Structural system effect on water consumption of the construction of the contemporary typical houses in Yazd

The construction industry is a major water consumer using the main portion of potable water. Building structure system is one of the water consumption effective factors. It is important to select a structural system which not only has necessary structural features but also is optimum in water usage in construction phase. This paper intends to assess the optimum building structural system in terms of water consumption in the Yazd typical houses where is faced with water crisis. Therefore, first of all a typical house in Yazd with barrier wall system was selected while the water consumption of structure constructing was calculated by a quantitative method. Water consumption of material production process as well as water consumption during the construction process in the project site were included. Next, the structural system was redesigned through two other common systems in Yazd: concrete and steel system while water consumption was calculated again considering structural system is dependent on changes like dimensions of foundation, beams, columns and the thickness of the walls. The result of the calculations and studies shows barrier wall system uses less water among the other common systems in Yazd by decreasing use of steel. However, further survey of the LSF system as a dried system becoming popular in Yazd recently completed the conclusion that this system is the best in terms of water consumption in comparison with other common systems used in Yazd.