Biomaterial Housing in Latin America and the Caribbean Report
The Report examines the current state of housing development in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, in a context of increased housing demand, with special emphasis on bio-construction, decarbonization strategies and resilience in the face of global climate change.
The report Biomaterial Housing in Latin America and the Caribbean examines the current state of housing development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in light of the emerging challenges of environmental sustainability and sharp increases in housing demand.
The report documents state of the art and showcases the importance of biomaterials in mass housing construction, within a spectrum of decarbonization and resilience strategies designed to address global climate change.
An initiative focused on reporting urban and material innovation for architecture, as well as analysing the current situation of housing materiality, in the Latina American and Caribbean context. The project operates within the fields of urban sciences, architecture, and planning, aiming to create a repository of actionable ideas for sustainable and bio-based urban development.
The general lessons provided by Biomaterial Housing in Latin America and the Caribbean revolve around the development of pathways toward the articulation of organic-based value chains that instrumentalize and optimize local techniques and materials, applied to large-scale housing construction, represents a significant strategy for a transition towards construction processes that significantly reduce carbon emissions derived from the environmental impact of traditional urbanization and construction processes. The report also presents an environmental data analysis to identify potential sites for the development of bio-based materials, accompanied by policy recommendations and implementation strategies for the short, medium, and long term.
The Project
First, the general state of social housing development in LAC is presented with an initial breakdown of the contemporary debate regarding the role of organic-based building materials (BMOs) in a context of planetary climate crisis. The report proceeds to describe the particular situation in LAC within the framework of these global trends.
Following an exhaustive theoretical and contextual approach, the report proposes possible future avenues for BMO housing in LAC by first providing an overview of the most prominent set of organic-based building materials: wood, bamboo, earth, and recycled or complementary materials (fibrous or non-structural). These categories of materials are synthetically described and framed within a spectrum of historical, current and emerging techniques and technologies that shape the built landscape in the region. Likewise, their respective positive and negative aspects are distinguished; their structural behavior in extreme scenarios such as fires or earthquakes; their possible applications for design disciplines; and their potential environmental impact.
This is followed by an assessment of the critical production infrastructure and value chain transitions required to adapt BMO materials to the geographic and territorial scale of LAC, with particular emphasis on possible symbioses with emerging processes of digitization and automation through modular prefabrication, as well as the promotion of their regional environmental, economic and socio-cultural resilience. In addition, a series of case studies in LAC demonstrating concrete applications of BMO systems and their associated value chains are discussed. Finally, it summarizes the general lessons learned, the main infrastructural and knowledge gaps identified, and the possible next steps towards a transition to an urban-scale BMO mode of housing construction.
Our Contribution
The Urban Sciences Lab and the Valldaura Labs at IAAC developed the Biomaterial Housing in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023/24, contributing its expertise in urban research and material innovation, through a multiscalar and multifaceted understanding of the built environment, and the need for the integration of more sustainable materials, and the values of local materials, in the process of urbanisation.
Who is it for?
This report is a vital tool for LAC based urban professionals, policymakers, and communities to explore and implement forward-thinking urban strategies. The project proposes pathways for an urbanisation through organic-based value chains that instrumentalize and optimize local techniques and materials, applied to large-scale housing construction, represents a significant strategy for a transition towards construction processes that significantly reduce carbon emissions derived from the environmental impact of traditional urbanization and construction processes.
- IAAC Urban Sciences Lab, Barcelona
- IAAC Valldaura Labs, Barcelona
- Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
