When you have decided to start construction on a new building, whether it is meant as a residential or commercial property, there are many factors that you will want and need to consider in the process. If you are trying to ensure that your construction project is as eco-friendly as possible, every component and step has to have the environmental impact of the project in mind. By first focusing on these smaller details, the bigger picture of your entire building's environmental friendliness will fall into place. So, why not start at the beginning and find out a few ways that you can make sure that your new building's foundation is eco-friendly. Once you know the more eco-friendly options for the foundation, you will be well on your way.  

Consider Using Screw Piles

If a deep foundation is necessary for your building to remain solid and standing, the impact to the soil and the immediate environment will be more greatly impacted than if you use a shallow foundation. However, with a deep foundation, there are still ways to minimize that impact.

Anchoring your foundation to the earth and soil makes it more stable and reduces soil erosion around your building. This, in turn, will minimize the impact your building has upon the land around your building. It also reduces the need for more soil to be displaced and therefore reduces the impact of having to move the soil to another location (the transportation of that soil requires fossil fuels and creates excess carbon dioxide).  

Screw piles (such as those from Alberta Screw Piles LTD.) screw into the soil just like a standard screw into a wooden board. This reduces noise and vibrations that could impact the natural world around your construction site and prevent nearby wildlife from being needlessly adversely impacted as well.

Be Sure To Insulate Your Foundation

Thermal energy transfer is one of the biggest issues in a building's environmental impact. As such, it is important to prevent this transfer in all areas of the building, including the foundation. Insulating your foundation is one of the ways that you can protect against this energy transfer issue.

Because you are constructing an entirely new building, you can choose for yourself whether to insulate your foundation from the outside or the inside. Outside foundation insulation is the most efficient and effective option. You can create a wall that combines insulation material like polystyrene and concrete (a polystyrene core with concrete poured over and around it) to make the foundation insulation process easier. However, insulating from inside your building basement is also an option.

Now that you know more about how to make your new building's foundation eco-friendly, you can begin the building process the right way if your environmental impact is one of your primary concerns.