Sustainable Analysis of Building Materials for Social Housing: A Comparative Study of Embodied Energy of Concrete and Glued-Laminated Timber (GLT) Structures

This study aims to conduct a sustainable comparative analysis of embodied energy between different materials to produce social buildings in Brazil. The study compares structures and enclosure made of glued laminated timber (GLT) and reinforced concrete with enclosure made of ceramic block masonry to produce the same 48m² single-family housing unit following the COHAB MG standard. The accounting of materials used for building production was made through a BIM platform, and subsequently, total embodied energy was calculated, weighted according to the amount of each material used. Results indicates that buildings constructed with GLT in Brazil can achieve up to a 40% reduction in total embodied energy when compared to the traditional construction model of reinforced concrete and red clay blocks.