The eco-friendly advantages of glass and aluminium
There is a great push towards sustainable and eco-friendly buildings in South Africa and beyond. Which sustainable solutions are being utilised?
Green housing, or the practise of building eco-friendly dwellings, is a rapidly expanding architectural movement in South Africa and elsewhere. When it comes to building sustainable houses, glass and aluminium are among the top choices.
Many in the design and construction sectors, as well as their clients, are beginning to consider “green building” as a way to mitigate the damage they cause to the environment.
This article delves into the elements that influence eco-friendly housing and the role that glass and aluminium play in this arena.
The role of glass and aluminium in green building
Green building materials like glass and aluminium offer many of the same benefits as their non-green counterparts.
Aluminium, with its high strength-to-weight ratio, is a useful construction material weighing up to 65% less than steel.
Because of the oxide layer it naturally develops, aluminium is resistant to corrosion. Surface treatments can further improve this quality.
Aluminium is so malleable that it can be formed into practically any shape without compromising structural integrity or performance.
Aluminium is also an excellent reflector of both light and heat. Combine this with the metals relatively low density, and you have a great energy-saving material for redirecting the suns rays. Aluminium can also be recycled without compromising quality.
The sustainability of glass and aluminium
Glass is considered eco-friendly since it can be recycled indefinitely without degrading in a landfill. Besides that, glass is durable, and sand, the primary component, is abundant. What about the aluminium frame, then?
As a result, less wood is consumed, which is better for the planet. Aluminium is a lightweight, low-maintenance metal that’s sturdy enough to last a long time. One of the criteria for eco-friendly products is that they don’t rust or need to be painted over time. However, what about the production time?
The production of aluminium and comparable materials is energy intensive. However, using the final product actually saves more energy than what was used to create it.
When aluminium is mixed with other metals, especially magnesium, it becomes much harder and stronger than the pure metal alone. It’s lighter and more versatile than steel, and it’s also much stronger.
Aluminium can be easily moulded into several useful forms, such as window and door frames, because of to the metals malleability. It can be salvaged from demolished structures and reused in different ways.
Aluminium is an eco-friendly product because it does not require any further care, such as painting to prevent rusting. So, if you have aluminium window or door frames, you may take pride in the fact that they are eco-friendly.
