ELEMENT:
Concrete Pad footings for a timber skeletal frame
AIM:
Concrete has been used for an environmental and a design benefit by
reducing the site impact.
STRATEGY:
Minimise Embodied Energy
Recycled aggregate and low-cement content was used in the concrete mix
reducing the embodied energy for the concrete footings by up to one third.
Minimise Site Impact
With pad footings less excavation is needed which reduces waste and
export from the site. In this case the material from the site excavation
was kept entirely on the site for landscaping purposes.
Environmentally Safer Materials
The pad footings were tapered and the columns capped to create a non-toxic
termite shield to protect the timber portal framed primary structure.
This type of termite protection has the benefits of providing a visual
inspection area exposing the potential paths of termites. No chemical
or High Tech barriers were used.
REFERENCE:
The Centre For Sustainable Design. The Serenity Stones - Paving the
Way to a Sustainable Future. 1999.
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