PLEA2005 - The 22nd Con e ence on Passi e and Low Ene gy A chi ec u e. Bei u , Lebanon, 13-16 No embe 2005 1/1
Ene gy and Ma e ials in A chi ec u e
Echa e, Cyn hia; López de Asian, Ma ia; Fen anes, Ka la.
A chi ec u e & Ene gy. Semina o A chi ec u e and En i onmen .
School o A chi ec u e o Ba celona. Poly echnic Uni e si y o Ca alonia.
A . Diagonal, 649. E-08028 Ba celona. Tel +34 93. 401.64.21 ax +34 93.401.64.26
Mail: [email p o ec ed] ; [email p o ec ed] ; [email p o ec ed]
ABSTRACT: Nowadays i is well know ha u ban sys ems equi e a huge ma e ial and ene gy inpu
o i s unc ion. P e ious s udies ha e no iced ha mos o his ene gy demand is p oduced by
cons uc ion. This ambi abso bs he ene gy consumed by elec ici y and gas, bu also he ene gy
embodied in he cons uc ion ma e ials, which i is de ined by he o igin o he esou ces u ilized, i s
pos e io indus ial manipula ion and anspo . The ole o a chi ec u e inside ene gy balance and
masses luxes inside he u ban sys em has an impo an ele ance. In o de o his, a chi ec s equi e
new design and cons uc ion s a egies ha allow a be e use o ma e ials and e iciency on he
ene gy use o ou buildings. This a icle has he objec i e o expose he ene ge ic weigh o design
decisions, looking o an adequa e habi abili y o spaces and also a he echnology applica ions and
selec ion o cons uc ion ma e ials. Ou p incipal in en ion is o app oxima e li e cycle o ma e ials as
an a chi ec onic design egula o .
Con e ence Topic: Low ene gy a chi ec u e
Keywo ds: ene gy, ma e ials’ li e cycle, sus ainabili y, sus ainable a chi ec u e
INTRODUCTION
The need o se lemen s’ e iciency i is an
inhe en ques ion o long e m planning s a egies.
This e iciency is condi ioned p incipally by he way
esou ces a e used and he ene gy consump ion;
bo h ambi s ep esen a complex ield o in luence
ha in ol es in e es s and ac i i ies o di e se
collec i es.
Nowadays, he applica ion o cons uc ion
en i onmen al c i e ia is o e coming an ex ending
h ea . The comp omise es ablished by Kyo o,
educing emissions in indus ialized coun ies,
obliga es he inco po a ion o new s a egies ha
make e ec i e his diminu ion in a global le el.
I is well known ha he mos impo an ambi s o
ene gy consump ion and CO2 emissions a e
gene a ed by indus y and housing. In coun ies such
as China whe e hei p incipal economic ac i i y is
manu ac u ing indus ies, almos he 64% o he o al
ene gy consump ion is spen on indus y and a 16%
in housing [1]; meanwhile on indus ialized coun ies
he o al housing consume can a i e o he 35% o
he o al consume (Uni ed S a es).
Mos o housing ene gy consume is gene a ed by
buildings hea ing and cooling condi ioned sys ems.
This is he eason why he inco po a ion o an
op imized c i e ia applica ion on buildings he mal
beha io and use is so impo an .
In o he wo ds, he embodied ene gy on
cons uc ion ma e ials ep esen s an impo an inpu
on he o al ene gy and emissions u ban balance as
well. I has been calcula ed ha a uni e si y building
wi h 2,16 on o ma e ials/m2 ep esen s 5.576 MJ o
ene gy in es ed on ma e ials pe m
2, ha means
521kg o CO2 emi ed o he a mosphe e in o de o
p oduced hose ma e ials/m2 [2].
The ole o a chi ec s in his ield is o an
inc edible impo ance in e e ence o he design
p ocess, ma e ials elec ion (implica ing sys ems ha
p oduce hem) and sys ems u ilized o ans o m
ma e ial and ene gy was ed du ing and by he ac ion
o building.
A di e en concep ion o a chi ec onic p ojec ion
and design is necessa y. This has o be consis en o
he p esen needs and o he possible u u e ones
wi hin a sus ainable amewo k.
Acco ding o his ision, his pape has he
objec i e o es ablish he ac o s ha de ine he
a chi ec onic p og am and wich a e di ec ly ela ed o
ma e ial and ene gy in buildings.
This way, he e a e some pa icula s a egies ha
a e sugges ed, such as ma e ials li e cycle analysis
as a ool o new a chi ec u al design concep ion.
PLEA2005 - The 22nd Con e ence on Passi e and Low Ene gy A chi ec u e. Bei u , Lebanon, 13-16 No embe 2005 2/2
2. OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
The main objec i e is o p o ide a di e en
in e p e a ion o a chi ec u al design, which allows he
in oduc ion o maximum esou ces p o ile a he
design s age.
2.1 A chi ec u al P og am
One o he mos impo an pa o he design s age
is o de ine spa ial equi emen s o use s’ needs in
o de o ca y ou se e al ac i i ies in in e io spaces
such as es ing, cooking, ge ing washed, wo king
and communica e wi h o he s.
Each one o hese ac i i ies supposes a
de e mina e space wi h speci ic ligh ing, he mal and
acous ic condi ions. A he same ime, i equi es
se e al kind o objec s, accesso ies and app op ia e
u ni u e o de elop ce ain ac i i ies in a com o able
manne . Basic spa ial equi emen s could be di e en
acco ding o cul u al habi s and adi ions.
2.2 P ojec ual Guidelines
Fi s o all, some p incipal design guidelines ha e
o been de ined in o de o elabo a e a p ojec
equi emen p og am. These ha e o be P ojec ual
Guidelines based on he in eg al composi ion o
se e al aspec s esumed in he nex h ee ac o s:
• Fo mal
• Me abolic
• Communica ion
2.2.1 Fo mal ac o s make e e ence o aspec s
ha de ine geome y and in e io spa ial dis ibu ion o
buildings, including ex e io spaces. Fo example,
spaces can be cha ac e ized as compac and
compa men o as clea and open.
Human com o depends o he cha ac e is ics o
in e io spaces and u he mo e in cooling and
hea ing demand.
2.2.2 Me abolic Fac o s, make e e ence o
building beha io , in o de o he ma e ial and ene gy
inpu s and ou pu s. These ac o s a e de ined in one
hand by elec ic, gas, clima ic, and wa e sys ems and
also by he ma e ials cycle o building. Me abolic
ac o s depend also o he nex a iables:
• Use and building main enance.
• Clima ic Condi ions
• Ex e nal Resou ces Managemen .
2.2.3 Communica ion Fac o s, a e de ined by
he in o ma ion con ained a he p ope building and
i s ex e nal ela ion.
In hese sense, we can see wo kind o
in o ma ion ela ed o a chi ec u e, he i s one links
he building wi h ex e io as a cul u al e e ence wi h a
o mal con ex in eg a ion. The second one links he
building o he ex e io by he kind o ac i i y ha is
de eloped inside i and he exchanges ha p oduces
wi h he immedia e spaces.
Each one o hese ac o s a ec s in di e en
aspec s o design decisions, and he mos impo an ,
o he pos e io beha io in ime.
Usually, designe s use o conside , e en in an
exhaus i e way, he o mal ac o s ha a ec
a chi ec u e, howe e me abolic and communica ion
ac o s a e usually sol ed wi hou an in eg a ed
ision.
We conside ha concep ual and design
guidelines should base o mal solu ions acco ding o
he me abolic building needs and he way i has o
in e ac wi h he ex e io .
The maximum p o ile o ma e ial and ene ge ic
esou ces p o ided by he se lemen is he mos
e icien s a egy om a sus ainable a chi ec u e poin
o iew in a long e m.
3. THE RESEARCH CASE
A ecen esea ch [3] analyses he a chi ec u e o
an isola ed communi y loca ed in Chiapas, a he
sou heas o Mexico, in a jungle ecosys em.
This esea ch shows he close ela ion exis ing
be ween me abolic, o mal and communica ion
ac o s; s anding ou he de e mina e ole o he
me abolic ac o s.
The isola ed condi ions in which he communi y
se lemen is, makes e iden he impo ance o
ma e ials li e cycle in o de o each a sus ainable
de elopmen o he local a chi ec u e and he p ope
communi y in a long e m.
The supply o ma e ials o cons uc ion, ools,
objec s and also, ene ge ic demands implies a huge
e o o ex ac ion and anspo a ion o esou ces.
This is why i obliga es he maximum p o ile o hem.
Fo example, a new house is made up wi h
se e al kind o ege al species which a e p oduced in
he su oundings o he communi y se lemen . The
emaining ma e ial gene a ed du ing he cons uc ion
s age is used o pos e io ene ge ic demands such
as cooking and hea ing. Some o he s a e eused o
he c ea ion o domes ic ools o hei own use, o o
comme cialize hem as a s and c a s, which means
an economic income o amilies.
The quan i ica ion o he esul s shows ha he
highes pe cen o euse ma e ials a e o i ewood
and ools. In some cases, he emaining o ecycled
ma e ials coming om cons uc ion s age is 92% o
domes ic ools, 77.6 % o wo k ools and 74% o
i ewood.
All o hese o ganic ma e ial esou ces a e
ans o med in o ashes a he end o hei use ul li e,
as a was e, is euse as e ilize s on domes ic
cul i a ion and also as a deg ada ion subs ance o
aeces which a e s a egically place a he ex e io o
he house.
PLEA2005 - The 22nd Con e ence on Passi e and Low Ene gy A chi ec u e. Bei u , Lebanon, 13-16 No embe 2005 3/3
This way, he o ganic ma e ials’ cycle ela ed o
cons uc ion ep esen ed, a e closed, e u ning he
was es o he Biosphe e and eco e ing he quali y o
esou ces.
I is qui e di e en in he case o ino ganic
ma e ials such as hose impo ed om p ope
comme cial cen e s and p oduced by indus ialized
sys ems. This ma e ials doesn’ each he enclosu e
ma e ial cycle and emain in he local en i onmen as
con aminan s, hei deg ada ion is mo e di icul o
abso b, and o e limi s a sus ainable model.
The closed cycle o o ganic ma e ials no only
sa is ies he use and main enance o local
a chi ec u e, i de e mina es he p incipal ma e ial and
ene ge ic esou ce managemen h ough p oduc i e
sys ems ha ge he maxim p o ile o he local
en i onmen al esou ces.
Fig 1 & 2. O ganic Ma e ials Li e Cycle Analysis,
which ends as ashes and e u ning o he Biosphe e.
Pic u es by Jo di Piqué.
This means ha he communi y is obliga ed in
o de o sa is y i s own basic needs o housing and
eeding, o conse e i s adi ional p oduc i e
p ac ices ca ied ou o gene a ions om a long ime
ago ha assu es hem he esou ces hey need.
A he same ime, hey conse e he ecosys em, in
his case he jungle, he wa e elemen s and he
ege al species su ounding he houses.
On he o he hand, he clima ic condi ions wi h
high empe a u es and humidi y in ai make
necessa y a cons uc ion ypology ha p o ides
shadow and he mos possible na u al en ila ion.
The a chi ec onic solu ions esponds wi h walls
made o planks and wood s icks sligh ly sepa a ed
be ween hem, simila o a po ous en elope açade
ha allows he pass o he ai . The in e io dis ibu ion
is con igu ed by se e al indi idual ooms g ouped
inside a ege a ed adio which helps o gene a e a
com o able mic oclima e.
These ooms a e des ined o se e al unc ions
and a e classi y by in e nal ac i i ies (cooking a ea,
es ing zone, wo kshop and wa ehousing). Each one
o he ooms a e spa ially adap ed acco ding o he
unc ion.
Fo example ki chens p esen a di e en
sepa a ion o wood s icks and opens on op o he
walls ha allow no only a be e en ila ion bu also a
as smoke ex ac ion om he i ewood.
Meanwhile, es ing ooms equi e a minimum
sepa a ion ha doesn’ allow he pass o insec s and
oden animals.
Fig 3. Sleeping oom on he le and ki chen on he
igh . Pic u es by Jo di Piqué.
Communica ion ac o s a e ep esen ed in he
con igu a ion o he ooms inside he ege a i e adio
and he ela ion wi h he es o he houses ha
espond o hei pa icula cul u al cha ac e is ics o
ela ionship be ween he people o he communi y.
In he case o s udy, he me abolic ac o s ha e
de e mina e o mal and communica ion ac o s o he
design solu ion.
PLEA2005 - The 22nd Con e ence on Passi e and Low Ene gy A chi ec u e. Bei u , Lebanon, 13-16 No embe 2005 4/4
The consolida ion o hese ac o s in he
communi y de elopmen in ime makes a s ong
co espondence ha ac ually he e is no bounda y
be ween one ac o and ano he
Fig 4 & 5. Di e en ways o using he woods.
Pic u es by Jo di Piqué.
4. CONCLUSIONS
The ma e ials’ cycle om indus ialized p oduc s
in u ban sys ems as well as ma e ials’ cycle o local
esou ces in a u al sys ems, means an impo an
e o o bo h con ex eason ha con i ms he
impo ance o maximum app oach o ma e ials.
As in u ban con ex s, he mos impo an ma e ial
consump ion ields in he case o s udy we e
cons uc ion and i ewood as an ene ge ic on , and
also anspo a ion and ex ac ion o esou ces
ep esen s one o he p incipal ac i i ies o he
communi y.
The main di e ence om u ban models is he way
he was es u n back and he eloci y o esou ces
ex ac ion and consump ion. We can conclude ha
e en i he e is an u ban o u al con ex , he ene ge ic
weigh o cons uc ion ma e ials is an impo an issue
on he o al ene gy balance o he sys em, he
en i onmen al impac depends in he way ha hese
ma e ials a e used and i s pos e io e u n o he
en i onmen .
The ma e ials li e cycle analysis is con i med o
any kind o sys em we e a chi ec u e is p esen , as a
design ool s a egy ha pe mi s e alua e he e ec s
o me abolic ac o s he ma e ial elec ion and design
o planning decisions.
In o de o his, he a chi ec onic concep ion
p oposed in his pape , allows solu ions wi h a close
co espondence be ween me abolic, o mal and
communica ion ac o s gene a ing a solid design
s uc u e in cohe ence wi h he en i onmen al
guidelines needed o each sus ainabili y.
5. REFERENCES
[1] S a is ics In e na ional Ene gy Agency.
www.iea.o g/
[2] Cuchí, Albe . In o me MIES, Ap oxima ion o
en i onmen al impac o he A chi ec u e School o
Vallés. (1999), Ba celona, Spain.
[3] Fen anes, Ka la. ‘In e eni o conse a ’. PH
Thesis om he Depa men o A chi ec onic
Cons uc ions I, School o A chi ec u e o Ba celona.
Poly echnic Uni e si y o Ca alonia.
h p://www. dx.cesca.es/TDX-0207105-100514/
(2004), Ba celona, Spain.
[4] V. Be ini. “Elemen i di Ecologia U bana”. Edi ion
om Manuel Peinado Lo ca, T o a. (1996), Mad id,
Spain.
[5] M. Wacke nagel; W. Rees. "Ou ecological
oo p in educing human impac on he ea h".
Ga biola Island New Socie y Publishe s. (1996). USA.
[6] J.M. Na edo; A. Vale o. "Desa ollo económico y
de e io o ecológico", Fundación A gen a ia Viso .
(1999), Mad id, Spain.
[7] E. Odum, F. Sa mien o. "Ecologia el puen e en e
ciencia y sociedad". McG awhill In e ame icana.
(1998), Mexico.
[8] H.T. Odum. "En i onmen , powe and socie y".
Wiley In e science. (1971), New Yo k, USA.
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