrete products, structural fill and cover material,roadway and pavement
utilization,infiltrationbarrierandundergroundvoidfilling.
It can be used as partial replacement of cement because of its beneficial
effects,such as, lower water demand for similar workability,reduced bleeding,
reducecrackingatearlyageandlowerrevolutionofheat.

Fly Ash

High-limeflyashhaspermittednormalreplacementsof25-40andupto75%
ofcementinconcretematerialsforparkinglots,drivewaysandroads.