ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Cities
Sec. Sustainable Infrastructure
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frsc.2025.1634678
Sustainability-based comparison of local Bahareque and conventional reinforced concrete structural system for social housing construction
Provisionally accepted
- 1Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra FICT, Guayaquil, Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- 2Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Nanotecnología, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- 3University College London The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, London, United Kingdom
- 4Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain, Barcelona, Spain
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The housing deficit necessitates governmental interventions, including social housing for vulnerable populations. This has led to diverse construction solutions that address homelessness while promoting local and traditional building methods. Beyond feasibility, sustainability is crucial. This research evaluates the sustainability of two structural systems, bahareque and reinforced concrete, for low-income housing in Ecuador using a multi-criteria decision-making model. Bahareque is a traditional construction system based on the use of Guadua cane, valued for its low environmental impact. The analysis was conducted through the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Evaluation (MIVES), considering economic, environmental, and social factors. Indicators were defined through studies and expert surveys. The analysis included material and construction costs, resource consumption, emissions, and social impacts like working conditions. Traditional and indigenous materials were also assessed for sustainability potential. Results showed bahareque had a sustainability index (SI) 17.5% higher than reinforced concrete. This framework can be adapted to different contexts and preferences by modifying its components and criteria.
Keywords: Reinforced concrete, Bahareque, MIVES, sustainability, Sustainable cities
Received: 24 May 2025; Accepted: 24 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rocha-Tamayo, Garcia-Troncoso, Josa and de la Fuente. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Natividad Garcia-Troncoso, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra FICT, Guayaquil, Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador
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