Friday, January 23, 2015

The Trend of Using Recycled Building Materials


 
As another installation in our ongoing series of building trends, we will discuss the use of recycled building materials in new construction. The following information regarding the foremost trends in the building industry is based on an article by WTTW, a Chicago public media organization.     
 
Today’s building industry continues to move in the direction of going “green” and one of the best ways to achieve this is by recycling and reusing old building materials.  Not only does it make good sense both economically and environmentally but recycled materials are becoming something of an aesthetic consideration in many buildings.  Builders are using a wide range of recycled and reclaimed materials, which in some cases, are being incorporated as part of the design elements in the structure. 

Another practice that is becoming more common is called “deconstruction”.  This is where a building is dismantled piece by piece rather than just demolishing it.  Materials such as the wood beams, flooring and fixtures are all removed to be used again.  In addition the roofing material, concrete, and steel are all recycled for future use.  The process reduces the amount of building debris that would otherwise go into a landfill as well as reducing the carbon footprint of the new structure. 

In our position as one of the foremost commercial concrete contractors in the Western U.S., The Conco Companies have had the opportunity to be a part of many notable architectural projects over the years.  Furthermore, many of the projects we have worked on have achieved LEED certification with the use of sustainable and recycled building materials.  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and is a green building certification program.

Source:  interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america

For over 50 years, Conco has been providing premium concrete services in the Western US. We partner with clients on every project from the pre-construction stage right through to final completion to maximize efficiency and ensure goals and budgets are met.  We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. 

 

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