Eco House- A design guide by Sue Roaf

Measuring the environmental impact of building materials

When choosing materials, several factors have to be considered, and it is unlikely that absolute rules can be given for all situations.
     *energy required to produce material;
     *CO2 emissions resulting from the material's manufacture;
     *impact on local environment resulting from the extration of the material
     *toxicity of the material
     *transportation of the material at the end of its useful life

Factors affected by material choice and design decisions include
     *location and detailing of an architectural element;
     *maintenance required and the materials necessary for that maintenance;
     *contribution that the material makes to reducing the building's environmental impact (e.g insulation)
     *flexibility of  a design to accommodate changing uses over time;
     *lifetime of the material and its potential for reuse if the building is demolished

The following headings for comparing the environmental impact of materials, used in the Green Building Handbook (Woolley et al., 1997)
     *Environmental impact owing to production:
          *energy use;
          *resource depletion
          *global warming
          *acid rain;
          *toxins
      *Environmental impact owing to use
          *potential for reuse
          *health hazard