Vol. 16 No. 1 (2012), Articles
Vol. 16 No. 1 (2012)

Environmental impact of the construction and use of a house: Assessment of building materials and electricity end-uses in a residential area of the province of Norte de Santander, Colombia

Articles
Published 2012-06-07
Óscar Ortiz-Rodríguez, PhD
Universidad de Pamplona
Francesc Castells, PhD
Universidad Rovira i Virgili
Guido Sonnemann, PhD
Universidad Rovira i Virgili
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Keywords

environmental impact analysis
Sustainable development
architecture

How to Cite

Environmental impact of the construction and use of a house: Assessment of building materials and electricity end-uses in a residential area of the province of Norte de Santander, Colombia. (2012). Ingenieria Y Universidad, 16(1), 147. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.iyu16-1.eicu
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Abstract

The objective of this research is to assess the environmental impacts associated with the construction and use of a residential house. Building materials and electricity end-uses were assessed. The study was used to highlight some initiatives for the residential-building industrial sector and also some of the aspects that should be considered when trying to improve sustainability indicators. As a study case, a Colombian dwelling located in the city of Pamplona was chosen. The findings of this research showed that the highest environmental impacts during the dwelling’s life cycle take place during the operation phase of the dwelling, while construction phase generates about 7-28% of the impact. Transportation and maintenance combined account for less than 10% of the life cycle impacts.

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