Life cycle assessment of earthen materials for low-cost housing a comparison between rammed earth and fired clay bricks

Abstract

PurposeAlthough the use of diverse types of bricks as the primary construction materials has been considered for many years, vernacular earthen materials are also widely used for construction with low potential environmental impacts in developing countries. In this study, the life cycle of two types of building materials for wall building is investigated.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, life cycle carbon emissions (LCCO2) are compared and embodied energy calculation for rammed earth and fired clay bricks as two construction materials. The complete construction chain using rammed earth, as a modern norm, and fired clay bricks, as the most common construction materials in buildings, is investigated in this research.FindingsStudies on the constructions in Kashan city in the north of Isfahan province, Iran, as a case study, showed that replacing the fired bricks with rammed earth would reduce the CO2 emissions up to 1,245 kg/ton and 4,646 MJ/ton (i.e. more than 95%) of the embodied energy. It also shows that the choice of building materials should be important for building practitioners to consider the environmental impact.Originality/valueThis paper provide life cycle assessment of building materials. The findings of this study help builders and owner to choose sustainable building materials.

Rejuvenating the Market for Earth-Based Building Construction Materials in a Developing Economy

“…This component accounts for 8.71% of the TVE and has an extracted factor eigenvalue of 2.265.Less harmful, with zero toxic gas emissions = 0.740; improving human health and safety = 0.734; environmentally friendly = 0.697; the earth is abundant in most regions = 0.682; providing a protective covering to earthen walls = 0.630; earth construction promoting local culture, heritage, and material = 0.541; and creating employment opportunities = 0.516.Following a cursory look at the features of these items, it was subsequently named "Emissions and environmental benefits. "This finding is in support of the previous findings [6,44,54,56]. The use of green building materials like laterite in foundations, walls, and roofs is because of their inherent characteristics of producing zero toxic gases.…”

“…A case study survey conducted in the Iranian city of Kashan [6] discovered that rammed earth construction reduced CO2 emissions by up to 1,245 kg per tonne and captured 95% of the embodied energy. It was also reported that building material choice should be an important consideration for built environment practitioners.…”

“…The building construction sector is known globally as among the top emitters of carbon dioxide [55]. The reduction of the quantity of cement used in buildings through the adoption of earthen materials has helped to reduce carbon dioxide emissions [6,54]. Thus, these materials offer a form of protection to the environment, as described in [56].…”

“…Conventional building materials and approaches have been relied upon in the course of meeting the housing needs of the citizenry. These materials are injurious to the environment and, by extension, the economy, as well as leading to unsustainable development [4][5][6]. The traditional, conventional building construction procedures utilise environmentally harmful, eco-unfriendly, and unsustainable products that are inimical to the environment [1].…”

Stress‐Strain Relationships and Failure Load Analysis of Cement‐Stabilized Rammed Earth under Concentric and Eccentric Loading Using Finite Element Modelling

“…is technology basically involves the placing of soil between the formwork boards in layers and compacting it to the required density, to build a homogeneous wall mass. Modern era engineers typically consider rammed Earth technology as a response to the question of making residences for people with restricted financial capital [5].…”