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writing:building_materials [2025/12/20 23:19] – JacobCoffinWriteswriting:building_materials [2026/01/20 13:38] (current) – JacobCoffinWrites
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 Even concrete slabs can be [[https://www.finecutusa.com/concrete-slab-sawing-for-demolition-how-it-works/|cut up]] [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095965262401014X|to produce new building materials]] or [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652622048090|reused in creative ways]]! This is huge as concrete rubble accounts for [[https://concretecaptain.com/what-happens-to-concrete-after-demolition/|25]]-[[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095965262401014X|30%]] of solid waste in landfills.  Even concrete slabs can be [[https://www.finecutusa.com/concrete-slab-sawing-for-demolition-how-it-works/|cut up]] [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095965262401014X|to produce new building materials]] or [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652622048090|reused in creative ways]]! This is huge as concrete rubble accounts for [[https://concretecaptain.com/what-happens-to-concrete-after-demolition/|25]]-[[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095965262401014X|30%]] of solid waste in landfills. 
  
-Concrete rubble can also be reused in other ways, [[https://slrpnk.net/post/11909269|such as in landscaping]]. There's also a rich history of cobblestone buildings where concrete rubble may be a suitable [[https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/9/1437|replacement for stone]].+Concrete rubble can also be reused in other ways, [[https://archive.is/Mk8Ql|such as in landscaping]]. There's also a rich history of cobblestone buildings where concrete rubble may be a suitable [[https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/9/1437|replacement for stone]]. 
 + 
 +Tangentially related: [[https://phys.org/news/2026-01-urban-soils-life-excavated-dirt.html|this article]] discusses salvaging earth which has been excavated to make room for foundations in urban construction for use in parks and similar.
  
  
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   * Mass timber is lighter than traditional construction materials - this is great because the heavier the building, the deeper its foundation has to be. By reducing the weight of the building the designers can use even less concrete for the foundation. [[https://www.dezeen.com/2023/03/23/dalston-works-waugh-thistleton-architects-timber-revolution/|This example]] apparently weighs a fifth of a concrete building of its size, reducing the number of deliveries required during construction by 80 per cent (and allowing it to be bigger than it could have been due to a weight limit on the site).   * Mass timber is lighter than traditional construction materials - this is great because the heavier the building, the deeper its foundation has to be. By reducing the weight of the building the designers can use even less concrete for the foundation. [[https://www.dezeen.com/2023/03/23/dalston-works-waugh-thistleton-architects-timber-revolution/|This example]] apparently weighs a fifth of a concrete building of its size, reducing the number of deliveries required during construction by 80 per cent (and allowing it to be bigger than it could have been due to a weight limit on the site).
   * The wood structure can be constructed at a quicker speed compared to concrete- or steel-framed buildings of similar size. This also provides a cost-savings on the financial side, as that's fewer person-hours spent driving and building.   * The wood structure can be constructed at a quicker speed compared to concrete- or steel-framed buildings of similar size. This also provides a cost-savings on the financial side, as that's fewer person-hours spent driving and building.
-  * Timber is easy to cut and to build with, so the buildings are generally easier to adapt. This may make them last longer by making it easier to change them than to replace them.+  * Overall cost - these buildings are often actually cheaper to make than an equivalent concrete one, despite mass timber being a fairly new industry. 
 +  * Timber is easy to cut and to build with, so the buildings are generally easier to adapt. This //may// make them last longer by making it easier to change/improve them than to replace them.
   * Looks awesome - many of these buildings are genuinely impressive, with huge open spaces and interesting uses of the structural elements and natural wood making excellent use of the materials. Solarpunk isn't just aesthetics but good aesthetics certainly don't hurt.   * Looks awesome - many of these buildings are genuinely impressive, with huge open spaces and interesting uses of the structural elements and natural wood making excellent use of the materials. Solarpunk isn't just aesthetics but good aesthetics certainly don't hurt.
  
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 Mycelium construction materials aren't a drop-in replacement for concrete or brick - though they're strong for their weight they're quite a bit weaker in the same volume. They might be a closer fit for foamed concrete or clay brick. Mycelium construction materials aren't a drop-in replacement for concrete or brick - though they're strong for their weight they're quite a bit weaker in the same volume. They might be a closer fit for foamed concrete or clay brick.
  
-Most of the materials are biodegradable and also appear to not be waterproof without special coatings - this isn't unique (we build houses out of wood, after all) but it's something of an issue given that mycelium tends to be softer and it's limits and performance in different climates is less well understood.+Most of the materials are biodegradable and also appear to not be waterproof without special coatings - this isn't unique (we build houses out of wood, after all) but it's something of an issue given that mycelium tends to be softer and its limits and performance in different climates is less well understood.
  
 Mycelium provides good thermal insulation so there are [[https://archive.is/vXbOe|some projects]] looking to use them to produce insulation, including to replace expanded polystyrene. This might be the easiest drop-in replacement to start out with. Mycelium provides good thermal insulation so there are [[https://archive.is/vXbOe|some projects]] looking to use them to produce insulation, including to replace expanded polystyrene. This might be the easiest drop-in replacement to start out with.