GBlist: re: can we build without cutting trees

["Clifton Perry" <clifton.perry@att.net>]

    I don't know what "hemp stone" is but I doubt the Romans put hemp in
their concrete. If you want to know more about roman concrete try this site:
http://www.romanconcrete.com/
    I'm not sure life is as simple as labeling something appropriate
technology or not. For myself  I can't justify the use of pesticides. This
rules out using much wood in my location. I think the use of adobe,cobb, and
straw bale are very climate dependant. Health concerns are another factor
for me in using these materials.  It gets very wet and humid here in the NC
mountains in the summer. I found mold growing on  the metal front of my
refrigerator this summer!  I has an asthma attack when I went to visit some
friends in their cobb building recently. I have seen mushrooms popping out
of local straw bale construction along with rodents. I don't think adobe or
cobb would be very energy efficient in my climate.Thermal mass is great in
areas where it doesn't stay cold for long periods but that's not here. In my
opinion good insulation does more to reduce energy consumption and global
warming than anything else you can do. Another concern for me is living in
the forest and the ever present danger of forest fire. We have had some bad
droughts and local fires in the years I have been here. There are limited
choices for noncombustible construction. Having to build twice because a
building burned down can't be a  "green" process. Even those I see building
with other materials end up with a lot of steel in the building. There is
rebar in the foundation , nails, bolts, chicken wire and lath, strapping,
and steel roofs. It would be very hard to build anything without using any
steel.
    As far as reusing and recycling goes ,steel is the most recycled
material in this country. Recycling steel saves a great deal of energy in
its production. Visit this site for info on steel recycling:
http://www.recycle-steel.org/index2.html . I think if you consider the life
span of a building steel becomes more attractive. NC code requires that the
soil be poisoned under the building. My local building department agreed to
let me not do this with my light gauge steel art studio. My building is 1500
sq ft with 12' high ceilings and a clear span of 32'. Because steel is much
lighter than wood I was able to build it with no assistance from anyone
else. That includes placing 32' trusses by myself (with a winch). I did this
in a short period of time compared to local folks building with extremely
labor intensive cobb. They have many people working at once but I have never
seen anything  so labor intensive . That was definitely not an option for
me. I did not have the time or the money. By doing the labor myself I was
able to build a very energy efficient building with a full bath and the 12'
high ceiling for under $25 a sq ft. I figure there are about 3 old cars  in
this building !
    The reason anyone supports any industry is that industry can do things
more efficiently on a large scale, and not everyone has the time or the
resources to do things themselves. If I had to haul tons of clay myself or
mill my own lumber I would have no building. I see people in my area running
chain saws and backyard sawmills , with small engines, with no pollution
controls on them. They consider this green construction but I would love to
see so real comparisons as far as total energy usage and pollution go on
some of these methods.
    As far as doing the best for the planet I don't think you have to build
with mud and straw to do the best for the planet. That seems to me to be a
very over simplified view that doesn't take many things into consideration.
In deciding what to do that is best for the planet, my wife and I have
decided to not have children. That will make far more difference in the end
than what we build with. Everyone makes choices in a world with no perfect
answers. Hopefully the tide will turn in the destruction and poisoning of
our planet , and a balance will be found that allows us to live in harmony
with the earth. If not I think we all know who the winner will be.




----- Original Message -----
From: "Yaya Balinci" <yaya@telus.net>
To: "Clifton Perry" <clifton.perry@att.net>; <greenbuilding@crest.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2000 5:29 PM
Subject: Re: GBlist: re: can we build without cutting trees


> .<snip>
>   Pozzolanic cements can indeed be produced that will far outlast Portland
> cement. The Roman cements were made with naturally occurring pozzolan's
and
> lime. For anyone interested in pozzolans I would recommend the book
> Pozzolanic and Cementitious materials by V. M. Malhotra and P. Kumar
Mehta.
> <unsnip>
>
> I have read that the Roman aquifers were made with hemp "stone" or cement.
> It may follow that other cement structures in Roman times were also built
> with hemp due to its high silica content.
>
> To use fly ash is noble if you are trying to reduce reuse and recycle. It
is
> like making your house with bottles or car tires. To use steel seems to me
> to be unnecessary as a building material especially in the green sense of
> things. I'm not sure maybe it is considered an appropriate technology.
> However, when i look at what people are doing with adobe homes, cobb
homes,
> straw-bale homes all using limited wood and ever abundant clay and straw,
> there seems to me little reason to support hugely intensive industries
such
> as coal and steel. Unless of course you like the asthetic and you feel you
> are doing the best for the planet.
>
> Regards
> Yaya Balinci, coastal British Columbia
>




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