The Bottle House: Upcycling Plastic Bottles to Improve the Thermal Performance of Low-Cost Homes
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Published:2024-02-06
Issue:4
Volume:16
Page:1360
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ISSN:2071-1050
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Container-title:Sustainability
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Sustainability
Author:
Onyenokporo Nwakaego C.1ORCID, Beizaee Arash2, Adekeye Olutola F.3, Oyinlola Muyiwa A.4ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Leicester School of Architecture, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK 2. School of Architecture, Building & Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK 3. Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK 4. Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Abstract
Due to the effects of climate change, diminishing natural resources, and continuous urbanization, there is an increasing need for buildings to be more sustainable. This study explores the potential of upcycling plastic waste for the sustainable construction of low-cost homes in developing countries and contributes to filling the gap in existing studies regarding qualitative results of the in situ performance of buildings made from upcycled materials. This study compares the Bottle house with conventional buildings made of mud and cement. This study seeks to encourage the adoption of the bottle house concept for affordable housing by conducting a thermal comfort survey of its occupants. To obtain the thermal sensation vote (TSV) of the occupants, thermal comfort questionnaires were developed based on the seven-point ASHRAE thermal sensation scale. Additionally, a Testo 480 multifunction meter, which comprised an anemometer, radiant globe thermometer, air thermometer, and relative humidity probe, was used to calculate the predicted mean vote (PMV) concurrently. From the results of the TSV, mean votes of the participants of −2.0, 2.0, and 2.4 were observed for the bottle house, mud houses, and cement houses, respectively. In comparison, adjusted PMV mean values of 1.9, 2.1 and 2.1 were recorded for the bottle house, mud houses, and cement houses, respectively. The TSV and PMV results both indicate that the occupants of the bottle house felt more thermally comfortable when compared to occupants in the other dwellings. This can be attributed to the measures incorporated during the construction of the bottle house. Furthermore, the use of a simulation study helped proffer solutions to further improve the indoor temperatures of the buildings used in this study. The results of this paper will provide evidence of the prospects of upcycling plastic waste for construction and its impact on occupant’s thermal comfort when compared to conventional building materials.
Funder
Royal Academy of Engineering
Subject
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Geography, Planning and Development,Building and Construction
Reference59 articles.
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