Sustainable Materials in Contemporary Design

Every building is, at its most fundamental, an assembly of materials. Concrete, timber, steel, glass, stone — these are the words of our architectural vocabulary. And like words, they carry meaning beyond their utility. The choice of material speaks to values: permanence or flexibility, locality or globalism, care or indifference.

At PK Arquitetos, we believe that sustainable design is not a style — it is a discipline.

The Problem with "Green" Labels

The construction industry accounts for roughly 40% of global carbon emissions. Yet much of what is marketed as "sustainable" architecture relies on complex, energy-intensive systems: triple-glazed curtain walls, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, photovoltaic arrays. These technologies have their place, but they can obscure a simpler truth: the most sustainable building is the one that needs the least.

A thick stone wall insulates passively. A well-placed overhang eliminates the need for motorised blinds. A lime render breathes, regulating humidity without machinery. Before reaching for high-tech solutions, we ask: can the material itself do the work?

Materials We Believe In

Cork

Portugal is the world's largest producer of cork, and we use it extensively — as insulation, wall cladding, and flooring. Cork is renewable (the bark regenerates every nine years), carbon-negative, and extraordinarily versatile. Its warm, tactile surface brings a distinct character to interiors that synthetic alternatives cannot replicate.

Rammed Earth and Adobe

In rural projects, we have explored rammed earth construction — compacting local soil into formwork to create thick, load-bearing walls. The thermal mass of earth keeps interiors cool in summer and warm in winter. The material is literally beneath our feet.

Reclaimed Timber

We source reclaimed timber from demolition sites and salvage yards. Old-growth pine joists, oak floorboards, chestnut beams — these materials carry decades of history. They are structurally sound, dimensionally stable, and possess a patina that new wood cannot match.

Lime and Natural Plasters

Cement production is one of the largest industrial sources of CO₂. Where possible, we substitute hydraulic lime or clay-based plasters, which cure through carbonation — effectively reabsorbing CO₂ over time. These finishes are softer, more forgiving of movement, and age gracefully.

Design for Disassembly

Beyond material selection, we are increasingly thinking about how buildings end. A bolted steel connection can be undone; a welded one cannot. A dry-laid stone wall can be relocated; a poured concrete foundation cannot. Designing for disassembly means designing for a future we cannot predict — and respecting the resources we borrow from the earth.

The Beauty of Honest Materials

There is an aesthetic argument, too. Materials that show their nature — the grain of timber, the variation of handmade brick, the texture of rough plaster — create spaces that feel authentic. They develop character over time, rather than degrading. A scratched marble floor tells a story; a scratched laminate is simply damaged.

We are not interested in buildings that look perfect on day one and decline thereafter. We want buildings that improve with age.

A Long-Term View

Sustainability is not a checklist. It is a way of thinking that begins with the first sketch and extends through decades of occupation. It means choosing materials that are local, that require less energy to produce, that can be repaired rather than replaced, and that will still serve the next generation.

This is not radical. It is, in many ways, a return to the way buildings were always made — before the era of cheap energy and disposable construction. The difference is that today, we make this choice consciously.