Contents

**Preface XI**


Preface

No society can exist without a healthy, natural base; hence, environmental awareness and efficiency are crucial. However, the ultimate goal of sustainability is not just healthy ecosys‐ tems but healthy community. In our age, a building is not complete and is certainly not a good building if it is not reasonably sustainable. So the goal of sustainability has far-reach‐ ing effects on architecture. The first step to create a sustainable building in collaboration with the employment of a sustainable building material is to deal with the one and other, with local building built of suitable building materials, by creating shelters and living space in different climates and regions, in the desert, on seashores, in the mountains, on the plains and on hillsides, and in the natural jungles and those of the megacities, where people of different ages and cultures understand the world differently. In our age, the environmental imperative is recognized by and unites all cultures. Though it is not easy to define, sustaina‐ bility in building a domain, as understood today, always has three basic dimensions: ecolog‐ ical-bioclimatic, economic, and social. Sustainable building means sound and environmentally friendly construction combined into a whole for resistance, the environ‐ ment, and health. Sustainable building requires perspectives from several different direc‐ tions and to think in systems solutions. In particular, the environmental work is not seen as separate activities from other operations. Key areas to consider are sound, light, and aesthet‐ ics as a sustainable building is expected to be at least 100 years. Energy is another important area to consider, to reduce carbon emissions. Choice of construction materials and practices is important, among other things, to avoid creating a sick building and thereby protect the individual and avoid occupational health. A sustainable building context embodies not only that of nature but also of us. Our present technologies, artificial environs, are counter to na‐ ture. Our encumbering impact upon and mutilation and defilement of nature's ecosystems have been an affair of unconstrained and rapid attrition. The exponential demand for ener‐ gy, the rate of technological obsolescence, pyramiding waste, lavish expectation, the rate of social change, new paradigms of energy-intensive industry and business, invasion of com‐ puters, and adroit marketing leave their critical impact upon our society. As the structure of society changes, so does architecture. Consequently, architecture has to serve the daily life and the needs of society, through the architectural functional spaces, in which it must cover all the needs of lodger starting by functioning through the material to the spiritual need sat‐ isfaction, suitable to the real way of life. The art of building environmental engineering is providing a balanced quality of environment at minimum total costs and with the minimum use of fossil fuels for providing energy. To achieve a positive environment, it is necessary to understand what environment is, how it affects people, how properties interact, and then how the ideals may be obtained in practice on an economic basis. Human quality refers to a broad perspective on human health and quality of life. It is also called social quality. This aspect ensures that you consider health, comfort, and a good indoor climate in the building.

Chapter 7 **Research on Strength, Alkali-Silica Reaction and Abrasion Resistance of Concrete with Cathode Ray Tube Glass Sand 131** Salih Taner Yildirim

#### Chapter 8 **Development of Clay Plasters Containing Thermoregulating Microcapsules for Indoor Walls 151** Ismael Sevilla, Francisco J. Castilla, David Sanz, José L. Serrano, Juan F. Rodríguez and Manuel Carmona
