The use of industrial waste in civil engineering applications constitutes a potential innovative effort to reduce environmental degradation and enable a sustainable use of natural resources. This paper reports a comprehensive laboratory study that was performed to evaluate the rubber granulates from End-of-Life Tyres (ELTs) as a lightweight backfill material in retaining walls. Various tests have been performed to provide specific information on the mechanical and physical properties of a detailed range of particle sizes smaller than 12 mm, with six different particle size distributions (S1: 0.0–0.8 mm/S2: 0.6–2.0 mm/S3: 2.0–4.0 mm/S4: 2.0–7.0 mm/S5: 90% 2.0–7.0 mm + 10% 0.6–2.0 mm/S6: 50% 2.0–7.0 mm + 50% 0.6–2.0 mm). The density and unit weight, compaction energy, compressibility, shear strength, and deformability have been evaluated to determine their performance. As a main conclusion, the research confirms that rubber granulates from ELTs possess great potential as backfill material behind retaining walls. The characteristic values of the geotechnical parameters have been estimated according to Eurocode 7. The friction angle results range from 18.27 to 23.21 degrees, and the cohesion results are wide-ranging, with values from 9.35 to 17.83 kPa. For this reason, two cantilever L-shaped retaining walls, selected as representative case studies, have been tested with these sample properties. The results of the geotechnical verifications are presented together with a comparison of the safety factors in accordance with the Spanish standard design (CTE-DB-SE-C) and the European (EC7-1) regulations. The calculations indicate that the overdesign factors (ODF) achieved in the verifications using the material properties of the S4, S5, and S6 combination improve the calculation results obtained if a conventional filler material such as sand is considered.

Adobe masonry is one of the oldest construction systems still in use today, Mexico has an enormous cultural heritage with traditional adobe houses being very representative of the rural communities and their culture. The 2017 Puebla Earthquake on September 19th struck the country causing the loss, destruction, and damage of historic buildings in several Mexican states, with the traditional earthen dwellings being the most vulnerable structures to these events. The fast abandonment of the local materials and techniques entails further research regarding the characterization of these construction systems, therefore, reconstruction efforts first require the recovery of the construction technique. After the seismic events, adobe samples of the remaining adobe structures of Jojutla de Juarez were collected. This population was one of the most affected in all the country, and, because of the major losses suffered, the study was conducted to determine the material properties of the dwellings’ adobe shards and natural quarry clays of the region. The characterization included destructive and non-destructive tests, mineralogical and granulometry analyses, and composition of the adobe samples of the buildings, as well as the aggregates. As a novelty, the compressive strength of the pieces was tested by two methods: the traditional compression strength test and the point-load test, in order to obtain the indicative values and the correlation equations between both tests. From the formal analysis and the laboratory, it was observed that the adobes from Jojutla presented different compositions which combined with the building malpractices and alterations to the traditional systems caused unpredictable behavior during the earthquake. The conduction of point-load tests in situ, as a part of a complete characterization methodology, could be an alternative to study the mechanical properties of patrimonial or damaged building samples before its disappearance.

Materials play a fundamental role in any branch of civil engineering. From ancient times to the present day, society has required enormous amounts of construction materials, which implies an excessive exploitation of the natural environment. The present research work consisted in the design and development of asphalt mixes with a partial substitution of the natural aggregate (NA) by means of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). The mix was designed with the Marshall methodology, considering the next percentages of substitution and addition by mass: 90% NA and 10% RCA; 80% NA and 20% RCA; 70% NA and 30% RCA. The mixtures were elaborated and analysed under the international standards and the Mexican regulation of the Communications and Transport Ministry, to determine the best option regarding their performance. The materials were characterized according to the current regulations and later employed in the mixes design. A total of 38 specimens were elaborated for each mixture, determining the optimum asphalt content; after that, mechanical tests were performed to analyse and determine the best results. In the aftermath of the examination of all mixtures, we concluded that the 70%AN/30%RCA is the best alternative option according to its performance and numeric results, complying with the cited regulations, and allowing a lower content of asphalt during the process.

The design of flexible road pavements is a complex process as a result of the multiple variables that influence and interact in the models that allow the design of each layer. In recent years, a particular interest has been raised to ensure that climate is considered in pavement design due to temperature and precipitation that influence the deterioration of pavements, impacting their service life. This paper presents a critical review of flexible pavement design methods, from the first ones based on experience, such as empirical methods, to the most recent ones on mechanical–empirical methodologies, where, based on different principles, they determine the thicknesses of the layers that integrate the structure of a pavement to identify how these methods have included climate variables within their methodology. Through this review, it was identified that temperature is incorporated in the dynamic modulus of the asphalt mix, and precipitation and moisture are incorporated through the resilient modulus in the granular layers (base, subbase, and foundation soil or subgrade courses). As a result, it was identified that the most holistic way of integrating climate is through the Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM) from the Mechanistic–Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). In many cases, climate is incorporated through parameters whose behavior is associated with temperature and precipitation but does not use the data of these climate variables directly from the project site. The practical incorporation of climate into design methods allows an increase in the certainty of results, ensuring additional climate-resilient pavement structures and increasing their durability and sustainability during their service life.

This research focuses on the addition of an ecological, sustainable material to improve the durability of earthen constructions and for use in rehabilitation and restoration processes. Specifically, it studies the mechanical and waterproof performance of an earthen mixture with the addition of a vegetal origin gel (VOG) obtained by extracting the starch contained in rice. This solution increases the durability of the mixture and the behavior against water and improves the mechanical resistance of the system. This study is divided into two parts. First, an experimental phase was carried out in the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya laboratory to design and develop the earthen mixtures stabilized with VOG to obtain an ecological, economical and easily replicable technology that can be transferred to any population group. The second stage consisted of the application of these mixtures and a real intervention in adobe dwellings in the community of Santa Ana Chapitiro, in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. The rehabilitation solutions and dosages were transferred to the residents of the community and applied to local adobe constructions by means of participatory design through an international development cooperation project. Good behavior of the material was found in the early stage.