Committed to Sustainable Design

The environmental aspects of using concrete as a primary building material is very important to us at Earth Element Studio. As part of our commitment to “green design“ we are constantly finding ways to use existing materials, without depleting resources for future generations. Concrete is an ecological alternative to petroleum based synthetic products such as solid surface materials as well as non-renewable natural materials such as marble, granite and exotic woods.

Concrete has often been called “a material for a finite planet” and can be used as a medium for reusing many materials thought to be garbage, from old glass to pozzolans, a by-product of industrial production, and the list goes on.

Using concrete is not only good for the earth, but also for our health. Concrete can also be a hypo-allergenic material. When polished, the pores on the surface are sealed so that dust and other allergens have no place to go. Generally, no coatings are applied, so there is no harmful off-gassing or emission of organic vapors.

Concrete is resource efficient.
It reduces the need for finishes in general including carpet, which is associated with indoor air quality problems.

Concrete is durable.
Concrete stands up to natural disasters, wind-driven rain, moisture damage, and vermin. Less replacement means reduced resource requirements.

Concrete is cool.
Using light- or natural-colored material helps reduce the heat island affect.

Concrete is low emitting.
Concrete has low VOC emission and does not degrade indoor air quality.

Concrete is reusable and salvageable.
Sometimes concrete is recycled in urban areas into fill and road base material at the end of service life. At Earth Element, we try to reuse any material that would often be considered scrap.

Local.
Materials are usually extracted and manufactured locally.

Recycled content.
Pozzolans, a by-product of industrial production, can substitute partially for cement, and recycled aggregates can replace newly mined gravel.