Ecodesign assessment information an important tool for the design of new elements for building construction

Abstract

This paper reports some aspects about a new wallboard panel for building construction, a few facts from the materials research involved in the wallboard production and the design process carried on are reported too. The research done on the new panel eventually became in a whole new building construction system but more specific technical information about the system and the panel´s technical profile can be found in other publications, here has been privileged the discussion about the environmental impact produced by the new system´s in a whole. The flat panel is produced mainly with a nucleus of gypsum and water plaster, during its process that mixture has been enriched with agave dry fibers and polystyrene expanded plastic particles those materials cooperate to produce a light and resistant flat building construction product, both materials, dry fibers and plastic are materials recovered from the urban waste flow, this is a environmental benefit by itself. Wallboards samples were produced according several formulas and under different conditions, after they all were tested in labs. The project named “Design a building construction system based on an innovative flat panel produced with gypsum plaster, expanded plastic particles and agave dry fibers as reinforcement” is a six stages research project: a) Background, b) Preliminary lab works, c) Experimental stage 1, d). Experimental stage 2, e) Design and product development, and, f). Eco design assessment. Today all of project stages show a great advance, and the research team works on a detailed design for a new building construction system. As can be noticed in the project’s framework, one of the main objectives for the system is to reach a less ecological impact than other similar products. In order to verify that those goals have been reached, an Ecodesign assessment was carried on by the research team. In this paper the assessment procedure and some data output are brought to discussion. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/IFDP.2016.3368