a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by joelthelion
joelthelion  ·  3068 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The problem with reinforced concrete

I disagree. I don't think rebuilding everything every 50 years is very sustainable, especially considering the very high CO2 emissions when making cement/concrete.

So of course using plain concrete is no solution, but looking for better solutions is very much needed IMHO.





kleinbl00  ·  3068 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Name a single building material with better sustainability and durability.

Nonody is going to build office parks out of cobb.

joelthelion  ·  3067 days ago  ·  link  ·  

They mention a couple potential alternatives in the article.

kleinbl00  ·  3067 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yeah. "mud brick" and "rammed earth."

I repeat: nobody is going to build office parks out of cob.

bioemerl  ·  3068 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    I don't think rebuilding everything every 50 years is very sustainable

Cost reflects sustainability. These green techs are often very cute, but more often than not they drain so many resources that they will ultimately cost us more total pollution than the cheaper often.

In 100 years tech advances so far that rebuiding saves more energy and time in the long run than leaving the building does.