A Parametric Study for Eco-friendly Cost-effective Two-Story Structures

Modernity has introduced construction alternatives that could carry high loads such as reinforced concrete; however, such material is proven to be non-eco-friendly and expensive. However, these alternatives are not necessarily needed when constructing low-rise buildings. Hence, there is a need to study using different construction materials that are eco-friendlier and much more cost-effective compared to reinforced concrete. Within this study, a parametric study is performed on a two-story residential building. The study contains 25 different variations of the same building that feature five different dimensions. These 25 variations are divided into five conventional reinforced concrete structures representing the control group, and 20 eco-friendly structures made from combinations of wood, limestone, and compressed earth blocks. Following the modeling and analysis phase, the results obtained are compared to highlight the most economically-sound option for each range of dimensions. In addition, the total costs and carbon emissions of the eco-friendly models are compared with that of the commonly used reinforced concrete control group, all while delivering cost per area values for the most economical models, and the carbon emissions per area.