Gypsum Materials and Products to Design Circular and Regenerative Buildings

Abstract

The construction sector is responsible for a great impact on our society. Several studies have pointed out the impact of indoor air quality as the origin of a large number of symptoms that characterize sick building syndrome, which can influence the development of respiratory and neurological diseases, including cancer. Additionally, in recent months, after the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been shown that building standards and codes must be revised to ensure healthier indoor environments for users, while maintaining energy efficiency benefits and almost zero consumption in the building. In addition to the social impact, the construction sector is responsible for a large environmental impact, generating large amounts of waste and consuming large volumes of natural resources. For this reason, the EU has set as priority objectives improving the indoor environment of buildings and reducing the environmental impact caused by construction. Therefore, this chapter addresses these objectives from the perspective of construction materials. Currently, there are construction materials that, in addition to fulfilling their function in the building, can also contribute to reducing pollution in cities through the use of different additions. In this sense, the mineral nature of gypsum and its capacity as a hygrothermal regulator makes it an ideal material to promote circularity and improve the quality of the interior environment. Therefore, this chapter presents the latest research works of gypsum composites containing different aggregates focused on the circularity of the material and the indoor environment.