Trends and opportunities of using local sustainable building materials in the Middle East and North Africa region

Abstract

In recent decades, most of construction activities have been taking place in developing countries such as the Middle East and North Africa region. The expansion in infrastructure has great impact in the technological, social, economic and environmental transformation of this region. Construction sector contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) varies throughout the region and ranges between 2-10%. Currently, sustainable construction requires integrated and comprehensive sustainable design including careful choice of materials and methods. Materials that are locally available and require less energy to produce and transport would pave the way to more sustainable practices. Many countries in the region have realised the benefits of using local building materials on the economy, society and environment. This paper outlines the key trends and opportunities of using sustainable and affordable local building materials in the region to respond to the global climate change crisis and to promote more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. The current practice of using various building materials such as bio-based materials, treated municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWI-BA), construction and demolition waste, gypsum-containing by-products (phosphorgypsum, FGD gypsum, borogypsum and others) and rammed earth will be reviewed. It is concluded that the use of these local building materials in construction activities would foster the development of the society. However, some of these materials are already developed and reached the implementation stage while most of them are still at R&D stage. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive local and regional strategies to enhance the utilization of these materials.

Processing of earth-based materials: current situation and challenges ahead

“…Notably, the 106 members of TC PEM (RILEM website inscription on October 12 th 2023) are primarily located in Europe, North America, and Asia. However, proactive efforts are currently made to include members from industry (13 members) and from Africa (3 members) where earth construction can be considered a great opportunity for the development of sustainable construction [21]. The targeted users of the TC outcomes are researchers, engineers, and practitioners.…”

Circular, Local, Open: A Recipe for Sustainable Building Construction

“…Similarly, the use of agricultural residues (agro-waste) and other bio-based materials is popular [67,[77][78][79][80][81][82][83]. However, to further enhance the environmental performance and affordability of buildings, particularly for low-income households [22], emphasis is placed on developing strategies aimed at utilising locally available resources and at locally manufacturing building materials/components [22,31,52,79,[84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91]. In addition to the aforementioned advantages of alternative materials, utilising local resources, such as abundant raw materials, flowing secondary materials, and locally grown biomaterials (e.g., hemp), can foster a strong connection between construction and the agricultural sector and local waste management, contributing to the implementation of CE schemes and the reduction of construction costs [22,31,52,79,[84][85][86][88][89][90][91].…”

Five recommendations to accelerate sustainable solutions in cement and concrete through partnership

“…From this point of view, clays are regarded as optimal raw materials for use in construction in emerging economies, given the large availability of kaolinictic clay soils in Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and South-East Asia [38]. Such clay soils can be exploited for affordable housing, both as raw clays in earthen construction [39][40][41] and as SCMs in low-CO 2 cement, after calcination, for example in masonry units and building blocks [42]. The use of locally sourced raw materials for construction, such as lateritic and other Fe-rich clays, may also offer a more coherent visual integration with vernacular architecture, as compared to the ubiquitous grey of concrete made with Ordinary Portland cement.…”