Material intensity in single-family dwellings: Variability between locations, functional unit and drivers of material use in Toronto, Perth, and Luzon.

• Important variabilities exist in material intensities of single-family dwellings within and between locations. • The choice of functional unit changes the perception of which location has more efficient building material use. • House size is a strong predictor of overall material use. • Foundations and exterior walls consume the most materials in houses but in different ratios across geographical locations. This study examines variability in material use in single-family dwellings within and between three different locations (Toronto, Perth, and Luzon). It investigates how the use of different functional units changes the perception of what buildings are more materially efficient and which location has the more materially efficient home building norms. Material intensities for 80 single- family dwellings in the three locations form the foundational data for the paper. Important variabilities exist in the material intensities of the single-family dwellings and change with the functional unit selected (e.g., 7–23% for 1 m² functional unit). Toronto single-family dwellings appear to be one of the least material intensive when presented per 1 m² floor area but become the most material intensive when presented per 1 building and 1 bedroom with the opposite for Luzon. Housing size is the most effective explainer of overall material use with foundations and walls consuming the most materials but in different ratios across the three locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]