Ecoeficiencia en la industria de la construcción del Ecuador

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the main pollutants worldwide, generating a very high water and carbon footprint during its construction process and especially by the excessive use of materials that involve high emissions of CO2 during their production, additionally the linear methods of water and energy supply involve significant environmental damage. In the country, the current situation of the sector is characterized by the use of expired materials and construction methods, which entails great consumption of resources during construction; additionally, the residential sector is a great consumer of resources and generator of waste during its useful life and the current design methods slow down the construction process and harm the development of the sector. So, based on the bibliographic review and the professional practice, each one of the aspects that intervene in the construction life cycle are analyzed. In the first place, the use of eco-efficient materials which allow to reduce up to 75% of the dead weight of masonry and modern construction techniques help us to reduce construction times up to 50%. On the other hand, the country has sufficient natural resources to supply water and energy to the houses; in the province of Imbabura it is possible to provide sanitary hot water by means of thermal solar panels, while the city of Baños can generate residential wind energy by means of wind turbines and the city of Puyo has rainwater potential to satisfy the needs of a house. Additionally, the BIM methodology will allow a better design of the construction, by analyzing the whole life cycle and consolidating in a single three-dimensional model all the engineering involved in a house, improving its performance over time and reducing construction times by avoiding work inconveniences. Combining all these proposals can be done by obtaining a parameter of eco-efficiency in the country's construction industry, which allows quantifying the impacts during the life cycle of the housing in order to minimize the impacts and contribute significantly to the sustainable development of the country's construction. Finally, ecoefficiency in the construction industry will allow the industrialization and technification of construction, contributing significantly to the circular economy of this sector, creating sustainable infrastructure, which minimizes the consumption of resources, optimizes materials and improves the quality life of people, prioritizing environmental care.