Adaptability of Materials in Green Buildings: Australian Case Studies and Review

Globally, more and more buildings are constructed as the basis of green methodology. Green building methodology includes the reduction of energy from the conception through the operation phases. Importantly, the practice of green building is gradually becoming more regulatory compliance rather than optional. Subsequently, this paper will carefully review the adaptability of materials in green buildings. In supporting such aim, this paper will also reviewed five Australian case studies. For these building, as a part of adaptability of green materials, recycled concrete, metal and timber were utilized. It was found that most benefits of adaptability of materials for these buildings were significantly improved with the integration with sustainable design. Such alignment is the key for effective material selection and usage in green buildings. The use of green materials alone may be not be enough to considerably reduce the energy usage. Holistically, the green design together with recycled materials need to be combined to deliver efficient green buildings.