Evaluating the sustainability of the bahareque construction technique using environmental and social Life Cycle Assessments (e-LCA and s-LCA): a case study on a minimum house in Ecuador

The evolution and management of the Built Environment are critical components of today’s societal challenges. The construction sector, therefore, plays a vital role in meeting the global demand for (affordable) housing materials and techniques that minimize both environmental and social impacts. This study explores the potential of traditional composite wood-clay shear wall systems, known in the Americas as bahareque, as a viable alternative to conventional block masonry construction. For this, a comparative evaluation between the two types of walls was conducted using environmental Life Cycle Assessments (e-LCA). Social Life Cycle Assessments (s-LCA) and an ethnographic method were applied to explore bahareque constructions sustainability beyond environmental aspects. This study builds upon a minimum house model, located in the Andean Region of Ecuador (i.e., 83 m2, designed for 3 occupants with 7 functional areas) over its entire lifecycle. The findings indicate that the carbon footprint of the minimum house (measured as the Global Warming Potential, GWP100) can be reduced by 30-40% when using bahareque. For the s-LCA residents show uniformly positive outcomes, while construction workers had more heterogeneous results (e.g., high satisfaction and a high percentage of minimum wage access offset by limited association rights and formal contracts). The study also reports how cultural mechanisms—community structure, family, and cooperative labour—help to preserve bahareque construction technical knowledge. Subsequent investigations are required to address residual environmental and social impacts. Overall, these insights aim to foster better-informed decision-making in environmental, social and cultural terms for the Built Environment.