Life cycle energy analysis of houses incorporating conventional and alternative masonry units

Abstract

ABSTRACT The use of alternative masonry units and technologies in traditional masonry work could reduce the life cycle energy of buildings. This study investigates the life cycle energy assessment of houses constructed using concrete blocks, eco-bricks and polymer bricks to evaluate the impacts of masonry units on the life cycle energy of buildings. Three bungalows of approximately 110 m2 each, having the same geometry but different types of wall materials, namely eco-bricks, polymer bricks, and concrete blocks, were used for the analysis. The study found embodied manufacturing energy of 0.346 MJ/kg for eco-bricks and 0.518 MJ/kg for polymer bricks. Approximately 85-86% of the total life cycle energy constitutes the operational phase energy. The polymer brick and eco-brick buildings had the least embodied construction energy of 14% of the total life cycle energy. The life cycle energy of concrete block buildings was 17.547 GJ/m2 at 50 years of service life. Buildings made of polymer bricks and eco-bricks had lower life cycle energy than the concrete block building. The study suggests a prudent selection of building materials by developers and construction professionals based on life cycle energy assessment to reduce the energy consumption of the building sector. Although the study focus is limited to eco-bricks, polymer bricks, and concrete blocks as masonry units in the Nigerian construction context, the method employed in the study is applicable to the energy analysis of other construction materials and geographical locations.