Clay

A material that many people use in order to promote sustainable building is clay. This is one of the most, if not the most, sustainable material that anyone can use for a construction project. The best part about the clay is the lack of processing that is required to get it out of the ground and then on to your home. This saves energy, emissions, and makes it a material that is worthwhile for use in any sustainable construction project. Below is an introduction to clay and the uses that are possible for your building project.

Clay Harvest

One reason that clay is such a great sustainable material is because of the harvesting method that makes it so easy to produce. Taking clay out of the ground is one of the main steps and probably the most processing that goes on throughout the entire system. Once the clay has been taken out of the earth one can add water in order to shape the clay into bricks or even add a few other sustainable materials, such as straw or sand, in order to strengthen the actual material.

Nonetheless, much of the reason that sustainable is good for the environment is because it is a product of earth that should be utilized when constructing out buildings. More importantly, the lack of processing required to get the clay out of the ground is an indicator of the energy efficiency that many sustainable products are capable of providing.

Building with Sustainable Clay

As mentioned previously, clay is one of the best materials that one can use in order to build a sustainable construction. The clay is usually added to straw, sand, and then water in order to make bricks that are used as walls. These walls are not subject to becoming moist and breaking apart as there are still homes in Wales that maintain their structure after hundreds of years of rain.

In addition to using as a solid building material, it is also acceptable to use clay as an insulator to the weather. This will allow homes to maintain their heat during the winter months and maintain the comfortable temperatures during the summer months. More importantly, it is a natural way to provide energy efficiency so buildings are not using too much in order to maintain the proper temperature.

Clay is a sustainable construction material that has been used by humans for centuries. It is so easy to excavate from the ground that there is little processing that is required, which means that energy and many time-consuming processes are spared. As a construction material, the clay acts as a perfect brick for building outdoors no matter where you live. Additionally, the bricks can be used for insulation in order to save money on many traditional methods. Saving money on the energy bill is also a possibility given that buildings will be much more energy efficient with this kind of insulator. It is obvious that the sustainable construction movement is on the right track.