Glocal architecture against climate change: rice straw in valencia

Abstract

Global warming is today a reality, and some countries are already suffering its consequences. The building industry is one of the main contributors to this effect, being responsible for around 23% of the carbon dioxide worldwide emissions. Despite this being a global problem, the already available solutions are mostly local. To tackle this situation, each country or community needs to maximize the possibilities its local resources offer sustainably. This way of thinking globally about local solutions is called glocal. This paper tries to exemplify this concept with the case of the rice fields located in the Albufera park in Valencia. After the harvest, there is a vast amount of straw that remains over the rice fields. This rice straw is typically considered a residue and ends up either burned or mixed with the soil. These management practices not only generate a considerable amount of CO2 and CH4 but also represent a threat to the local population and the integrity of the flora and fauna of the natural park. One possibility for avoiding the mentioned impacts is to use the straw as a raw material. This study analyzes the environmental benefits and the acoustic characteristics of prefabricated building panels containing rice straw as the primary element for building facades. The environmental results show that using the straw panels not only reduces the carbon dioxide emissions but also avoids the emissions related to the straw management practices. When it comes to the acoustic insulation, the results obtained are comparable to most common facade typologies in the Spanish construction sector.