This study investigated the impact of the design of wall systems, mainly made of compressed earth blocks (CEB), on the indoor thermal comfort of naturally ventilated housing in hot climates of Burkina Faso. Conventional housing was modeled and calibrated using the WUFI^® Plus dynamic simulation tool based on typical field surveys and the literature. This allowed testing the ability of different wall designs to impact thermal comfort. Thermal discomfort was assessed through an adaptive approach and was based on the annual weighted exceedance hours of overheating. Six designs of walls made of CEB and other locally available materials were simulated and compared to those made of classical hollow concrete blocks. The results of the simulation reveal that the profiles of thermal discomfort vary depending on the wall designs and building spaces. Thus, the wall made, from the outside toward the inside surface, of plywood of 2 cm, an insulation layer of 5 cm and a CEB layer of 29 cm thickness is the most suitable for an annual reduction in overheating for the living room. Regarding the bedroom, the most suitable wall is made of a 14 cm CEB layer, 5 cm insulating layer and 2 cm wood layer from the outside toward the inside surface.

The construction sector plays a key role in the growth of developing countries but faces major environmental challenges, such as greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an essential tool for evaluating these impacts and promoting sustainable choices. However, its effective application is limited by the lack of local databases. This study introduces a systematic framework (LOCAL-LCID₂) for creating local Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) databases for developing countries. Its application is demonstrated in Burkina Faso’s (BF) context through a comparative LCA of commonly used materials, covering the cradle-to-gate stage. The methodology follows seven steps: (1) identification of materials, (2) data collection, (3) analysis of material and energy flows, (4) development of LCI database, (5) structuring the database using SimaPro 9.6.0, (6) calculation of environmental impacts via ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint, and (7) uncertainty analysis using the pedigree matrix and Monte Carlo simulation. The materials are categorized into two main groups (imported and locally produced) with five subcategories: materials for roofs, walls/structures, floors, openings, and others. The results show that for wall materials, concrete blocks have the highest Global Warming Potential (GWP), with 88.3% of CO₂ emissions attributed to cement, implying an urgent need to optimize cement use and explore alternative binders for sustainable construction. Stabilized earth blocks show intermediate GWP at 65% of concrete block emissions, while straw-stabilized adobe demonstrates the lowest environmental impact, suggesting significant potential for reducing construction’s carbon footprint through traditional material optimization. The importation of steel sheets and ceramic tiles shows high GWP due to their energy-intensive production processes and long-distance transport (4 to 40% of emissions), highlighting opportunities to reduce impacts through local manufacturing and optimization of supply chains. The diversification of BF’s energy mix through clean energy imports from neighboring countries decreases GWP by 26.9%, indicating that regional energy partnerships and renewable energy investments are key pathways for minimizing environmental impacts related to energy consumption in the construction industry. Finally, the uncertainty analysis reveals the need for primary data updates in the current LCI database, highlighting both data quality enhancement opportunities and future research perspectives for industrial process assessment. The methodological framework equips decision-makers in developing countries with tools to implement sustainable construction practices through strategic material selection and regional resource optimization.

Purpose: Appropriate thermal properties of walls can lead to the improvement of the indoor environment of buildings especially in countries with low energy availability such as Burkina Faso. In order to benefit from these advantages, the thermal properties must be properly characterized. This paper investigates the impact of the design of single- and double-layer walls based on compressed Earth blocks (CEB) on the risk of indoor overheating.Design/methodology/approach: First a building has been used as a tool to measure climate data. Then, a software program was used to define an accurate thermal model. Two indices were defined: weighted exceedance hour (WEH) related to the risk of overheating and cyclic thickness (ξ) related to the thermal properties of the walls. The aim is to define the appropriate values of ξ which minimized the WEH. The study also assesses the sensitivity of these thermal properties to occupancy profiles.Findings: The results indicate the arrangements of the thermal properties that can promote comfortable environments. In single-layer wall buildings, ξ = 2.43 and ξ = 3.93 are the most suitable values to minimize WEH for the room occupied during the day and night, respectively. If a double-layer wall is used, ξ = 1.42 and CEB layer inside is the most suitable for the room occupied during the day, while ξ = 2.43 and CEB outside should be preferred in the case of a room with night occupancy profile.Originality/value: The findings indicate that occupation patterns at room scale should be systematically considered when dealing with wall design in order to improve the thermal comfort.