ASEA SEC 02


SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT OF THE REPLACEMENT OF CLAY BRICK WALLS WITH IN-SITU COMPOSITE SANDWICH WALLS

KRISHNA LAWANIA, NATALIE LLOYD, WAHIDUL K. BISWAS


Abstract

Clay bricks are used for house construction in Western Australia. Clay bricks produce large amounts of construction and demolition waste, and have a large carbon footprint. In order to achieve energy savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, there is a need to use an alternative wall system. The objective of this paper is to undertake a sustainability assessment of the replacement of clay brick walls with in-situ composite sandwich walls (CSW). A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool has been applied to assess the carbon footprint and embodied energy consumption for non-insulated and insulated brick and CSW. The LCA analysis identified the stages or inputs/process causing the most significant impacts for determining further improvement opportunities. The findings indicate that a significant GHG reduction and energy saving can be achieved.

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