Energy, environmental and cost performance of wall systems for standard residential housing: a case study

The design process influences the resulting environmental impacts and life cycle costs. Life cycle assessment can assist the construction industry in selecting more sustainable technological alternatives. In this context, wall systems play a signifi-cant role in the environmental and economic performance of a building. This paper compares the potential energy, costs, and environmental impacts of three structural wall construction systems (ceramic, concrete, and soil-cement blocks) for standard residential housing in Southern Brazil, considering a 50-year lifespan. The highest environmental impacts are related to the use stage of all three systems. The ceramic brick system presents the highest impact in the product stage, the concrete block system in the use stage, and the soil cement brick system in the construction stage. The concrete block system presents the highest relative net present value, followed by soil cement and ceramic brick systems. The impacts for the soil-cement block system are similar to those for ceramic block, while the concrete block system is the most expensive, energy demanding, and CO2 releasing. The results demonstrate the importance of producing criteria for architectural decision-making based on scientific evidence when choosing wall systems.