Civil Engineering and Architecture 10(7): 3206-3226, 2022 http://www.hrpub.org
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2022.100732
A Proposed Strategy to Evaluate Nanomaterials in
Construction to Boost Sustainable Architecture
Usama Konbr
*
, Hend Mamdouh
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University, Tanta, 31733, Egypt
Received July 16, 2022; Revised August 9, 2022; Accepted October 11, 2022
Cite This Paper in the Following Citation Styles
(a): [1] Usama Konbr, Hend Mamdouh, "A Proposed Strategy to Evaluate Nanomaterials in Construction to Boost
Sustainable Architecture," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 10, No. 7, pp. 3206 - 3226, 2022. DOI:
10.13189/cea.2022.100732.
(b): Usama Konbr, Hend Mamdouh, (2022). A Proposed Strategy to Evaluate Nanomaterials in Construction to Boost
Sustainable Architecture. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 10(7), 3206 - 3226. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2022.100732.
Copyright©2021 by authors, all rights reserved. The authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License
Abstract Nanotechnology has gradually emerged in
various sectors, including architecture. Nanotechnology
developed nanomaterials as environmentally friendly and
highly efficient construction materials. It behaves
differently with enhanced functional properties such as
durability, strength, flexibility, lighter weight,
self-cleaning capacity, etc. This study investigated the
impact of integrating nanotechnology into the construction
field from two perspectives: to minimize the environmental
impact of buildings based on sustainability principles and
to improve the functional efficiency of construction
materials. The study aims mainly to propose a strategy for
evaluating nanomaterials in construction as sustainable
materials through four aspects related to sustainability
principles. This was achieved progressively through a
methodology that commenced with a theoretical study of
the basics of nanotechnology and how it relates to the field
of sustainable architecture. Moreover, it described and
summarized some prevailing nanomaterials used in
construction, such as concrete, glass, coatings, and thermal
insulation materials. It also reviewed their functional
efficiency in line with sustainability. Furthermore, this
study examined some case studies based on the proposed
strategy to evaluate the utilized nanomaterials in the case
studies. On average, this study's results found that the used
nanomaterials in the three case studies achieved 54.3% for
sustainable design principles, 83% for Sustainable
materials criteria, 60.3% for energy efficiency aspects, and
71.7% for ambient environment efficiency factors. On the
other hand, it indicates that using nanomaterials in
construction reduces harmful carbon emissions and
improves the functionality of building materials to boost
sustainable architecture.
Keywords Sustainable Architecture, Nanotechnology,
Nanomaterials, Nanoarchitecture
1. Introduction
1.1. Background
Nanoscience is the science of studying the properties of
materials at the atomic level. Atoms can be controlled and
manipulated on a scale not exceeding 100 nanometers,
called the nanoscale. At this scale, materials gain a wide
range of improved properties, including shape, color,
strength, weight, conductivity, and elasticity. [1,2]. In
Greek, Nanos means dwarf, minimal size, so the prefix
Nano is derived from it [3]. Microscopic studies show that
when the gold particles are nanosized, they could give
different color reflections, such as red, depending on the
size and shape of the particles and the distance between
them [4]. Several applications of nanotechnology have
gained momentum recently. The following are a few keys
Nanotechnology definitions:
(a) A nanometer is a metric unit of measure equal to a
billionth of a meter, or 10
-9
meters (1/1000000000)
[5].
(b) Nanoscale "The size ranges from roughly 1 to 100
nanometers, where many of the fundamental
structures of biology are formed, composite materials