[Greenbuilding] Unconscionable Concrete Use

[ErgoDesk]

Very interesting discussion on concrete reductions. These are all very
valid suggestions and ideas that are not beeing implemented by the new
Energy Efficient practitioners that have arrived on the building scene. We
all want to save the planet and reduce the use of materials, bu instead
find ways to actually increase use and complexity that will only give
"Holmes" more work and less progress for the energy reduction movement.

This is why I think the EPS Composite Structure is the better wat forward.
It eliminates Concrete Footings, Foundations, and crazy runaway wall
thickness and layers, with One Perfect System Envelope. I know it hard to
believe but building with wood is wrong as we know it today. Sawdust and
Chips glued with Formaldehyde can't resist Water intrusion and Constant
Maintenance, we need structures that are century durable, not only a decade
or two. Constant repair and replacement of structures is bad economics for
owners and good only for greedy corporations. Check out what EPS
Construction is. http://bit.ly/1M7cag7

Sincerely,
George Hawirko
*http://about.me/StyroHome <http://about.me/StyroHome>*


On Sat, Nov 21, 2015 at 8:13 PM, John Salmen <terrain at shaw.ca> wrote:

> This is such a complex topic. Next to water concrete is the most used
> substance in the world. Did the romans use a recipe that produced less
> carbon dioxide. Possibly not as materials that require less temperature
> typically release carbon dioxide at some earlier point in a process (like
> magnesium oxide). Does the product bear any legitimate relationship to its
> thousands of years of history and use – probably not as it is now a
> political, economic and even criminal issue as the mob controlled concrete
> for decades as well as toxic waste dumping contracts and the garbage
> burning facilities. May sound like a conspiracy thing but both the
> economics and the mixture is pretty well documented. You are allowed 5% of
> unlisted contents for concrete...go figure out what got added. Is this any
> different than the history and contemporary use of other mainstream
> products. I get grumpy just thinking about it.
>
>
>
> As you said the problem is we use too much. A footing for a 1 story
> building can be by most codes for most soil conditions be 4” thick by 12”
> wide with a 4” rise – not the typical 16x8x8 that everyone expects to see .
> Proper use of reinforcement properly placed can also reduce concrete usage.
> Good design can be piers and grade beams – not just dig an oversize hole
> and fill it with concrete.
>
>
>
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>
> *From:* Greenbuilding [mailto:
> greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] *On Behalf Of *Peter/Pam
> Martin
> *Sent:* November-21-15 12:38 PM
> *To:* greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org
> *Subject:* [Greenbuilding] Unconscionable Concrete Use
>
>
>
> Learned in an article at
> http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/ten-things-ancients-did-better-us-004557
> that the Romans made concrete by mixing lime, volcanic rock, and seawater
> that contained the ideal crystalline structure of Tobermorite. Purportedly
> the Roman concrete had a greater strength and durability than modern
> concrete as well as only requiring baking the limestone at 900°C. Any
> present attempts at duplicating this process?
>
> Another concrete observation: I've been watching a series on public TV
> called Grand Designs where the builders use inordinate quantities of
> concrete, with some of the slab pours having the consistency of soup. Is
> this normal practice in the UK? It reminds me of the building methods of
> Mike "I don't use one stud when I can use five" Holmes.
>
> Peter
>
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