Sustainable Off-Site Construction in Desert Environments: Zero-Energy Houses as Case Studies

Zahraa Alshikh, Esra Trepci and Edwin Rodriguez-Ubinas ()
Additional contact information
Zahraa Alshikh: Architectural Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
Esra Trepci: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, R&D Centre, Dubai P.O. Box 564, United Arab Emirates
Edwin Rodriguez-Ubinas: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, R&D Centre, Dubai P.O. Box 564, United Arab Emirates

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-40

Abstract: The construction industry is one of the largest consumers of natural resources, and the building sector accounts for around 40% of energy consumption and CO 2 emissions. To contribute to the need for more sustainable solutions, this research analyzed and highlighted the benefits of off-site construction, utilizing eleven zero-energy prefabricated houses from the Solar Decathlon Middle East competition as case studies. The study used construction data documented by the competition organizers, such as drawings, manuals, photos, and in-person observations during the assembly process. The comparative analysis focused on the construction categories, types of solutions, structural materials, façade types, and building materials. The case studies featured both heavy and lightweight construction and three types of off-site construction: panelized, volumetric, and hybrid. The hybrid construction was the most utilized since it combines the advantages of less intensive on-site work of the volumetric solutions with the transportation benefits of 2D elements. The designers justified their selection of timber as a structural material based on its low environmental impact. In addition, they enhanced the environmental benefits of off-site construction by selecting eco-friendly materials and solutions that increase the efficiency of the houses.

Keywords: modular construction; prefabricated houses; off-site construction; sustainable construction; zero energy; solar decathlon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/11909/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/11909/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:15:p:11909-:d:1209282

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().