Optimisation des propriétés thermiques des parois dans les habitations en briques de terre comprimée au Burkina Faso

Architecture in Africa, and particularly in Burkina Faso, is at the crossroads between the traditional and contemporary practices. The architectural choices are more regarding social and cultural considerations than environmental and thermal necessity. Earth-based building material, long neglected in favour of modern materials, offers today the opportunity to construct economic, sustainable and environmental buildings. Despite the advances in the techniques of earth-based construction, flaws related to the optimization of the properties of compressed earth blocks for thermal comfort still exist, and should be addressed. The bioclimatic approach to building in hot climates presents the exterior wall as a means of improving indoor climatic conditions. However, the results of improvement in thermal comfort reported in the scientific literature reveal variability in the properties of the material. An appropriate adjustment of the thermal conductivity, apparent density, specific heat and thickness of the walls allows the best use of this material. Therefore, it was the subject of this thesis. In a first approach, a study by dynamic thermal simulation was carried out. A typical housing in urban areas was modelled. The parametric study was carried out on the thermal properties of the external wall and made it possible to assess the impact on thermal comfort. The potential of earth, namely hygroscopy and thermal mass, were explored in relation to the interaction between the occupants and the building. Graphic tools for designing exterior earth-based wall systems for the thermal comfort of habitats were produced. In a second approach, an experimental study was implemented of the most interesting wall systems. It aimed to consolidate the results of dynamic thermal simulations. The monitoring of earth-based pilot building was carried out in order to study the thermal performance of the walls. This work gives indications for the design and thermal optimization of earth-based walls related to the housing in Burkina Faso.