Abstract:
Nowadays, the majority of nations are facing the challenge of global warming
which has caused less thermal comfort in indoor environments with further
energy consumption. To mitigate these negative impacts, selecting appropriate
building materials with environmental design principles is crucial to meet user’s
needs. This study aims to investigate the impact of implementing innovative
and locally sourced building materials in the wall construction of a residential
building in Egypt; to improve energy consumption and users’ thermal comfort.
The thermal performance of six alternative walls was analyzed and compared
using computer simulation software. Alternative wall systems included innova-
tive materials, such as Marmox boards and aerogel panels, as well as local
materials such as double wall, Singer clay blocks, and Mudbrick with strawbale.
The simulation results demonstrated that the Mudbrick strawbale exhibited the
best thermal performance among all alternatives. It reduced energy consump-
tion by 45% and decreased discomfort hours to an average of 18 hours per year.
The innovative materials, Marmox board, and Aerogel panel, also showed
promising results that were comparable to those of Mudbrick strawbale. This
confirms that local materials can offer superior thermal performance when used
in appropriate wall techniques. The overall study results revealed that imple-
menting alternative wall strategies using environmentally sustainable building
materials in residential settings can lead to energy savings ranging from 29% to
45%, as well as a reduction in annual discomfort hours by over 50%. This study
highlights the effectiveness of using alternative wall strategies as a solution for
addressing environmental adaptation gaps in residential settings.
