The construction industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, and the production and harvesting of raw materials for building purposes occurs on a world-wide scale. Environmental issues are becoming a major world topic, and the construction industry is increasingly its environmental performance is coming under close scrutiny particularly with regard to the availability and sustainability of certain materials, and the extraction of the large qualities needed to meet the needs and aspirations of the global community. The construction industry is a significantly consumer of materials, using 50 per cent of all products produced globally. Building materials is any material which is used for a construction purpose. Many of these materials are sources from natural occurring substances such as clay, sand, wood, rocks. Other materials are man-made products, some more and some less synthetic. The chapter discusses various natural and synthetic materials and their use in the construction industry
Reference:
Van Wyk, LV. 2009. Materials. Green building handbook for South Africa, Vol. 1 (A guide to ecological design), pp 191-197
Van Wyk, L. V. (2009). Materials., Green Building. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/3263
Van Wyk, Llewellyn V. "Materials" In , n.p.: Green Building. 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/3263.
Van Wyk LV. Materials. [place unknown]: Green Building; 2009. [cited yyyy month dd]. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/3263.