The difficult current environmental situation, caused by construction industry residues containing ceramic materials, could be improved by using these materials as recycled aggregates in mortars, with their processing causing a reduction in their use in landfill, contributing to recycling and also minimizing the consumption of virgin materials. Although some research is currently being carried out into recycled mortars, little is known about their stress-strain (σ-ε); therefore, this work will provide the experimental results obtained from recycled mortars with recycled ceramic aggregates (with contents of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% and 100%), such as the density and compression strength, as well as the σ-ε curves representative of their behavior. The values obtained from the analytical process of the results in order to finally obtain, through numerical analysis, the equations to predict their behavior (related to their recycled content) are those of: σ (elastic ranges and failure maximum), ε (elastic ranges and failure maximum), and Resilience and Toughness. At the end of the investigation, it is established that mortars with recycled ceramic aggregate contents of up to 20% could be assimilated just like mortars with the usual aggregates, and the obtained prediction equations could be used in cases of similar applications.

This research focuses on a comparison of 20 external wall systems that are conventionally used in Spanish residential buildings, from a perspective based on the product and construction process stages of the life cycle assessment. The primary objective is to provide data that allow knowing the environmental behavior of walls built with materials and practices conventionally. This type of analysis will enable promoting the creation of regulations that encourage the use of combinations of materials that generate the most environmentally suitable result, and in turn, contribute to the strengthening of the embodied stages study of buildings and their elements. The results indicate that the greatest impact arises in the product stage (90.9%), followed by the transport stage (8.9%) and the construction process stage (<1%). Strategies (such as the use of large-format pieces and the controlled increase in thickness of the thermal insulation) can contribute to reducing the environmental impact; on the contrary, practices such as the use of small-format pieces and laminated plasterboard can increase the environmental burden. The prediction of the environmental behavior (simulation equation) allows these possible impacts to be studied in a fast and simplified way.

Social Housing (SH) in Mexico has a potentially important role in reducing both the emission of greenhouse gases and the use of non-renewable resources, two of the main challenges facing not only Mexico but the planet as a whole. This work assesses the environmental impact generated by the embodied stages of a typical SH throughout its life cycle (cradle to grave), by means of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Two types of envelope and interior walls and three types of windows are compared. It was found that SH emits 309 kg CO₂ eq/m² and consumes 3911 MJ eq/m² in the product stages (A1 to A3) and construction process (A4 to A5); the most important stages are those referring to the products, namely, A1 to A3, B4 (replacement) and B2 (maintenance). Additionally, benefits were found in the use of lightweight and thermal materials, such as concrete blocks lightened with pumice or windows made of PVC or wood. Although the use of LCA is incipient in the housing and construction sector in Mexico, this work shows how its application is not only feasible but recommended as it may become a basic tool in the search for sustainability.

Due to the current problems related to the generation of diverse wastes and the extraction of nonrenewable materials to be used in the construction sector, the alternative use of waste glass could be a sustainable option with environmental and economic benefits, in case of being feasible its use as a replacement of the usual aggregates to manufacture recycled mortars. In this research, one presents a study of the fresh‐state properties of the mortars containing 15, 30, 60, and 100% recycled glass aggregates as a replacement for the usual aggregate, providing the experimental results of consistency, density, and air content. Using the experimental results, and by means of a numerical and statistical analysis of these, a diagram of triple interaction that allows us to unify the behavior of the studied properties is constituted; making feasible with this, the prediction of the behavior of these properties with respect to variables as their ratio water/cement, aggregate/cement, and different percentages of replacement of aggregates.

The use of different components, such as alternative aggregates, represents an innovation in construction. According to various studies, these components improve certain properties of the elements that incorporate them. Specifically, recycled construction aggregates (RCAs)—such as crushed ceramic bricks (CCBs)—offer several benefits, including reducing landfill waste, enhancing the mechanical properties of the elements that integrate them, and ensuring availability. This research focuses on utilizing these waste materials and determining their feasibility and compatibility (in the short term) for manufacturing traditional earth blocks (EBs). This is achieved by studying the physical and mechanical properties of CCBs in matrices for EB construction, adhering to performance standards, emphasizing the advantages these aggregates provide for mechanical properties in sustainable construction and applying them in the context of traditional construction. Correlations were established through a statistical study of experimental data, graphically indicating the relationship between the different properties of CCBs, the mix design process, and the structural behavior of the resulting EB. Based on the key variable of the CCB replacement percentage, properties such as the elastic module by ultrasound, porosity, and expansion by hygroscopicity were analyzed, alongside mechanical properties like compressive and flexural strength. The results show that EBs with CCBs increases porosity by up to 21.59%. These blocks exhibit dimensional shrinkage of up to 14.5%, correlating with the increase in the CCB content. This aggregate replacement leads to a reduction in compressive strength (up to −23%) and flexural strength (up to −17.43%); however, all CCB content levels studied met the requirements of the applied standards. It is concluded that CCBs satisfactorily modifies the properties of the EBs and is suitable for use in construction.