Avaliação do uso e consumo de água na construção civil

Abstract

Civil construction represents human activity with the greatest impact on the environment, operating throughout the structure’s life cycle, from design to demolition. It is among the human activities that consume most water, with great contribution’s potential in the water resource’s preservation. Of the world's freshwater volume, approximately 17% is used in the construction industry, in the industrialized countries the consumption can reach 25%. This study aims to evaluate the use and consumption of water in the construction of multi-storey buildings, with a focus on their management at the construction sites, through the compilation of data provided by technical-scientific documents. In buildings, the impacts are reflected in different forms, at different stages of the life cycle, in high proportions. In Brazil, the traditional construction system is predominant, with high consumption of concrete and mortars, which have high representativity in the excessive volumes of water consumed. At construction sites, the critical stages of consumption occur in foundation services and finishes. Due to the management, complexity, built area and building’s constructive characteristics, the water consumption indicators presented were not stable. In order for water management in construction sites to take place effectively, it is necessary to take a set of actions, from the awareness of individuals to the evolution in the process of building.