BY CHOOSING their materials carefully architects could reduce the greenhouse gas contribution of building homes by as much as a third.
Almost all research on the carbon dioxide emissions of houses has so far concentrated on heating and lighting, with very little emphasis on the carbon released during manufacture. Now MarÃa González and Justo Navarro from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain, have designed three houses in Valladolid with the aim of minimising CO2 emissions throughout their life.
Because the houses were built mainly of brick and timber, instead of reinforced concrete, they found carbon emissions dropped…
