Climate change, abnormal weather patterns, and unpredictable natural calamities – these are just some of the ominous signs that the earth is changing as a result of mankind’s many harmful activities. Suddenly, the ordinary consumer has become conscious of the environmental “footprint” that his or her daily living is creating. Consumers now seek to use only the greenest products and live in the most ecologically-friendly facilities whenever possible.
The construction industry responded accordingly, with building projects that use only the greenest sources of construction materials and applications, from zero-VOC coatings products to eco-friendly concrete finishes. The aim is that when the building is done, consumers-turned-environmentalists will definitely want to live, work or shop in it.
To make the green building possible, everything in it – from the roofs, walls and concrete finishes – must be designed with energy efficiency, less environmental harm, and sustainability in mind. Building designers and facility managers achieve this by placing existing products, materials and methodologies into deep scrutiny – coatings, sealers, concrete finishes, and HVAC systems – and determine if any of these building components meet the green standards that leave no harm to the environment.
One of the applications that passed with flying colors is concrete. Many experts in the construction industry agree that concrete finishes are by far some of the most environment-friendly applications suitable for green building construction. Concrete’s properties, method of production and application, have less harmful effects to the environment than other construction materials.