A new wall construction technique utilizing concrete filled PVC tubes, adobe, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and cabling was designed, analyzed and implemented. The system was designed as an alternative to traditional earthen buildings in Honduras that are vulnerable to hurricane winds and seismic activity. Six prototype panels were constructed at the Alternative Village located at the University of Manitoba to evaluate the wall system for racking and transverse load capacity. A kitchen was then constructed at an elementary school in western Honduras. / October 2015

Developing nations are facing many comparable issues: unemployment, lack of housing, erratic or nonexistent utilities, and a growing sanitation challenge. This research examined the process of building a sustainable home in Honduras from conception to construction. A new roof framing system using reinforced concrete filled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing was designed and implemented. Socio-economic aspects such as skills acquisition, alternative construction approaches, community involvement and building cost were evaluated. Local norms and practices were respected to ensure the home was acceptable and maintainable. An important part of this research was the involvement of engineering and architecture students through Service Learning. Students designed and constructed various aspects of the home and studies were conducted to evaluate how their in-country experience impacted their technical, social and professional skills. This research demonstrated that it was possible to utilize local resources to construct a low-cost sustainable home that promotes on-going research in sustainable living.

Developing nations are facing many comparable issues: unemployment, lack of housing, erratic or nonexistent utilities, and a growing sanitation challenge. This research examined the process of building a sustainable home in Honduras from conception to construction. A new roof framing system using reinforced concrete filled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing was designed and implemented. Socio-economic aspects such as skills acquisition, alternative construction approaches, community involvement and building cost were evaluated. Local norms and practices were respected to ensure the home was acceptable and maintainable. An important part of this research was the involvement of engineering and architecture students through Service Learning. Students designed and constructed various aspects of the home and studies were conducted to evaluate how their in-country experience impacted their technical, social and professional skills. This research demonstrated that it was possible to utilize local resources to construct a low-cost sustainable home that promotes on-going research in sustainable living.

This dissertation studies the viability of one alternative building system as an option to conventional low-income housing. The need for research in this regard has been expressed by various government committees and commissions of inquiry, as well as by the private sector, to be of vital importance in facing the future housing challenge in southern Africa. The study is largely confined to black housing. The search for a form of shelter which combines traditional black low-technology and innovative Wes tern high-technology in a successful marriage, brings the geodesic dome to light. The conclusion reached is that in economic, technical and cultural terms, the dome compares favourably with conventional low-income housing. The social acceptance of the structure is a topic of research beyond the scope of this study.

This study will provide background information about the region of Bangladesh, more specifically the coastal rural area of Bangladesh. This region has due to the global warming become a very disaster-prone region where disaster resilience work has become increasingly relevant. Displacement of the rural coastal population due to disasters is an ongoing issue in Bangladesh which inhibits the large urbanization the capital city, Dhaka faces. This has increased the need of housing which has stimulated the brick industry that has increased its contribution to Bangladesh GDP the last years. Though the brick industry has traditionally been dominated by environmentally unfriendly methods that has caused deforestation and severe air pollution contributing to the cause of its demand creating a negative feedback loop. This study will analyse four different building materials including the traditional one by collecting data, creating analyse models and discussing them to find a more financial, environmental and technical suitable alternative to respond to the current situation to try turn the tide focusing on the rural coastal areas of Bangladesh.

Nesta investigação aprofundou se no estudo do comportamento térmico das telhas Ibaplac, fabricada com embalagens pós consumo de Tetra Pak®, fazendo um estudo comparativo com outros sistemas construtivos de cobertura convencionais. O projeto enfoca o estudo térmico da cobertura, já que esta é uma parte da construção que recebe e absorve grande quantidade de energia pela radiação solar, influindo diretamente na temperatura interna da edificação podendo provocar temperaturas internas de desconforto. Isso que pode ocasionar prejuízo na saúde dos usuários, e também na economia, pela utilização aparelhos de condicionamento do ar interior para eliminar o desconforto térmico provocando maior consumo de energia. O estudo foi realizado por meio da instalação de equipamentos que coletam os dados de temperatura automaticamente. Foram monitorados diferentes espaços do interior de quatro células de teste e um protótipo de habitação popular ocupado. Foi selecionado um dia representativo das condições climáticas para análise, das temperaturas superficiais e do ar interior. Foram comparados os resultados das quatro células de teste (telha Ibaplac-forro madeira, telha Ibaplac-forro laje cerâmica, telha fibrocimento-forro laje cerâmica, telha cerâmica laje cerâmica), e do protótipo (telha Ibaplac-forro Ibaplac) para caracterizar o comportamento térmico num dia quente do sistema de cobertura em estudo. A análise dos dados obtidos com respeito ao comportamento térmico dos sistemas de cobertura em estudo foi realizada de acordo com a sua resposta térmica no dia representativo, determinada pela análise do período de medições. Também se utilizou das planilhas e gráficos elaborados a partir dos dados coletados pelo sistema automático de aquisição de dados datalogger CR10X e das imagens do satélite GOES obtidas na internet. No final foi feita a comparação do comportamento térmico dos diferentes sistemas de cobertura se levantando as conclusões finais, determinando assim o comportamento das telhas fabricadas com material reciclado Tetra Pak® em relação aos materiais convencionais estudados paralelamente. / In this research deepened the study of the thermal behavior of tiles Ibaplac, made with used packages of Tetra Pak®, making a comparative study with other conventional systems of roofs. The project mainly focuses on the thermal study cover, because this is a part of a building that receives and absorbs large amounts of energy by solar radiation, directly influencing the internal temperature of the building and this can cause internal temperatures of discomfort, which can even cause injury on the health of users, and also the economy, for the use of internal air-conditioning equipment in order to eliminate the thermal discomfort causing higher consumption of energy. The study was conducted by the installation of equipment that collects data from temperature automatically. They were monitored different areas of the interior of four experimental cells and a test prototype of popular house occupied. Was selected a representative day for the climate analysis, of the surface temperatures and internal air temperatures. The temperature results of the four test cells (Ibaplac tile-wood ceiling, Ibaplac tile-ceramic ceiling, asbestos tile-ceramic ceiling, ceramic tile-ceramic ceiling), and the prototype (Ibaplac tile-Ibaplac ceiling) was compared in order to determine the thermal behavior on heat of the roofs systems, compared an alternative roof system with an conventional roof systems, also analyzed in this research. .A data analysis of the thermal behavior of the roof systems under study was conducted in accordance with its thermal response in heat representative day, determined for examining period of measurements, in addition to the use of excel spreadsheets and graphics compiled from data collected by the automatically acquisition system of data \"datalogger CR10X\" and satellite GOES images obtained from the Internet. At the end were compared the thermal behavior results of the different roof systems in order to get the final conclusions, thereby determining the behavior of tiles made from recycled material Tetra Pak® in comparison with a conventional system of roofs studied parallel.

Nesta investigação aprofundou se no estudo do comportamento térmico das telhas Ibaplac, fabricada com embalagens pós consumo de Tetra Pak®, fazendo um estudo comparativo com outros sistemas construtivos de cobertura convencionais. O projeto enfoca o estudo térmico da cobertura, já que esta é uma parte da construção que recebe e absorve grande quantidade de energia pela radiação solar, influindo diretamente na temperatura interna da edificação podendo provocar temperaturas internas de desconforto. Isso que pode ocasionar prejuízo na saúde dos usuários, e também na economia, pela utilização aparelhos de condicionamento do ar interior para eliminar o desconforto térmico provocando maior consumo de energia. O estudo foi realizado por meio da instalação de equipamentos que coletam os dados de temperatura automaticamente. Foram monitorados diferentes espaços do interior de quatro células de teste e um protótipo de habitação popular ocupado. Foi selecionado um dia representativo das condições climáticas para análise, das temperaturas superficiais e do ar interior. Foram comparados os resultados das quatro células de teste (telha Ibaplac-forro madeira, telha Ibaplac-forro laje cerâmica, telha fibrocimento-forro laje cerâmica, telha cerâmica laje cerâmica), e do protótipo (telha Ibaplac-forro Ibaplac) para caracterizar o comportamento térmico num dia quente do sistema de cobertura em estudo. A análise dos dados obtidos com respeito ao comportamento térmico dos sistemas de cobertura em estudo foi realizada de acordo com a sua resposta térmica no dia representativo, determinada pela análise do período de medições. Também se utilizou das planilhas e gráficos elaborados a partir dos dados coletados pelo sistema automático de aquisição de dados datalogger CR10X e das imagens do satélite GOES obtidas na internet. No final foi feita a comparação do comportamento térmico dos diferentes sistemas de cobertura se levantando as conclusões finais, determinando assim o comportamento das telhas fabricadas com material reciclado Tetra Pak® em relação aos materiais convencionais estudados paralelamente. / In this research deepened the study of the thermal behavior of tiles Ibaplac, made with used packages of Tetra Pak®, making a comparative study with other conventional systems of roofs. The project mainly focuses on the thermal study cover, because this is a part of a building that receives and absorbs large amounts of energy by solar radiation, directly influencing the internal temperature of the building and this can cause internal temperatures of discomfort, which can even cause injury on the health of users, and also the economy, for the use of internal air-conditioning equipment in order to eliminate the thermal discomfort causing higher consumption of energy. The study was conducted by the installation of equipment that collects data from temperature automatically. They were monitored different areas of the interior of four experimental cells and a test prototype of popular house occupied. Was selected a representative day for the climate analysis, of the surface temperatures and internal air temperatures. The temperature results of the four test cells (Ibaplac tile-wood ceiling, Ibaplac tile-ceramic ceiling, asbestos tile-ceramic ceiling, ceramic tile-ceramic ceiling), and the prototype (Ibaplac tile-Ibaplac ceiling) was compared in order to determine the thermal behavior on heat of the roofs systems, compared an alternative roof system with an conventional roof systems, also analyzed in this research. .A data analysis of the thermal behavior of the roof systems under study was conducted in accordance with its thermal response in heat representative day, determined for examining period of measurements, in addition to the use of excel spreadsheets and graphics compiled from data collected by the automatically acquisition system of data \"datalogger CR10X\" and satellite GOES images obtained from the Internet. At the end were compared the thermal behavior results of the different roof systems in order to get the final conclusions, thereby determining the behavior of tiles made from recycled material Tetra Pak® in comparison with a conventional system of roofs studied parallel.

This study will provide background information about the region of Bangladesh,more specifically the coastal rural area of Bangladesh. This region has due to theglobal warming become a very disaster-prone region where disaster resilience workhas become increasingly relevant. Displacement of the rural coastal population dueto disasters is an ongoing issue in Bangladesh which inhibits the large urbanization the capital city, Dhaka faces. This has increased the need of housing which has stimulated the brick industry that has increased its contribution to BangladeshGDP the last years. Though the brick industry has traditionally been dominated by environmentally unfriendly methods that has caused deforestation and severe air pollution contributing to the cause of its demand creating a negative feedbackloop. This study will analyse four different building materials including the tradition alone by collecting data, creating analyse models and discussing them to find a more financial, environmental and technical suitable alternative to respondto the current situation to try turn the tide focusing on the rural coastal areas of Bangladesh.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Sustainability is difficult to achieve in a world where population and economic growth leads to increased production of greenhouse gases, resource depletion and waste generation. Today, the environmental dimension of sustainability, which is more commonly known as the natural environment, and the construction industry are two terms often mentioned together. In Europe, 12.4 % of greenhouse gas emissions are induced by the construction and manufacturing industry (Maydl, 2004). Also, 50 % of the resources extracted are used in the construction industry and more than 25 % of waste generated is construction and demolition waste. In South Africa, the building sector accounts for approximately 23 % of the total greenhouse gas emissions (Milford, 2009). Furthermore, 60 % of investment is made in the residential sector where 33 % of the building stock is the focus of the government’s Housing Programme. It is seen that the construction industry significantly impacts the natural environment and the aim should be to reduce this negative impact. Within the local residential sector, the low-cost housing sector presents potential when it comes to sustainable improvements. Each of the three spheres of sustainability, namely economy, natural environment and society, plays a crucial role in this sector. Various studies have been done on the economical and social fields, but little information exists on the impact low-cost houses have on the environment. A need arises to scientifically quantify the environmental impact hereof, therefore it is chosen as the focus of this study. Various methods in order to determine the environmental impact of the built environment exist globally, but they tend to be complex, are used in conjunction with difficult to understand databases and require expensive software. A need for a local quantification method with which to determine the environmental impact of the built environment, more specifically low-cost housing, has been identified. A simple and easy-to-use analysis-orientated quantification method is proposed in this study. The quantification method is compiled with indicators related to the local conditions; these include Emissions, Resource Depletion and Waste Generation. The end objective is to provide the user with an aggregated total value called the Environmental Impact Index to ease comparison of possible alternatives. The quantification method is developed as a mathematical tool in the form of a partial Life Cycle Assessment which can aid in objective decision making during the conception and design phase of a specific project. Note that only the Pre-Use Phase of the building life cycle is considered during the assessment, but can be extended to include the Use Phase and End-of-Life Phase. The proposed method has the capability of calculating and optimising the environmental impact of a building. Regarding low-cost housing, different housing unit designs can be compared in order to select the best alternative. The quantification method is implemented for two low-cost house design types in this study. Firstly, the conventional brick and mortar design is considered whereafter a Light Steel Frame Building is viewed as an alternative. The model implementation demonstrates that the model operates in its supposed manner. Also, Light Steel Frame Building housing units are shown to be worth investigating as an alternative to the conventional brick and mortar design but should be confirmed with a more accurate Life Cycle Assessment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In ’n wêreld waar toenemende ekonomiese en bevolkingsgroei veroorsaak dat al hoe meer kweekhuisgasse voortgebring word, hulpbronne uitgeput word en groter hoeveelhede rommel geproduseer word, is dit ’n bykans onbegonne taak om volhoubaarheid te probeer bereik. Volhoubaarheid rakende die natuurlike omgewing en konstruksie is twee terme wat vandag dikwels saam genoem word. Ongeveer 12.4 % van die kweekhuisgasse wat in Europa vrygestel word kom uit die konstruksie- en vervaardigingbedrywe (Maydl, 2004). Die konstruksiebedryf gebruik ook bykans die helfte van hulpbronne wat ontgin word en meer as 25 % van rommel word deur konstruksie of sloping produseer. Die Suid-Afrikaaanse boubedryf is verantwoordelik vir 23 % van die totale hoeveelheid kweekhuisgasse wat die land vrystel. Die behuisingsektor, waar die regering aan die hoof van 33 % van eenhede staan, ontvang 60 % van bestaande beleggings (Milford, 2009). Dit is dus duidelik dat die boubedryf ’n negatiewe impak op die natuurlike omgewing het en dat dit van groot belang is om dié situasie te verbeter. In die behuisingsektor het lae-koste-behuising groot potensiaal as dit kom by volhoubaarheid. Volhoubaarheid bestaan uit drie sfere: ekonomie, natuurlike omgewing en sosiaal, en al drie speel ’n betekenisvolle rol in lae-koste-behuising. Daar is reeds verskeie studies aangepak om die ekonomiese en sosiale sfere te beskryf, maar daar is steeds min inligting beskikbaar oor die omgewingsimpak van ’n lae-koste-huis. Dit laat die behoefte ontstaan om hierdie impak te kwantifiseer. Bestaande metodes wat wêreldwyd gebruik word om ʼn omgewingsimpak te bepaal is dikwels besonder kompleks en benodig duur sagteware tesame met ingewikkelde databasisse om dit te implementeer. ’n Behoefte aan ’n plaaslike kwantifiseringsmetode is geïdentifiseer. Hierdie studie stel ’n eenvoudige, gebruikersvriendelike kwantifiseringsmetode bekend. Dit word saamgestel uit faktore wat verband hou met die plaaslike omgewing: Uitlaatgasse, Hulpbronuitputting en Rommelvervaardiging. Uiteindelik word ’n saamgestelde waarde, wat die Omgewingsimpak-indeks genoem word, bereken om vergelyking te vergemaklik. Hierdie kwantifiseringsmetode word aan die hand van ’n gedeeltelike lewenssiklus-analise as ’n wiskundige hulpmiddel ontwikkel. Slegs die eerste fase van ’n gebou se lewenssiklus word beskou tydens hierdie studie, maar dit is moontlik om die ander twee fases in te sluit. Die voorgestelde metode het die vermoë om die omgewingsimpak te bereken en ook te optimeer. Tydens die ontwerpsfase, wanneer belangrike besluite geneem moet word, kan so ’n hulpmiddel van enorme waarde wees om die beste opsie uit verskillende alternatiewe te help identifiseer. Die studie beskou twee tipes behuisingseenhede vir die doel van implementering van die kwantifiseringsmetode: die konvensionele baksteen en mortel metode en alternatiewelik ’n ligte staalraamwerk-gebou. Tydens implementering van die voorgestelde metode, demonstreer die model dat dit werk soos dit veronderstel is om te funksioneer. Verder is getoon dat ’n ligte staalraamwerk-gebou ’n waardevolle alternatief is om te ondersoek, maar dit moet liefs met ’n meer akkurate lewenssiklus-analise bevestig word.

A extração cada vez maior de recursos da natureza e o grande volume de lixo descartado nos aterros sanitários alertam para a necessidade de se promover a reciclagem e a reutilização de resíduos para se gerarem novos materiais, inclusive, no setor da construção civil. Com base nisso e a partir de um estudo sobre as obras arquitetônicas em que Shigeru Ban construiu painéis de vedação com tubos de papelão, este trabalho desenvolveu uma proposta de painéis de vedação vertical de tubos de papelão e fez uma avaliação do seu desempenho estrutural visando a sua utilização no Brasil. Foram realizados ensaios técnicos para avaliar o painel de vedação vertical de tubos de papelão proposto, no que se refere à sua resistência mecânica e ao seu comportamento quando submetido às principais ações sofridas por um painel de vedação vertical. Também foi construída uma célula-teste para avaliar o desempenho técnico e estrutural do painel de vedação vertical de tubos de papelão proposto quando submetido a situações reais de exposição. Os dados obtidos em ambas as avaliações foram levados em consideração para verificar o desempenho geral do painel que se propôs, possibilitando concluir se este é apto ao seu emprego na construção civil no Brasil, e sugerir alguns usos e aplicações para o mesmo. / The increasing extraction of nature resources and the large volume of waste discarded in landfills call for the need to promote recycling and reuse of waste to create new materials, inclusive in the construction industry. Considering this aspect and from a study of the architectural masterpieces where Shigeru Ban built sealing cardboard tubes panels, this study developed a proposal for vertical sealing cardboard tubes panels and assessed their structural performance having in mind their use in Brazil. Technical tests were conducted to evaluate the proposed vertical sealing cardboard tubes panel regarding its mechanical resistance and behavior when submitted to the main actions suffered by a vertical sealing panel. A test cell was also built to evaluate the structural and technical performance of the proposed vertical sealing cardboard tubes panel when submitted to real exposure situations. Data obtained in both evaluations were taken into consideration to verify the general performance of the proposed panel, allowing to conclude whether this is suitable for being used in civil construction in Brazil, and to suggest some usage and applications for it.