Schools, hospitals, apartment blocks, bridges, tunnels, dam, sewerage systems, pavements, runways, roads and more are all vital parts in our daily lives. All built with concrete; which is the most used man-made material in the world. Material such as wood, steel, plastic, and aluminum will never replace concrete. Price, effectiveness, and performance for most purposes is why concrete is at the top of the list for effective material.
As noted in the “World Business Council for Sustainable development, Cement Sustainability Initiative”, concrete construction, with its strength, durability and excellent thermal mass, should be a key component in Eco-buildings of today and the future. In May 2008, The Guardian in the United Kingdom featured the first zero-carbon house developed by a volume house-builder, in which concrete played a critical role in maintaining internal temperatures. A list of benefits to using concrete construction are as follows:
- Strength and Durability
- Versatility
- Low maintenance
- Affordability
- Fire-resistance
- Relatively low emissions of CO2
- Energy efficiency in production
- Excellent thermal mass
- Locally produced and used
- Albedo effect.
These benefits lead to characteristics stated from “Sustainability Benefits of Concrete” that concrete’s strength and durability is used in majority of buildings, bridges, tunnels, and dams for its strength. One unique fact is that concrete gains strength over time.
The biggest benefit of concrete construction for business is that it is very affordable compared to building materials such as steel.
In conclusion to a great opportunity for business to business, using concrete for construction would be the best benefit due to its many characteristics that will give strength, versatility, cost efficient, etc. This is the best bet for construction use.