Sustainability of the domestic consumption of construction materials in Colombia, 1990-2013

Abstract

In order to assess the sustainability of the consumption of construction materials in Colombia, we analyze the patterns of consumption of these materials between 1990 and 2013. We use domestic consumption of materials, consumption of materials per capita, and intensity of consumption of construction materials as sustainability indicators. Results show that the domestic consumption of construction materials has increased since 1998 until reaching a share in the domestic consumption of materials only inferior to the share of biomass. We find that the ratio of domestic material consumption to GDP decreased during the period of analysis and that changes in construction techniques partially explain the diminishing intensity of consumption of construction materials in Colombia.