Quantification of material resources consumed during concrete slab construction

Abstract

The construction produces a significant environmental impact; it consumes about 40% of the natural resources and generates about 40% of the total waste. Then, the construction technician is responsible, among others, through the design, material selection, construction, usage and final demolition, to reduce the environmental impact. There is a big interest to identify and quantify the factors that define such impact. The only way to improve the system is through an easy measurement and comparison of the resources consumed by different construction methods. The task is not simple because the system involves heterogeneous processing and agents, from the material extraction or fabrication throughout the demolition or recycling. Finally, a practical example is presented in which the consumed resources are identified and quantified during the foundation construction. The results from the study are worrisome due to the fact that 100% of the resources are sustainability barriers, for the reason that they are non renewable (90%) or toxic during production or edification (10%).