Alternative Materials As an Opportunity to Reduce Environmental Impacts in the Construction Sector

Abstract

Construction has become a serious environmental problem due to its high demand on natural resources and the massive production of large volumes of waste that require special handling. Because of this, it is necessary to rethink the materials used in the sector, together with the methods of extraction and production, as well as the application of instruments that facilitate the reduction of the impacts associated with construction works, from the design stage or obtaining raw materials. In this way, a bibliographic search of various electronic documents was used, mainly from the databases of the National University, among other academic search engines. The methodological process was based on a qualitative research, where theory and bibliographic review were the frame of reference. The purpose is to identify alternative materials such as adobe, wood, hemp, straw, bamboo, and eco-bricks made from household waste, which can replace the use of traditional materials. In this sense, the present bibliographic research allowed demonstrating that alternative materials are capable of providing the same structural support to a construction work, compared to other conventional materials. It also highlights the added value that these options provide to the construction sector, reducing the associated ecological footprints and improving the environmental balance, since the high environmental costs of resource extraction are reduced and other negative environmental impacts are minimized.