Building Rehabilitation with Dry and Wet Systems – Embodied Water Comparison

Lab2PT, Architecture School of the University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal

Abstract

Fresh water is a scarce resource. Its availability, essential for life, is being conditioned by several menaces, mostly from human origin. Studies on water saving strategies in building construction and what procedures should be adopted for its efficient use can respond to part of these problems, taking into account the relevance of construction activities, responsible for almost 40% of the overall environmental impact in Europe. Buildings rehabilitation assumes an important role in the construction activities of many European countries. The aim of this paper is to compare the water demand between dry and wet construction systems used in interior partition wall technologies existing in south European climates, specifically on Portuguese territory. This paper focus on the advantages of the dry and lightweight partition walls and it is expected that it may contribute for the reduction of water use in the construction industry. The evolution of interior partition walls, namely by its weight and embodied water analysis, is presented and discussed. Apart from the conclusion that dry construction systems, used in the rehabilitation of existing buildings, can contribute to a significant reduction of water demand, this analysis intends to also reveal on how much these systems can reduce other environmental impact indicators in relation to the wet conventional solutions. Dry construction strategies allows saving material and energetic resources, increasing flexibility and reducing wastes, what constitutes a relevant response to the growing concerns over environmental issues and incertitude on economic development.