Abstract
Cob is an earthen building material that offers a minimally processed, low carbon, and locally available alternative to conventional building materials and methods. This paper provides a framework for a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from an embodied perspective of energy and air emissions, using cob earthen wall construction as well as benchmark wall assemblies of concrete masonry and wood frame. The results of the study show that cob production requires only 18–38% energy and reduces 75–82% of global climate change impacts when compared to conventional materials. Significantly, the embodied environmental impacts of cob were shown to be lower than conventional materials in all aspects. Further, sensitivity analysis shows that impacts can be further reduced by maximizing the use of local materials.
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