Using local materials for sustainable construction in Saharan environments

Abstract

This study highlights the need to protect the Saharan architectural heritage, particularly ksour and earthen buildings, in the face of rapid urban expansion and inappropriate modern buildings. The combination of conventional methods and contemporary strategies, such as bioclimatic architecture, is essential to ensure sustainable development that respects cultural and historical heritage. The rehabilitation of historic buildings for cultural and tourist purposes can also have a significant economic and social impact. The research focuses on the design of ecological building materials by exploiting local resources, including earth and date palm fibers, which are suitable for the climatic conditions of southwestern Algeria. The intention is to create high-performance compressed earth blocks (CEB), allowing the restoration of ksour while ensuring optimal hygrothermal comfort and reducing environmental impact. The use of local resources such as earth and date palm waste reduces transport costs and encourages sustainable development at the regional level. Experimentally, date palm wood chips (DPWC) were incorporated into BTC at three different concentrations (0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5%), combined with cement, lime and soil. The blocks were compressed under static pressure and then exposed to tests under dry and wet conditions to evaluate their compressive strength and thermal conductivity. The data show that the incorporation Utilisation des matériaux locaux pour une construction durable dans les environnements sahariens _______ - 2 - of DPWC enhances the flexural strength for certain cement stabilization ratios, however it decreases the compressive strength. However, a higher concentration of fibers optimizes the thermal performance of the bricks, thus highlighting the value of these materials for ecological buildings and appropriate for Saharan climates.