The Concrete House
THE CONCRETE HOUSE: How green is concrete?
The challenge is part of an ongoing debate. Worldwide, concrete is the most widely-used construction material
with over ten billion tons produced annually. In the US, the dubious manufacturing process churns out over two tons
of concrete per person per year with a heavy CO2 burden – in total about 7% of global CO2 emissions come from
concrete production.
At the same time, the material possesses a unique structural efficiency and inherently green qualities like a
capacity to reduce recurring embodied energy, high solar thermal performance, low maintenance requirements and high
durability. Variations of concrete with high solar reflectance are considered for heat island mitigation, and with
no-offgassing, concrete is an interior finish that meets IAQ standards. Substituting Portland cement with fly ash,
using recycled aggregate and a locally fabricated supply can reduce concrete’s environmental impact.
In The Concrete House, curvilinear thermal mass on the southern exposure transfers constant temperatures to open
spaces on the north where folding doors allow natural ventilation and daylight. A green roof helps increase the
structure’s thermal performance and is central to on-site graywater recycling and rainwater harvesting. The water
can be stored in the precast concrete columns.
Intended for solar thermal hot water and solar photovoltaic power, the pavilion-like design creates an immediate
connection with the environment that carries through to energy and resource consumption. Based on an inexpensive,
widely available and easily applied material, The Concrete House can be assembled in less than a day.
Poulet and Harvey’s design puts concrete in its best light with a concept that highlights the energy laden
material’s role in green building. In a minimalist application such as The Concrete House it seems that concrete’s
greenness is not cemented in black or white but filled with innovative shades of gray.
Read more: THE CONCRETE HOUSE: How green is concrete? | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
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