ABSTRACT
Sustainable design requires us to use only those materials that can return to the natural environment and biodegrade safely at the end of a useful life which may have numerous stages. Appropriate material specification can also add value by contributing to passive environmental control such as thermal or hygroscopic mass. However, the ‘sustainability’ of a material owes much to the way it is used. Apart from dedicated specialists and craftspeople, there is widespread inexperience about how to use materials sustainably and this affects the performance in use,
which crucially depends on the care that goes into detailing and maintenance.
