Criteria For Choosing Building Materials

In order to have a quality and well-furnished construction project for customers, in addition to space design, structural conception, and building technical conception, is the selection of appropriate construction materials and technology. Choosing the right building materials is an extremely important task, not only in construction but also in later operation.

Choosing the right building materials is an especially important task, not only in construction but also in later operation.

Many criteria for choosing building materials

Normally, choosing materials for a project will be undertaken by the architects. However, there are many types of construction materials on the market with complex technical specifications, making it difficult for architects to choose the best option to meet the different requirements of the projects.

What are the main criteria for choosing building materials to create a comfortable house? First of all, the geotechnical conditions and the natural - climatic conditions of that area play an important role in the construction works. The selection of building materials should take into account influencing factors such as geological conditions and natural climate. Projects with different functions can have different material selection criteria.

To create a comfortable ecological microclimate environment for the projects, natural materials of natural origin and natural-artificial mixtures are widely used, especially wood and stone. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the exploitation of these materials to ensure environmental sustainability.

Secondary resource use is one of the aspects of economic and environmental activity, including the reuse of any production waste, which allows not only to increase economic efficiency, but also to reduce the degree of environmental pollution and its impact on social processes.

The most important property of building materials is their different ability to reduce external radiation and absorb pollutants from the environment. This means that construction materials protect people from harmful effects. The selection of building materials to create a comfortable house requires a number of specific criteria related to index groups: technical, economic, environmental and cultural, social, etc.

Index groups to consider when choosing construction materials

Some basic factors in the above index groups that should be considered when choosing construction materials are cost, climate, durability, maintenance, aesthetics, performance, etc.

In terms of cost, in most cases, the cost factor of construction materials will drive the final decision regarding material selection. For high-end projects with large investment, this factor is not too important, but for low-cost projects, this is the decisive factor.

Using low-cost building materials to build low-cost housing will increase the building accessibility for the low-income. But when looking for different building materials, whether at high or low prices, it is necessary to take into account the product's lifespan or utility. If you buy poor quality materials, it will inevitably have to be replaced early in the usage process and become very costly. Therefore, prioritizing construction materials that serve well over a long period of time will save costs.

Climate and properties of building materials are related. Therefore, the selected materials must be suitable for the climate of the location where the project will be built. It is necessary to consult experts when choosing building materials to meet climatic conditions; helping architects, investors, and project managers determine the most suitable materials. The materials selected must have the durability and strength required for each specific area and conditions of use.

The availability of local materials will also affect the construction costs and schedule. If the materials are far from the construction site, shipping costs will be high and works will be delayed if they’re not ordered in advance. If the materials are available locally, shipping costs will be low and the construction process will go smoothly

With the development of the Construction Industry, the demand for construction materials is increasing and is also the cause of an increase in carbon emissions. Therefore, using sustainable and environmentally friendly building materials such as soil, bamboo, fly ash, metakaolin, silica fume, rice husk ash, etc., will be more beneficial than using cement or concrete. The best materials are those that can be reused because they reduce the need for new materials to be produced in the future.

In terms of maintenance, the most suitable materials are those that are easy or simple to maintain and manage. Good quality building materials often require less maintenance than standard and low-cost materials. Maintenance is also an important basis for choosing construction materials, because good materials are easy to maintain, inexpensive, and add value to the building. Certain materials may be more expensive than others, but low future maintenance costs will compensate for that high cost.

In terms of aesthetics, architects themselves as well as users have different preferences and needs. When selecting these elements, you need to consider the look you want. The type of roof you prefer will change the appearance of the house.

In terms of performance, the choice of material must have the structural potential to sustain and withstand the building load. The selected materials must help the user live comfortably, without any adverse effects such as the impact caused by the emission of harmful chemicals of some materials.

Another important concern that affects the material selection is how is the nature or function of the project? The materials used will determine the building space.

The synthesis of the above selection criteria can be done manually, but to optimize the parameters, software support is needed to establish an analysis model and provide the most optimal selection results.

Using new technology in project construction and operation

During the construction and operation process of a modern house, it is necessary to take into account the fact that it is a process of creating an architectural space in which people live and operate in the safest and most comfortable way.

The use of advanced technology and materials in architecture and construction is the strategic direction of State policy. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the quality of design and construction, the basic indexes are the suitability of function, performance, sustainability, environmental friendliness, reliability and safety of the project.

The selection of construction materials for a project depends on many factors.

The transition to “green construction”, meaning having minimal impact on the environment, aimed at improving energy efficiency and minimizing the energy resources consumption of an individual house, is a widely recognized key innovation area in low-rise housing construction.

It is equally important that secondary raw materials have a certain value in the production of new products. This is necessary to stabilize the level of friendly impacts on the natural environment and minimizing CO2 emissions.

Today's difficult environmental situation requires building materials to have reusability and unique property, using renewable energy sources integrated into the building's architecture and microclimate system. The use of advanced technologies in the construction and operation of modern projects helps projects be built faster and more easily converted into a circular economy.

Maximize use of prefabricated structures with minimal volume, reduce the number of walls, construction and operating costs, and most importantly, reduce construction time.

The use of structural composite materials consisting of reinforcement and matrix is also in demand. These materials have minimal weight and high performance compared to traditional materials. Their use in low-rise housing helps create spectacular decorative and artistic elements.

Due to the influence of scientific and technological progress, there are significant changes in modern housing construction technology. There are new technologies, modern discoveries, which greatly facilitate the process of building houses and improve the comfort of living in them.

Lastly, it is necessary to consider the impact of some new construction technologies such as BIM, 3D printing or AI. These are the types of technologies that will strongly impact on the Construction Industry in the near future.

Assoc.Prof. D.Arch Mai Thi Lien Huong
Director of Vietnam Institute of Architecture

(Source: The Construction Newspaper)