Presentation to WRI-UNEP Meeting

Building Connections for Sustainable Building And Construction

by

Iddo Wernick

October 2, 2003

Focus on Mass Flows

More Generally, Large Scale Measures of Environment & Resources

Seek Patterns/Opportunities in Societal Resource Use

Industrial Ecology

Bulk & Specialized Mass Flows

Strategies

Recovery SubstitutionDesign

MATERIAL CONSUMPTION RECOVERY CASCADING ALTERNATIVES

Concrete 378 5%85% of recovered to road base 

Fly ash, ag. and metal wastes

Wood 57  Insignificant Mulch, compost, animal bedding, fuel 

Wood composites from waste wood

Gypsum 20  Small Animal bedding, soil amendment 

FGD, phosphogypsum 

Steel 13  85% Depends on scrap quality

Scrap 

Brick 16  Insignificant  Likely Likely 

Asphalt 8.6  75%+ from roads  Hot mix for roads  - 

Glass 3.4  Insignificant? Containers, fiberglass, glassphalt

- 

Carpet 2 - 2.5  Insignificant For nylon and recycled carpet plastic

- 

Copper 1  Old scrap: 15% of cons. Depends on scrap quality

Scrap 

Aluminum 1  Old scrap: 22% of cons.Depends on scrap quality 

Scrap 

Construction Mass FlowsUS circa 1996

Mass Flows over the Life Cycle

Land

Strategies

Preserve Photosynthesis NPP measureIntegrate

Efficient Resilient?=

•Uniform•Centralized•Lean Design

•Heterogeneous•Distributed•Over Design