Management in Construction Research Association (MiCRA) Postgraduate Conference SUSTAINABLE BUILDING MATERIAL FOR GREEN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, CONSERVATION AND REFURBISHING Usman Aminu Umar 1, a* , M. F. Khamidi 2, b and Hassan Tukur 3, c 1, 2 University Technology Petronas/Civil Engineering Department, Perak, Malaysia a Email: usman_g0189@utp.edu.my, b Email: mfaris_khamidi@petronas.com. 3 Tianjin University of Technology/Mechanical Engineering Department, Tianjin, China. c Email: tingilin@yahoo.com Abstract—Materials are the essential components of buildings construction. Chemical, physical and mechanical Properties of materials as well as an appropriate design are accountable of the building mechanical strength. The design of green buildings should thus begin with the selection and use of eco-friendly materials with related or better features than traditional building materials. Building materials are usually selected through functional, technical and financial requirements. However, with sustainability as a crucial issue in the last decades, the building sector, directly or indirectly causing a considerable portion of the annual environmental deterioration, can take up the obligation to contribute to sustainable development by finding more environmentally benign methods of construction and building. Among the directions for solutions is to be found in new material applications, recycling and reuse, sustainable production of products or use of green resources, Careful selection of eco- friendly sustainable building materials may be the fastest way for builders to start integrating sustainable design concepts in buildings. Ordinarily, price has been the primary consideration when comparing related materials or materials selected for similar purpose. Nevertheless, the price of a building element signifies just the manufacturing and transportation costs, not social or environmental costs. Substantial initiatives have been carried out by the research community globally, in order to discover alternative sustainable building materials and low technology techniques, which result in a more sustainable and affordable construction complying with the comfort standards required today. Embracing green building materials is a good alternative to meet to this objective. Therefore, Selection of construction materials that have minimum environmental burdens is useful in the sustainable development of a nation. The purpose of this paper is to highlight how sustainable building material can contribute to lessen the impact of environmental degradation, and generate healthy buildings which can be sustainable to the occupant as well as our environment. Keywords—Sustainable Building, Sustainable Materials, Green Building, Construction Industry. I. INTRODUCTION Buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment, using about 40% of natural resources extracted in industrialized nations [1], consuming virtually 70% of electricity and 12% of potable water [2], and producing between 45% and 65% of the waste disposed in our landfills [3]. Additionally, they are responsible for a massive amount of harmful emissions, accounting for 30% of greenhouse gases, due to their operation, and an additional 18% induced indirectly by material exploitation and transportation [3-4]. Simultaneously, the bad quality of indoor environments may result in health issues to employees in office buildings, hence, reducing efficiency [5]. Also Building construction consumes 40% of the raw stone, gravel, and sand used worldwide annually, and 25% of the raw timber. From the environmental impact perspective, the building sector has a significant effect on the entire environment [6]. Residential buildings represent a large percentage of the built environment, and the selections of materials and layouts are necessary for the general sustainability. Considerable initiatives have been carried out by the research community worldwide, in order to find alternative sustainable building materials and low technology methods, which result in a more sustainable and affordable construction adhering to the comfort standards needed today. Adopting green building materials is an excellent approach to meet this target. Selection of construction materials which have minimum environmental burdens is useful in the sustainable development of a country. Therefore, building related contribution to environmental issues is large and therefore essential. Selecting environmentally preferable building products is an excellent method to boost a buildings environmental performance. While there is obviously an immediate need for new technologies to optimize the application of low-impact building materials, it is also true that there are several technologies or systems, currently in use [7, 8, 9]. Many have originated from an earlier influx of sustainable housing activism and development, prompted by the 1970s environmental movement [8-10], and then boosted by the force for better energy efficient buildings [10]. their strategy has been referred to as effective in spreading ideas about best practice to dedicated green advocates, builders and individuals seeking for an alternative means of determining the material-selection process, very few such systems are available that support the effective and substantial use of local and recycled building materials in the design-decision making phase of a building [8, 9]. The objective of the study is to possible explore and highlight how sustainable building material can contribute to lessen the impact of environmental degradation, and create healthy buildings which can be sustainable to the occupant as well as our natural environment.