Sustainable Construction Systems Research Articles

Waste Management of Construction and Demolition Materials Towards Sustainable Growth of Nagpur City

The higher amount of buildings and infrastructures in India, number of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is increasing continuously. These wastes, if not completely recycled, will create the environmental problems. This research paper concentrates on the use of a system dynamics technique to develop a C&D waste recycling. The project is based on the recycling of the rapidly increasing construction and demolition waste. Through this process we want to take a step ahead, the idea of stopping illegal Dumping and ultimately save our mother Earth from destruction. The cost of recycled C&D solid waste resulting in reduction of overall construction cost. The demolition is the most commonly pronounced word in the construction industry. As per the new building rules building should be demolished after its service period. Now-a-days the importance is given to sustainable and environmental friendly construction; there should be effective control of the demolition waste. The demolition waste can be reused for the construction. Construction and demolition (C and D) waste is defined as the solid waste generated by the construction, renovation, repair, alteration or demolition of residential, commercial, government or institutional buildings, industrial, commercial facilities and infrastructures such as roads, bridges, dams, tunnels, railways and airports. Construction and demolition waste is considered as high volume, low risk. It is commonly understood that this waste can be considered a resource, either for reuse in its original form or for recycling or energy recovery. Because of increasing waste production and public concerns about the environment, it is desirable to recycle materials from building demolition. If suitably selected ground cleaned appropriate industrial crushing in plants, these materials can be profitably used in concrete. Despite this, most Construction and Demolition waste ends up in landfills recycled aggregate and recycled sand that can be obtained. Further with the help of the obtained recycled material we intend to make various products such as concrete, paver blocks, hollow blocks, etc which will in turn be less costly as well. These recycled materials and products made from it are economical without any considerable change in the strength and durability aspect. Not only the cost effectiveness but it will also be aesthetically pleasing. According to Metropolitan region development authority the amount of construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) must be reduced by at least 70%. 3Rs model (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) in the C&D waste management with costs savings. This paper finds a broader understanding of the socioeconomic implications of waste management over time and the positive effects of these policies in the recycled to achieve the goal of C&D waste as well as the composition of Construction and Demolition waste, the need for its recycling and options that can be implemented for its efficient use in the field of concrete technology. Key Words: C & D waste; sustainable construction systems, Recycling, Concrete.

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE APPLIED TO THE DESIGN OF THE HOUSING CORE

This article presents the results of research focused on the design of core housing as a product, process, and continuous transformation system, achieved through a unified space, as a recurring solution since the origins of humankind and an alternative for small spaces. The proposal for affordable housing in Cuenca for low-income populations is based on an approach that involves not only the housing solution but also the relationship with people's ways of living, bioclimatic criteria, and the study of a sustainable construction system. Qualitative research methodologies and transdisciplinary workshops were used to create spaces for discussion and verification with the participation of various stakeholders. Therefore, the research work integrated people's ways of living, the use of local materials, and indoor comfort conditions. After tabulating the gathered data, the design of the core housing was carried out, enabling the design to accommodate the ways people live, rather than the other way around. Ultimately, enabling appropriation according to specific needs of diverse family compositions, in addition to a sustainable construction system as an ecological and economical solution.

Global Resistance Methods for the Design of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) Beams with Material Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis

This article explores the application of the global resistance methods (GRMs) on the design of hybrid glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams. Addressing challenges posed by GFRP-reinforced beams, this study aims to assess the impact of material uncertainties on the behavior of such hybrid beams. The investigation involves the experimental testing of I-shaped SFRC beams, which are used to develop and validate nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) models. These models incorporate material non-linearities while minimizing uncertainties related to modeling assumptions. Through the application of GRM, the study evaluates the global resistance safety factor, offering insights into the structural performance of hybrid reinforcement SFRC beams. Ultimately, this research seeks to facilitate a transition from traditional localized approaches to more accurate and comprehensive analyses for the design of hybrid reinforcement SFRC beams, contributing to the advancement of structural engineering by promoting safer, more resilient, and sustainable construction systems.

Sustainability aspect of possible material substitution in construction industry

While creating the sustainable construction systems it is crucial to innovate in production of construction materials by maximizing recycling and reuse of the materials during production and use of the buildings. The intention of this paper is to provide new insights and better understanding of sustainable oriented innovation in production of construction materials, in particular substitution of cement in mortar with waste material, fly ash, bearing in mind its huge negative impact on the environment. Previous investigations of possible use of fly ash have proven the possibility of its use for the production of cement for lightweight concrete, bricks, asphalt fillers, however the use of the fly ash in cement screeds was not considered.The aim of this work was to examine at first, justification of substitution of cement in mortar with fly ash due to its newly gained properties as change of density, compressive strength and water absorption. In order to take into account aspect of environmental protection the newly gained mechanical properties of the materials were tested in terms of its convenience for use in cement screeds.

Characterization of Mechanical Properties of Concrete Recycled Ceramic and Glass Powder Exposed to Elevated Temperatures

Systematic reuse of industrial debris is a crucial component that helps shape the sustainable construction system and green technology. The effective optimization of waste ceramic and glass fines into concrete mixes, as partial replacements of natural sand by volume, has been used in this study to explore the mechanical properties of ceramic recycled aggregate (CRA) and glass recycled aggregate (GRA) concrete at higher temperatures. The study comprises 17 types of concrete mixtures comprised of normal concrete (NC) along with 8 different mixes from both GRA and CRA concrete. In both types of GRA and CRA concrete, the sand replacement (by volume) ratios are similar. This paper highlights NC along with the volumetric replacements of sand as 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, and 40% in other mixes. A total of 306 cylinders were made whereas 18 cylinders for NC and each group (GRA and CRA) included n=18 cylinders. Selected temperatures were 25°C, 100°C, 200°C, 400°C, 600°C, and 800°C to determine the overall mechanical and chemical alterations in NC and recycled concrete. The study reveals that increasing the addition of recycled glass and ceramic fines improves the overall compressive strength, and tensile strength compared to normal concrete. Higher replacement of ceramic and glass fines reduces the cracks and enhances the durability of concrete. In addition, more strength reduction was noticed in NC with increasing temperatures, while the reduction rate was slower in both GRA and CRA concrete. Furthermore, the study expounds that, by exploiting the ceramic and glass wastes (as fines) into concrete would result in two-way environmental advantages. One is, it would reduce the hazardous ceramic and glass landfills while the other is, it would minimize the frequency of sand mining.

Considerations on the use of ultrasonic pulse velocity, compressive and indirect tensile tests for the quality control of statically compressed earth samples

Rammed earth has become, in recent years, an alternative and more sustainable construction system with respect to techniques that use industrial materials with a greater environmental impact. Although there is currently much research focusing on earthen construction and especially on those techniques based on compacted soil, there are still many physical-mechanical aspects that require further study. Therefore, this article proposes a preliminary study on a specific type of rammed earth using static compaction which, by applying high energy, achieves dry densities similar to the dynamic compaction procedure. In this research, small-size prismatic and cylindrical specimens are tested. The samples are first studied by means of ultrasound pulse velocity (UPV) non-destructive tests. Then, destructive compressive and tensile strength tests are performed. The relationship between UPV along the compaction and perpendicular directions with the mechanical strength and the compaction gradient of the samples is investigated.

Investigation on the use of co-products from olive oil industry in earth bricks

In 2020, an estimated 3.2 million metric tons of olive oil was produced worldwide. Producing also a similar amount of a solid and liquid coproducts consisting mainly of pomace and olive mill wastewater. These by product are generally untreated and discharged immediately into the environment which consists a major ecological issue for olive oil-producing countries due to their high toxic organic loads and low pH. Morocco is one of the countries facing this issue. Actually, we are highly ranked in the world in terms of production and exploitation of products from the olive sector which constitutes 5% of our national agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Furthermore, the building sector in Morocco represents 33% of the energy consumed nationally. Thereby, the construction industry must adapt to new trends and environmentally sustainable construction systems, thus requiring lines of research aimed at keeping energy consumption in new buildings as low as possible. In this context, this work presents a review of the state of the art concerning the uses of coproducts from the olive industry in construction materials, more specifically fired and unfired clay bricks. First, we went by the chemical composition of the coproducts taking into consideration the used process of extraction. In fact, olive oil can be extracted through discontinuous or continuous processes. In both processes yield three fractions: a solid residue and two liquid phases (oil and olive mill wastewater). We surveyed several academic research that showed that these coproducts are mainly composed of phenolic compounds, carbohydrates, organic acids and mineral nutrients variably distributed depending on the process employed and the agronomic practices. Then, we discussed and expounded the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of bricks reinforced by olive oil coproduct. In particular, we outlined that with olive oil coproduct we can produce light, porous earth bricks with good thermal performance.

Costing, Adobe Technique as a Sustainable Construction System in the City of Cuenca

Adobe is an old material used in construction but over time, this construction system has lost space and preference among population. Hence, the need to seek alternatives as professionals in the construction area to encourage the use of the Adobe technique has raised. Thus, the present study made a cost of the items involved in the construction of houses from the adobe based on the theoretical references. In addition, it established a unit price analysis that identifies the particularities of this system focusing on an analytical, descriptive-conclusive methodology whose data are analysed from the results of applying a survey (n = 96) to the inhabitants of the rural sector of Cuenca and construction experts (n = 11). The average price of the construction of houses with Adobe is $ 38,357.23 dollars for a house of 150 m2 taking into account that the real costs and the construction activity are sensitive to changes in the population and market prices.

Bahareque as a Sustainable Construction System: Analysis of Unit Prices

The bahareque is a form of vernacular construction that, with the help of modern materials with adequate techniques and knowledge, constitute an alternative to provide housing solutions. Despite this, the lack of knowledge and technical processes in relation to costs, gives rise to a research problem. Thus, this document presents a set of technical strategies based on the Cost-Benefit analysis of using bahareque as a raw material and structuring a unit price analysis tool to guide construction professionals. The study had a qualitative and quantitative approach, surveys were applied to the population and professionals in the construction area that allowed to approach the reality of the construction system in the city of Cuenca-Ecuador. It is evident that people know about the construction system, but show some resistance to its application because they are unaware of the advantages and disadvantages of the vernacular technique. With the cost analyzes carried out, it is concluded that a typical house of 130 m2 has a cost of $ 36,387.72 dollars; which, starts from concrete foundations, which support a reinforced masonry assembly that raises the wooden frames, associated with meshes that erect the walls with mortar and finally covered with roofs with a mixed material of wood and tile fired with clay.

Architectural building design with refurbished shipping containers: a typological and modular approach

Construction of housing buildings using refurbished shipping containers constitutes a successful recent building system. As construction modules, disposed and recycled containers are considered to contribute for a sustainable construction system. This article aims to contribute to a better understanding on this construction system, in particular the architectural project. A methodology based on the typological and modular coordination is proposed as a key tool to help for the development of spatial arrangements by considering the shipping container as a unit/module. The functional occupation typologies were proposed to characterize the main housing activities to be considered in modular coordinated design, allowing to adapt the housing to the family needs according to their social and cultural dynamics. The module constitution and geometry considering two commercial maritime shipping containers are presented.

Factor validity and reliability performance analysis of human behavior in green architecture construction engineering

The factor validity and reliability performance analysis of the human cognitive behavior in green sustainable construction system has a great significant in safeguarding the quality and safety. At first, this paper analyzes factors affecting performance reliability of the human cognitive behavior in green sustainable construction system, and looks the humans and their environment as a whole system to establish the individual performance reliability model based on the Markov chain analysis method. Then, a novel hybrid computational intelligence method for factor validity and reliability performance analysis of the human cognitive behavior in green sustainable construction system is presented. The presented detailed method and steps can help us to know the influence of green construction management and the environment and find the key factors to improve the reliability of the whole system.

How using smart buildings technology can improve indoor environmental quality in educational buildings

An educational building must integrate smart building strategies to ensure indoor environmental quality. Thermal, acoustic, visual comfort and indoor air quality are to be considered, otherwise they can develop the sick building syndrome. Smart buildings solve this potential problem by providing a highly efficient living ambience that includes safety, comfort and a good quality of living/learning/working experience, that helps the users achieve their best possible performance. These buildings should integrate advanced technologies such as automated systems and the implementation of architectural skins, well and functional designed spaces and architectural features that act as active bioclimatic solutions. The following is a case study of an architectural project for an elementary and junior high school academic campus in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico that has to deal with the extreme climate conditions of the location, while applying the best alternative and bioclimatic strategies through the implementation of inmotics, a responsive architectural skin, sustainable construction systems and native vegetation. In doing so, a comprehensive environmentally friendly building is created, taking advantage of the surrounding natural conditions, using the latest environmentally oriented systems and technologies. The result is a healthy, safe, and productive space for its users that greatly benefits the teaching-learning process.

Sustainable construction system with Egyptian metakaolin based geopolymer concrete sandwich panels

As one of the largest environmental offenders, the construction industry is a prime candidate for the application of the principles of sustainability. Sustainability could be achieved by using environment friendly materials and structural systems in construction industry. This paper aimed to study using geopolymer concrete as a structural board in constructing insulation sandwich panels under different types of loading. Four compression tests were performed on wall specimens in order to study the behavior of the panels under vertical in plane forces. Axial capacity prediction of wall panels was discussed using four published design equations. Eight one-way slab sandwich panels specimens were tested under flexure loading with different shear span ratios in order to compare the flexural behavior of conventional concrete and geopolymer concrete sandwich panels. The capacities of the slab panels were estimated using the conventional concrete codes provisions and compared to the experimental values. Geopolymer sandwich panels approved its ability to sustain different type of loading in the same manner as that of conventional concrete. A prototype was constructed to assess the constructability and the construction cost of the proposed system. The lack of production lines of geopolymer ingredients increases the material cost. On the other hand, the calculated total cost for different construction systems revealed that the labor cost is lower for the cast in place structural insulated panels CIP-SIP system.

“PET tool” – a software tool for lightweight extensive green roofs performance analyses

Due to energy, environmental, and social benefits, green roofs are recognized as a bioclimatic technology and sustainable construction systems and are becoming a predominant solution in connection with urban planning and building envelope retrofitting. To support design and marketing of Urbanscape® lightweight extensive green roofs a special software tool was developed, which is presented in the paper. Performance evaluation tool (PET tool) is validated based on extensive and continuous 5-years in-situ monitoring of thermal and hydrological response of different Urbanscape green roofs. The key performance indicators of Urbanscape green roofs are evaluated based on calculated thermal and hydrological response. To emphasize the advantages of green roofs thermal response and performance indicators are determined also for non-vegetated roof for the same boundary conditions. PET tool enables i) evaluation of Urbanscape green roofs’ whole year thermal and hydrological response, ii) to search for the optimal design of the Urbanscape green roof system in terms of energy and water performance, iii) evaluation of comparative advantages compared to non-vegetated roof, iv) energy savings and CO2 emission reduction analyses for heating and cooling season. Analyses can be made for arbitrary worldwide climate conditions since meteorological parameters are gathered from Meteonorm database.

Achieving Sustainability of Traditional Wooden Houses in Indonesia by Utilization of Cost-Efficient Waste-Wood Composite

Although Indonesians have for many years used wood to build traditional houses, currently it is difficult to find new traditional houses made from wood. Since wood is too expensive for local people, concrete becomes the major construction material instead. However, wood is considered a sustainable material that is eco-friendly, recyclable, and has less of an environmental impact than concrete. In this study, an innovative and cost efficient waste-wood composite structure was proposed with the intention of fulfilling local demand for the construction of traditional wooden houses, as well as supplying a sustainable and cost-efficient wooden product in the construction sector. Four small pieces of waste wood connected with steel nails or self-tapping screws were assembled into a rectangular waste-wood composite, serving as secondary beam, column, or brace. These waste-wood composites are considered recyclable and low-cost, and provide an alternative solution for local people that achieves an affordable and sustainable construction system. The assembled wood components were tested under single shear in order to clarify the structural performance of connection and the failure modes. The comparison of the experimental results and predicted results showed that the predicted strength is considered in a conservative manner for further application. In addition, the cost estimation and comparison between a solid wood structure and the waste-wood composite structure indicated that the price of the waste-wood composite structure is potentially competitive and cost-efficient for the local people, which was optimistic for future development.

Sustainable earth-based vs. conventional construction systems in the Mediterranean climate: Experimental analysis of thermal performance

The building envelope has high potential to reduce the energy consumption of buildings according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) because it is involved along all the building process: design, construction, use, and end-of-life. The present study compares the thermal behavior of seven different building prototypes tested under Mediterranean climate: two of them were built with sustainable earth-based construction systems and the other five, with conventional brick construction systems. The tested earth-based construction systems consist of rammed earth walls and wooden green roofs, which have been adapted to contemporary requirements by reducing their thickness. In order to balance the thermal response, wooden insulation panels were placed in one of the earth prototypes. All building prototypes have the same inner dimensions and orientation, and they are fully monitored to register inner temperature and humidity, surface walls temperatures and temperatures inside walls. Furthermore, all building prototypes are equipped with a heat pump and an electricity meter to measure the electrical energy consumed to maintain a certain level of comfort. The experimentation was performed along a whole year by carrying out several experiments in free floating and controlled temperature conditions. This study aims at demonstrating that sustainable construction systems can behave similarly or even better than conventional ones under summer and winter conditions. Results show that thermal behavior is strongly penalized when rammed earth wall thickness is reduced. However, the addition of 6 cm of wooden insulation panels in the outer surface of the building prototype successfully improves the thermal response.

Properties of Residue from Olive Oil Extraction as a Raw Material for Sustainable Construction Materials. Part I: Physical Properties

Action on climate, the environment, and the efficient use of raw materials and resources are important challenges facing our society. Against this backdrop, the construction industry must adapt to new trends and environmentally sustainable construction systems, thus requiring lines of research aimed at keeping energy consumption in new buildings as low as possible. One of the main goals of this research is to efficiently contribute to reducing the amount of residue from olive oil extraction using a two-phase method. This can be achieved by producing alternative structural materials to be used in the construction industry by means of a circular economy. The technical feasibility of adding said residue to ceramic paste was proven by analyzing the changes produced in the physical properties of the paste, which were then compared to the properties of the reference materials manufactured with clay without residue. Results obtained show that the heating value of wet pomace can contribute to the thermal needs of the sintering process, contributing 30% of energy in pieces containing 3% of said material. Likewise, adding larger amounts of wet pomace to the clay body causes a significant decrease in bulk density values.

Rammed earth walls in Mediterranean climate: material characterization and thermal behaviour

Rammed earth is considered a very sustainable construction system due to its low embodied energy, long service life and high recyclability. However, authors found that there is a lack of experimental results at real scale regarding rammed earth thermal behaviour. For this reason, this paper is first focused on the characterization of two different types of earth in order to check the suitability of being used in rammed earth walls. After the characterization, two experimental cubicle-shape buildings were built in Barcelona and Puigverd de Lleida (Spain) in order to test the thermal behaviour of their walls in two different climatic conditions. Temperature profiles inside walls have been monitored using thermocouples and temperature profile of southern walls was analysed in free floating conditions during summer and winter periods of 2013. Results show that thermal amplitude from outside to inside temperatures are decreased by rammed earth walls, achieving constant temperatures in inner surface of southern walls.

Adaptation of rammed earth to modern construction systems: Comparative study of thermal behavior under summer conditions

Buildings should be understood as a process that consumes energy in all their phases (design, construction, use and end-of-life) and, more specifically, the building envelope is clearly involved in all of them. For this reason, the International Energy Agency defines in its latest publication the improvement of building envelopes as one of the key points to reduce the energy consumption in buildings. In the present study, two sustainable construction systems based on rammed earth walls are adapted to modern requirements to be thermally tested and compared against three Mediterranean conventional systems under summer conditions. The experimentation was done by performing several experiments in free floating and controlled temperature conditions at real scale in five cubicle-shape buildings with inner dimensions 2.4×2.4×2.4m. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that more sustainable construction systems can be used instead of conventional ones, with higher embodied energy, and achieve similar thermal response. Results show that the reduction of rammed earth wall thickness strongly penalizes its thermal behavior. However, similar thermal response than conventional systems is reached when 6cm of wooden insulation panels are added in the outer face of the cubicle-shape building.

Development for Sustainable Construction System Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) in Egypt Using Nanotechnology

One of the mile stones for the success of construction projects is the project management triangle (time, cost and quality). During the past decade, a lot of construction systems have been developed to this triangle. GFRG system was one of these systems (for example that was established in Australia), it fulfilled LEED certificate for construction materials. When it is compared with traditional systems in Egypt, Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) system superior to traditional systems in time, cost in case of repetitive projects and quality. The world awareness for sustainability have increased lately in different aspects, thermal comfort is one of the main sustainable aspects that influence users. This paper aims to study thermal comfort for GFRG system in Egypt and comparing with traditional systems, it also aims to study the nanotechnology to develop this construction material in order to increase thermal comfort performance.