Date of Award
9-5-2024
Publication Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Keywords
Building Materials;Institutional Buildings;Life Cycle Thinking;Sustainable construction;Sustainable Procurement
Supervisor
Rajeev Ruparathna
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
The wall system represents a significant portion of materials used in building construction, with interior walls covering more surface area compared to exterior walls. Despite this, existing literature has predominantly focused on the performance of exterior walls. To address this knowledge gap, this research compared the life cycle performance of interior wall systems, considering life cycle sustainability performance, resilience performance, and human health impact. Three interior wall construction methods were evaluated: concrete block masonry, wood stud gypsum, and steel stud gypsum walls. This research incorporated both numerical and experimental analyses. A Canada-wide questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data on interior wall maintenance practices. An experimental setup was developed to observe the long-term performance of interior walls using accelerated deterioration. Using this data, life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA), fire dynamic simulation (FDS), and human health impact assessments were performed. The findings of the LCSA indicated that concrete block masonry is a more sustainable alternative when a cradle-to-grave system boundary is considered. Steel stud gypsum walls exhibit superior performance when a cradle-to-gate system boundary is considered. The FDS revealed that concrete block masonry walls perform better in key thermal parameters, suggesting their effectiveness in fire situations. The experimental setup for accelerated aging of interior walls revealed that concrete block masonry walls deteriorate at a slower rate than steel stud gypsum walls. The deterioration of indoor air quality (IAQ) due to wall deterioration creates human health impacts, emphasizing the need for healthier building material selection. Finally, the study proposes updated sustainable procurement (SP) guidelines for institutional buildings. The proposed SP framework and recommendations aims to position Canada as a leader in sustainable building construction, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Recommended Citation
Patel, Kartik Rajendrakumar, "Comparative Assessment of Interior Wall Construction: A Life Cycle Thinking Based Evaluation" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 9397.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/9397