Sustainable Building Materials in Traditional Indian Construction: Performance, Challenges and Contemporary Applications

Abstract

About one-third of global energy consumption (36%) and more than one-third of energy-related CO2 emissions originate from the construction sector, making its shift to sustainable construction imperative. Historically, conventional construction in India has used the local, low-energy construction materials, namely bamboo, lime mortar, rammed earth, laterite stone and natural fibres, providing many eco-friendly advantages over mainstream construction practices. This paper gives a systematic review of ten traditional Indian construction materials in terms of their performance characteristics, sustainability credentials and contemporary uses. The review is based on literature review and literature search carried on Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and SpringerLink databases with scientific publications being explored from 2005 to 2024. The analysis addresses mechanical properties, thermal efficiency, durability, embodied carbon and cost-effectiveness of the studied materials. Changes in the performance of mud blocks, rammed earth and compressed earth blocks have been shown to offer a good sustainability index with adequate structural efficiency. The study shows the various gaps in research including the lack of long-term performance data, standardization issues and absence of the digital construction model.