The future of home design isn't something that we have to wonder about anymore. Customers are loud and clear about wanting to have more sustainable products built into their homes, lowering their carbon footprint in the place where they live. Unfortunately, many don't know what they want beyond the word 'sustainable.'
These are some of the most innovative and sustainable building materials anyone can work with these days! Each of these is long-lasting, durable, and doesn't leave a huge carbon footprint behind.
Self-Healing Concrete Is Gaining Popularity
Although this material is still being perfected: it's one of the most eco-friendly types of building materials out there, with sights set on ensuring buildings and products last for as long as possible. Concrete can be very brittle, which is disastrous when things go wrong, and it causes building collapses and injuries.
Self-healing concrete is made up of five percent bacterial spores that allow for these cracks to fill and heal as they happen. Although they can't stop large crashes if something slams into a building, there's no clear information on how this product will act over an extended amount of time: there's a lot of promise for self-healing concrete. The best part is that it can be covered with steel lap siding or any exterior the homeowner wants while still keeping the new house framing sturdy and safe.
Modular Bamboo Takes Efficient Sustainability Further
Bamboo has always been known to be sustainable and efficient. Bamboo is a type of grass that grows quickly, tall, and strong. Although it can be hard to grow in some climates, it can grow like a weed in any moisture temperate area.
Modular bamboo takes that sustainability and pushes it further. Using the strength of bamboo with clever design ideas and good building materials, you can create forms that look like art but last forever and are stronger than you'd believe. Pairing it with bamboo plywood pushes this even further.
Reintroducing Hemp Products to the Home
Hemp products fell out of production because of public misinformation: but this is one of the best construction products out there. Not only is it efficient and sustainable to produce, but hemp products also work in a multitude of different ways.
Hempwool is insulation that locks moisture out, is lightweight and low impact, and ensures that the temperature control of your home is a far easier task. Although it may seem strange upon first blush, this type of product is ideal for keeping insects, heat, moisture, and sound out so that your home gets to function as its own unit.
Hempcrete is similar, made of the same product, but works in a more hands-on way to support your home. Not only does it offer all of the same benefits as hempwool, but in concrete form: it’s also fireproof and extraordinarily easy to install.
There’s no sustainable home that shouldn’t have hemp products in it to make it better. Their low cost and high utility make them a must-have.
Light-Generating Concrete Is A New Fascination
Self-luminous concrete is gaining popularity for a multitude of reasons. On the one hand, it allows homeowners to have pathways and walks that don't need lighting outside of them, and on another, they're fully sustainable like most concrete is.
This allows for a homeowner to go without using electricity as much and can even be used in interior design to create clear pathways with smooth polished concrete. Although this is mostly for exterior use, it can still be a great part of any home's construction.
The Future Is Real: Transparent Aluminum Works
Transparent aluminum was first mentioned as a possibility in Star Trek and has since boomed in popularity with a race to see who could create it first: as of 2018, it's fully possible.
Now used to replace glass in windows, this type of aluminum ensures that homeowners can have sturdy windows, keep their home safe, and ensure their 'glass' and transparent designs last for as long as possible.
Although this is still very expensive to create and is out of many homeowners' reach, it's an awesome idea to aspire towards.
The Future of Housing Construction Is Within Reach
There's no reason to think that housing always has to be the way it is at this moment. Growth and change are a part of any industry, and housing is primed to be updated into a fantastic and sustainable future. By including just a few of these items, you can create the home of your dreams without having to fear the size of the carbon footprint you're leaving behind.
Brian Jeffries is the content director for the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.
