Major Tips To Create The Right Foundation For A Sustainable Building

Are you considering buying an eco-friendly home? You aren’t alone.

More people are investing in eco-friendly buildings than ever these days. Therefore, it should be not be surprising to hear that the market for eco-friendly buildings was worth $550 billion in 2021.

The most obvious reason is that they want to lower their carbon footprint and slow the progression of global warming. Green Matters reports that many people are moving to “eco-villages” where all the residents are focused on sustainability. However, there are other benefits of living in an environmentally friendly building as well. Eco-friendly buildings can significantly improve our mood because they tend to foster more holistic environments. Our environment affects us both physically and psychologically. A growing body of research indicates that people are happier and healthier when they are in environments that are more natural. This is one of the reasons that more people are using living walls, floors that are made from materials that have earthy textures and are using more plants as decorations.         

A good foundation is crucial if you want to live in a safe and secure home. Your foundation will provide stability for the structure of your home. There are many different types of materials that you can use for the foundation of your building, but some are better for the planet than others. Plastic has become very popular for laying foundations in recent years, although most foundations are made with materials like concrete.

While materials like concrete are very popular, they are not always very good for the planet. However, there are some exceptions, as we will discuss below. It is important to be aware of the different types of materials that can help make your building eco-friendly.

Always Use Eco-Friendly Materials To Make Your Foundation

The materials used in a building’s foundation will have a huge impact on its carbon footprint. Many buildings have a large carbon footprint because they have concrete foundations, which can be a heat sink due to their porous structure and require a lot of energy-intensive processes to pour and transport. 

The problem with these foundations is that they lead to higher levels of energy loss. Energy loss can be significant in homes, but it will be many times worse in commercial buildings. Unfortunately, many contractors don’t take energy efficiency into consideration when creating a foundation, which ends up making the property less eco-friendly. New foundation construction techniques and green materials can help make homes eco-friendlier.

It is also important to make sure that the foundation materials are added properly. You may want to use an automatic filling system. This system can pour and mix materials in an energy efficient and cost-effective manner, which will be good for both your wallet and the planet.

What are the most eco-friendly materials to make a foundation?

We talked about some of the great materials that can be used for making an eco-friendly building, but not all of them are strong enough for the foundation. Here are some of the best materials to use to make an eco-friendly building foundation.

Certain types of plastic polymers

You may be surprised to hear that plastic materials can be used to make building foundations. However, Dr. Tom Nosker, a professor from Rutgers University, reports that they will likely become even more popular than wood and concrete in the near future. Plastic can be very durable. Plastic that would otherwise end up in our landfills can be recycled to make a good foundation.

There are other environmental benefits of using plastic to make your foundation. Plastics offer innovative possibilities like Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs). SIPs, made with expanded or extruded polystyrene foam core, laminated to high-strength oriented strand board, can save homeowners hundreds of dollars on energy bills. SIPs create a tighter building envelope, reducing the size of heating and cooling equipment. Using SIPs can cut energy costs by up to 50%.

Stone

Stone is a very strong foundation material. It is also a lot more eco-friendly than concrete and many other foundations. Stone doesn’t have any harmful chemicals or toxic elements that will bleed into the environment or harm the people living in your home. Stone is also very low maintenance.

Cob

Cobb is a mixture of various natural ingredients, including straw, soil, and sand. Some carb mixtures also include lime.

Cobb is very energy efficient. In addition, it costs 90% less to construct a home made out of it than that of traditional building materials. The only major downside is that homes made out of cob tend to have more issues with mold, which means that it is necessary to monitor humidity levels carefully.

Make your building equal and friendlier with the Right Materials for your foundation

If you are serious about creating an eco-friendly building, then you need to make sure every part of it is designed with this objective in mind. This means that you need to make it a priority to use eco-friendly materials to build your foundation. Some of the materials listed above can help you make your building an eco-friendly paradise.

To enhance our connection with nature, we should create a supportive environment for our inner and outer senses. Architecture can embody principles of universal harmony to sustain us and make our homes and workplaces havens that support our creativity.

Therefore, you should always follow the right practices when building an eco-friendly home. This means that you can’t ignore the importance of treating the right foundation.