Careful selection of environmentally sustainable building materials is the easiest way for architects to begin incorporating sustainable design principles in buildings. Traditionally, price has been the foremost consideration when comparing similar materials or materials designated for the same function. However, the “off-the-shelf” price of a building component represents only the manufacturing and transportation costs, not social or environmental costs. The principles of Life Cycle Design provide important guidelines for the selection of building materials.

Each step of the manufacturing process, from gathering raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, and installation, to ultimate reuse or disposal, is examined for its environmental impact. A material’s life cycle can be organized into three phases: Pre-Building; Building; and Post-Building. These stages parallel the life cycle phases of the building itself (see this compendium’s “Sustainable Building Design” module). The evaluation of building materials’ environmental impact at each stage allows for a cost-benefit analysis over the lifetime of a building, rather than simply an accounting of initial construction costs.