Increase of the flexural strength of construction elements made with plaster (calcium sulfate dihydrate) and common reed (Arundo donax L.) A. Martínez Gabarrón a,⇑ , J.A. Flores Yepes a , J.J. Pastor Pérez a , J.M. Berná Serna a , L.C. Arnold a , F.J. Sánchez Medrano b a Miguel Hernández University of Elche, Polytechnic School of Orihuela, Ctra de Beniel, Km 3,2-Desamparados, CP 03312 Orihuela, AL, Spain b San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia, Campus de los Jerónimos s/n, CP 30107 Guadalupe, Murcia (MU), Spain highlights  With the new design of the structural element the resistance was improved by 116.2%.  More environmentally sustainable materials were recovered for building purposes.  Value enhancement of an invasive plant species of water courses. article info Article history: Received 29 November 2013 Received in revised form 21 May 2014 Accepted 26 May 2014 Keywords: Mortar Plaster Calcium sulfate Giant reed Fiber of cane Arundo donax L. abstract Plaster and common reed (Arundo donax L.) have been utilized for construction purposes for thousands of years, although nowadays have been replaced by reinforced concrete. In an attempt to follow an environ- mental sustainable construction we are now trying to bring them back. In the traditional design there is a low adherence between plaster and common reed. Modifications in the design of slabs made with plaster and common reed with respect to traditional designs have been tested in order to obtain an increase in the flexural strength. With de results we obtain an increase of up to 116.2% (5.34 N/mm 2 ) of the flexural strength with respect to the traditional use (2.47 N/mm 2 ). Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction and objectives Sustainable development defends a responsible use of natural resources in order not to compromise the development of future generations. Thus, human activities shall be directed to not overus- ing such resources and to the utilisation of those which would lead to a lower environmental impact. Applied to the field of construction, these principles are distin- guished by the use of renewable materials or by other materials generally not so demanding of natural resources, or by a lower con- sumption of basic resources throughout life cycle, such as energy and water. The use of these resources is related to the generation of greenhouse gases and therefore to climate change. Note also other positive factors related to the use of certain construction materials, such as the positive use of common reed in terms of aiding in the control and cleaning of those rivers [1–3] invaded by the spontaneous growth of this plant in certain areas of Medi- terranean, Tropical and warm climates. Another related to the use of this material is the positive impact in the local socio-economic environment wherein this plant grows, producing a boost in the economical activities of these areas. Among the criteria followed for choosing the materials, Rodri- guez et al. [4], there can be found, the environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle, the effects on human health, the energetic balance during all its phases and the social effects in local economy. In this line, the Spanish Building Code [5], in its preamble, includes, together with other reasons related to an increase of the quality in construction, others regarding to sustainability: ‘‘This demand for greater quality in the building construction industry... also responds to a new requirement for sustainability of building processes and development in its three dimensions, i.e. environmen- tally, socially and economically.’’ http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.05.083 0950-0618/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 966749714; fax: +34 966749718. E-mail address: antonio.martinez@umh.es (A. Martínez Gabarrón). Construction and Building Materials 66 (2014) 436–441 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Construction and Building Materials journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat