Building and Environment
0360-1323/$ - see front matter r 2006 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.03.011
Building and Environment 42, 5, 2053-2061, May 2007.
Reduction of building waste in Baghdad Iraq
Sahar Kharrufa, Department of Architecture, University of Technology, Alsinaa street, Baghdad, Iraq
Received 29 July 2005; accepted 7 March 2006
Abstract
Debris from the building industry is a big problem in Iraq because of the large amount produced by typical building activity. It is also a growing problem because of increased renovation activity as opposed to straightforward new building. The hypothesis of this research is that a few simple changes in some of the building practices can reduce the amount of debris from a building without risking its structural or architectural integrity. These include using solid brick as opposed to perforated bricks and jack arching instead of reinforced roofing. A comparison was made between the conventional methods currently widespread and these suggestions, the results showed that these changes can reduce the building debris by up to 62%.
Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords: Building; Waste; Iraq; Baghdad; House design; Renovation