5 Eco-Friendly Material Trends in 2024​

Created By RISC | 9 months ago

Last modified date : 9 months ago

Discover the top 5 eco-friendly material trends for 2024. Every year, new trends emerge in the fashion, vehicle, and technology industries. Design and construction are meanwhile building the circular economy to save the world, slow global warming, and improve health. These trends influence how we choose construction materials. ​

Let’s look at 5 eco-friendly architectural material trends in 2024. ​

• Locally Sourced Material: Using locally produced materials reduces carbon footprint emissions from international transportation while also supporting the local economy.​

• Recycled Material: Scrap construction materials or waste can be recycled as ingredients in manufacturing. Improvements to create upcycled materials can increase product value, decrease landfill waste, make better use of available resources, and optimize benefits throughout the product's life.​

• Bio-Based Materials: Natural materials such as wood, bamboo, mycelium bricks formed from fungi, and hemp are becoming increasingly popular and are being researched and developed to be more useful in the construction sector. These materials can be continuously grown and replaced, making them more sustainable than concrete, which cannot be replaced by mountains. Furthermore, these natural minerals improve mental health. ​

• Smart Materials: The development of materials with improved qualities, such as self-repairing concrete, changeable building walls based on temperature and light, and energy-efficient roof tiles are all becoming a more realistic option in the future.​

• Health Material: Since materials affect people inside buildings, materials should be chosen for their properties regarding health, such as non-toxic materials with low toxins, low-VOC materials, materials that reduce the accumulation of dust, mold, and bacteria, or materials that improve air quality and the indoor environment, such as air purifying paint, antiviral tiles, and curtains. This trend in health materials continues to gain traction, and new materials are becoming available. This is a topic frequently discussed in the marketplace.​

Each material has unique features that are determined by its intended use, budget, building technique, and the vision of project owners and designers. However, this green materials movement symbolizes a global trend toward sustainable, innovative, and health-focused materials for all well-being in architecture and construction design, as people pay greater attention to the environment and their health.​

Story by Tiptaptim Sunpaechudasil, Senior Sustainable Designer, RISC​