Sustainability Report
Embodied carbon
Carbon emissions were calculated based on material quantities estimated from architectural drawings (105 m² total area) and verified data from the project. Emission factors were sourced from the Inventory of Carbon & Energy (ICE) and Ecoinvent databases. Materials included: earthen adobe walls, local stone foundations, round timber and cane roof structure, second-hand clay tiles, and locally quarried brick for the bathroom module. Transport emissions were included for materials and labor traveling from Bogotá (~180 km). Carbon capture was estimated for timber and organic content in adobe.
Operational Emissions / Energy
Operational carbon estimated based on actual occupancy pattern: approximately 2 weekends per month (≈96 days/year). The house is used exclusively as a vacation home. Energy consumption estimated at ~3 kWh/day of active use (LED lighting, basic appliances), with no mechanical heating or cooling. Adobe walls provide passive thermal regulation eliminating HVAC needs. Colombian grid emission factor: 0.126 kg CO₂eq/kWh (UPME 2023). Total estimated: ~36 kg CO₂eq/year across 105 m².
Service and maintenance emissions
Service and maintenance emissions are minimal by design. Adobe, stone, and timber are durable local materials that require only periodic earthen render touch-ups (estimated every 7–10 years, ~0.2 ton of adobe per cycle). No synthetic coatings, industrial sealants, or energy-intensive maintenance products are used. Second-hand clay tiles have an extended remaining lifespan. Estimated annual maintenance carbon: ~8.5 kg CO₂eq/year across 105 m² (≈0.08 kg CO₂eq/m²/year). No formal LCA software was used; estimates based on ICE database factors.
Afterlife
Adaptive reuse is central to the project's concept. The intervention restored an abandoned adobe house rather than demolishing and rebuilding, extending the building's lifespan by decades. The typology, a courtyard house with a series of independent rooms connected by corridors, is inherently flexible: spaces can transition between bedroom, studio, workspace, or service room without structural modifications. The bathroom module is a fully independent structure that could serve a different program entirely. The floorplan follows the traditional Hispanic rural typology of the Valle de Tenza region, a proven layout that has accommodated different programs and family structures for centuries.
All primary materials are fully recoverable and reusable. Adobe blocks can be disassembled, rewetted, and remolded into new blocks with zero material loss. Round timber structural members are unfastened with traditional joinery and can be reused as structural elements or repurposed as furniture. Clay roof tiles, already sourced second-hand, can continue to circulate indefinitely. Local stone foundations can be reclaimed and reused in other constructions. No reinforced concrete, composite panels, or bonded synthetic materials were used, meaning no elements require industrial demolition or generate construction waste that cannot reenter the local material cycle.