Concrete is one of the world’s greatest eco-friendly building materials, and it’s known as such because it remains eco-friendly in all its steps of process.
First, the foundation of all concrete is limestone, and limestone is the most abundant mineral to be found on planet earth; yes, it is mined, but it is abundant. And, of course, this isn’t discrediting the man-made ingredients in some concrete that include slag, fly ash, and silica, which may sound like poor choices for green materials, but know that these are all byproducts from power plants, steel mills, and other types of manufacturing facilities.
Second, remember the durability and longevity of concrete. Concrete will not rot or burn; it’s life span should be considerable in comparison to other building materials. And when it’s used to build foundations, walls, and even floors in homes it has a terrific thermal mass that enables it to absorb and then retain heat; homeowners who smartly use concrete in their home build find that they have lower energy costs both in the summer as well as in the winter. And because concrete is highly reflective, it is more effective at bouncing back solar radiation than asphalt and other darker-colored building materials.
And the absolute best part of concrete: it can be produced in an amount no greater than the amount needed to complete the building project. This means that most of what gets mixed gets used, and there is very little waste after a job. When a concrete job is completed with shotcrete, it’s efficient in its design and the materials needed to complete the project; but it’s also efficient in the amount of time that’s needed to complete a job. That makes shotcrete both eco-friendly and cost-friendly. And when the concrete does eventually break down, it can easily be recycled.
And if you have any questions about the process of shotcrete, and you would like to speak with an expert about the possible benefits that the shotcrete process would have in your upcoming project, then call Shotcrete Montana today.