Developing Double Walls System to Improve Building Energy Performances in Dry Tropical Climates

Abstract

This paper deals with building envelope thermal performance through a comparative study of the use of two types of construction materials, such as CEB and cement blocks, in order to introduce the use of double walls in sustainable buildings' construction. The building envelope participates in providing thermal comfort to users and in the optimal management of building energy consumption. This study begins with a survey of public preferences for building materials used in Burkina Faso. The results indicate that 76% of the people surveyed opt for cement blocks over local materials. Concerning the thermal and specific energy performance, three variants of building envelope were studied: CEB walls, cement blocks and the double-wall (CEB + Cement blocks). It appears that the CEB walls are more efficient than the cement block walls. The introduction of double envelopes leads to the thermal resistance of 357.37m².K/W and reduces the heat flow from 85.32% to 90.24% compared to the wall made with CEB and cement blocks. This approach, which consists in mixing construction materials for good thermal insulation, allows improving the envelope thermal performance and the overall building energy performance.