Incorporating Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) in Art and Small-Scale Architectural Elements: A Sustainable Disposal Alternative

The construction industry stands out among sectors with the highest waste production, showing a substantial potential for reuse considering the high consumption of raw materials and CO2 production. However, this reuse has been constrained by the high variability and potential impacts on structural materials, thus leaving the possibility of incorporating these materials into more architecturally oriented applications open. In this context, this study aims to determine the technical and environmental feasibility of reusing construction and demolition waste (CDW) in mortar production to create art and small-scale architectural elements (SSAE) for non-structural applications. The approach is grounded in circular economy principles, emphasizing aesthetic enhancement and adding value to the waste management chain. The research was conducted in three stages. First, construction waste (concrete and cement mortars) was collected, treated, and characterized in terms of granulometry, density, organic impurities, absorption, and specific mass. In the second stage, mortars with 75% replacement of natural sand by CDW were produced and evaluated for their physical and mechanical properties, including absorption, pH, density, color saturation, compressive strength, and dynamic elasticity modulus. Finally, art and microarchitecture elements were created, with assessments on their technical properties, aesthetic aspects, and an additional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate environmental performance. The results demonstrate that CDW can be effectively repurposed to produce a variety of art and microarchitecture elements, offering a sustainable and economically viable alternative for waste disposal while enhancing aesthetic value. The life cycle assessment showed that the R 2.5 mortar had the best environmental performance in 11 environmental categories out of the 19 analyzed, while the reference mortar and R 5 had the worst performance in 10 and 9 categories, respectively. Replacing sand with CDW generally improved outcomes, but adding iron oxide pigments increased environmental impacts. Mortars with lower density had the least negative impacts. The use of CDW in art and microarchitecture production presents a viable alternative to disposal, promoting a circular economy and providing lower negative environmental impacts.