Reply to How come more new builds don't use all concrete?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Concrete is terrible for the environment.

https://amp.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/25/concrete-the-most-destructive-material-on-earth

https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/11/3/cement-and-concrete-the-environmental-impact

https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/concrete

https://www.fairplanet.org/story/concrete-climate-change-environmental-injustice/

https://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/environmental-impacts-of-concrete/[/quote]

Maybe the initial cost upfront is more to the environment, but concrete structures use a lot less heating and cooling over the lifetime of the structure. How much environmentally better is building a home with cheaper materials if you have to constantly fix it or even knock them down and build new again when they've reached their end of life? Concrete can last for way longer.[/quote]

So here's the thing about building that you don't understand: for the most part, houses don't get torn down because they are structurally deficient and unrepairable. They get torn down because they are functionally obsolete. The low ceilings, small rooms and steep stairs that were the norm a century ago just don't appeal to people any more, and it ends up being more cost-effective to start over than to rework an old house into a modern design.

Which brings up a major disadvantage of concrete houses: they're hard to modify. With wood-frame construction, if you want to add an addition or another floor it's pretty straightforward, there are literally millions of carpenters who are up to the job. And when it's time to tear down that concrete house -- not because it's in danger of falling down, but because it no longer serves its purpose and modifying it would be too expensive -- you'll be sending a lot more waste to the landfill. [/quote]

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