re: Hardiplank
From: Buzz Burrell (72253.2101compuserve.com)
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 1996 21:54:39 -0600
Sherri wrote in part:

>Our architects are enthusiastic about "hardiplank," a concrete and celloulose
>material that looks a lot like wood. Eno Commons is looking for exterior
>materials that are less expensive than solid wood, fairly "green," and will
hold
>up over the years. I'm skeptical of all new, composite materials. Eric Hart and
>I have exchanged some private e-mail, in which he stated that all concrete
based
>materials are inherently environmentally very destructive.

Aha!  The concrete discussion has spilled over from the Strawbale-List to the
Cohousing-List!  (Eric and I are on both).

Concrete has been somewhat controversial, with some people saying it is a poor
choice due to its high emobodied energy (it takes a lot of heat to fire the lime
to make the cement that is in the concrete).  Myself, I like concrete.

However, to use it on a wall is a bit odd.  Concrete has excellent properties
that make it a good choice for all applications that are in contact with the
ground.  Therefore, if one wants to avoid using products with a high embodied
energy, one would only use concrete where its special qualities were needed;
imitating shiplap wood siding might not be one of those applications.

On the other hand, the other cheap alternative is hardboard siding, which is
also imitating wood planks, and is also wood chips glued together with
something, in this case formaldhyde based glues.  If one were to use real wood,
then the concern arises regarding cutting down all those trees in order to put a
high maintenance, very leaky, rot and insect prone, cladding on your otherwise
nice house.

At Geneva, we have a Covenant that states all buildings must have a stucco
exterior.  In probably 90% of the world, wood or its imitations is not used to
clad buildings (it doesn't work well anyway, and most countries don't have the
forests to exploit that we have).

The ironic aspect is that most stucco is ... concrete  (cement-based plaster).
Thus, most strawbale buildings have a fair amount of concrete in them, since
they are always rendered inside and out.  The old stuccos were mud, and now
there are synthetic stuccos (acrylic), but most stuccos today are still
cementious.  

What to do?  Good question.  It is definitly worth investigating and
considering, but a clear answere on this particular subject (exterior wall
siding) does not leap out, at least to me.  

Taking just the environmental concerns, look at your proposed material, and ask
these questions of it:

1. How much energy will it save or use during its life
2. How much energy did it take to produce and deliver it
3. How many toxic substances were produced to make it, or is it giving off now
4. How long will it last before it gets chucked
5. Is the original material renewable or finite
6. Who gets your money (when you buy it) and what are they doing with it

Then make your own decision, and be happy you did the best you could.

Buzz Burrell
Paonia, CO
72253.2101 [at] compuserve.com

  • Hardiplank Graham Meltzer, March 6 1996
    • re: Hardiplank Buzz Burrell, March 6 1996
    • Re: Hardiplank TIM HEUSER, March 9 1996

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