Bio-based and recycled-waste materials in buildings: A study of energy performance of hemp-lime concrete and recycled-polyethylene terephthalate façades for office facilities in France and Italy

Global environmental issues are arising over the developed and developing world. Improving energy efficiency and reducing Green Gases emissions become the key issues in all the economic sectors and, in particular, the building sector that is one of the most energy-consuming. It is, therefore, important to find alternative building materials with low-environmental impact contributing to global sustainability. In that context, this study reports on the performance of sustainable materials produced from natural resources as hemp-concrete or from recycled-waste nonbiodegradable materials including recycled polyethylene terephthalate. Three facades employing three different materials (hemp-concrete, hemp-concrete with brick and recycled polyethylene terephthalate) were investigated in three cities in France (Nancy and Carpentras) and Italy (Perugia) with different climate. The energy performance of each facade was assessed in terms of cooling and heating demands, electrical consumption for a constant flow rate...