A classic way to view materials science is to envision a stool: the three legs are composition, process and structure, while the seat represents the final properties. Sustainability can also be represented by a stool whose legs are economic, social and environmental issues. This presentation will examine materials that have changed because of the requirements that have been imposed by the sustainable building community. While some of these materials perform functions that lower the environmental impacts of buildings, many are not inherently sustainable themselves because the holistic impacts of the raw materials and processes used in their manufacture were not addressed. It is necessary to simultaneously address the three legs of the sustainability stool and the three legs of the materials stool in order to create materials that are truly sustainable.
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