Life cycle assessment of social housing construction: A multicriteria approach

[EN] Social housing construction is crucial in providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions, especially in developing contexts. This study applies Life Cycle Analysis to assess the environmental, economic, and technical impacts of five construction methods: (1) reinforced concrete frames with...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Luque Castillo, Ximena, Yepes, V.|||0000-0001-5488-6001
Format: article
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repository:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/230610
Online Access:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/230610
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Construction
Life cycle assessment
Multicriteria decision-making
Social Housing
09.- Desarrollar infraestructuras resilientes, promover la industrialización inclusiva y sostenible, y fomentar la innovación
Description
Summary:[EN] Social housing construction is crucial in providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions, especially in developing contexts. This study applies Life Cycle Analysis to assess the environmental, economic, and technical impacts of five construction methods: (1) reinforced concrete frames with brick masonry, (2) cast-in-place concrete walls with metal formwork, (3) Light Steel Frame systems with gypsum panels, (4) sandwich panels, and (5) precast concrete walls. Using a comprehensive cradle-to-grave approach, the study evaluates the economic, environmental, and technical performance of each alternative. Five multicriteria decision-making methods were applied, structuring a hierarchy of 12 key indicators that integrate cost, sustainability, and construction efficiency. The Light Steel Frame system emerged as the most favorable due to its balance between low cost, reduced environmental impact, and fast execution time. The cast-in-place concrete wall alternative ranked second, followed closely by the sandwich panel option. Despite their advantages in execution time, precast concrete walls ranked the lowest due to higher costs and environmental burdens. These findings contribute to developing sustainable social housing strategies by offering a holistic evaluation framework that integrates multiple perspectives.