Compressed stabilized earth block: environmentally sustainable alternative for villages housing

Construction materials contribute to environmental pollution and the impoverishment of natural raw materials. The villages of Upper Egypt were exposed to high thermal loads owing to their geographical location. Moreover, the current building materials do not comply with the principles of sustainability and environmental adaptation of the residents of these buildings. Therefore, attaining admission to one sustainable building material in Upper Egypt and using it as an environmentally compatible, inexpensive, accessible, and easy building material for the users of these blocks is essential. In this study, the author selected various sites in Upper Egypt, analyzed climate and urban data, and after that, suggested prototypes with many variables and measured using the DesignBuilder V5 computer simulation program to select an optimal building type. Reached that can be saved energy about 40:50% and decreased annual discomfort hours more than 50%, finally, discussed with community members by a questionnaire on societal acceptance. The research concluded that building with compressed stabilized earth block is an environmentally sustainable solution applied in residential areas in the villages of Upper Egypt to reduce deficiencies in environmental adaptation. © 2021, The Author(s).