Carbon and cost critical elements: a comparative analysis of two office buildings

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the carbon intensive building elements or “carbon hotspots” of office buildings in order to maximise the carbon reduction potential during design stages. Design/methodology/approach Embodied carbon (EC) estimates of 28 office buildings in the UK were obtained and carbon hotspots of the sample (in accordance with the new rules of measurement (NRM) element classification) were identified using the 80:20 Pareto principle. Findings Frame, substructure, external walls, services and upper floors were identified as carbon hotspots of the selected sample. However, findings do not support the 80:20 ratio in this case but propose a ratio of 80:36. Stairs, internal walls and partitions, internal doors, wall finishes, ceiling finishes and fittings and furnishings were identified as carbon insignificant elements that have a lower EC reduction potential compared to the rest. Research limitations/implications The findings are applicable to office buildings in the UK but the methodology is adaptable to different types of buildings in other countries. Originality/value Findings unveil carbon intensive and carbon insignificant building elements of typical office buildings in the UK. This informs designers of the elements that could yield the highest potential EC savings via effective design choices. In addition, a logical design timeline is proposed for building elements based on their element hotspot category and design sequence to assist design decision making.

Section: Carbon Hotspots Of Buildingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing embodied carbon in buildings: a Pareto approach

Victoria

Perera

2018

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“…IP-4, IP-6 and IP-7 expressed the need to consider material and design optimization in developing structural designs to ensure the minimization of ineffective material utilization and material wastage. The findings of Victoria et al (2017) and Victoria and Perera (2018) support this view, where they have identified structural elements of a building, specifically the building frame and substructure to be embodied carbon (EC) and cost critical elements, which offer greater potential for EC management during building design. IP-7 further stated that the general tendency among structural engineers to overdesign structural components as a contingency measure also needs to be reduced, as much as possible, since it reflects on wasted resource allocations.…”

Section: Role Of Architects In Ensuring Energy Efficiency Through Building Designmentioning

confidence: 79%

Revisiting the role of professionals in designing buildings with low embodied and operational energy

Tennakoon

Waidyasekara

Ekanayake

2019

Purpose Many studies have focused on embodied energy (EE) and operational energy (OE), but a shortage of studies on decision making, which involves several decision makers whose decisions can affect the energy performance of buildings, is evident. From the stages of the project life cycle, the design stage is identified as the ideal stage for integrating energy efficiency into buildings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to revisit the role of professionals in designing energy-conscious buildings with low EE and OE. Design/methodology/approach This study administered a qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews only with 12 experts, due to the lack of expertise in the subject matter. The data were analyzed using manual content analysis. Findings The outcomes revealed the necessity to revisit the role of construction professionals in terms of adopting energy-efficient building design concepts from the project outset. The roles of the key professional groups (i.e. architects, structural engineers, services engineers and quantity surveyors) were identified through this research. Common issues in designing energy-efficient buildings and the means of addressing such problems were outlined. Originality/value This study contributes to the knowledge by revisiting the roles of construction professionals and proposing how they could leverage their strengths to play the important role and contribute collectively to design buildings with both low OE and EE.

“…Their results revealed that there is a strong relationship between EC and cost. Similarly, studies carried out by Victoria et al (2017), Jiao et al (2012), Copiello (2016) in the United Kingdom, China and Italy, respectively, revealed the existence of carbon-cost relationship in certain building elements or materials. Similarly, it is important to explore the possibility of a cost-carbon relationship in school buildings of Australia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Analysis of embodied carbon and cost profiles of school buildings in Australia

Perera

Senaratne

Rodrigo

et al. 2021

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PurposeIn recent years, there has been an increased focus on creating sustainable buildings that have a reduced carbon footprint. The primary method to achieve this has been through reducing operational carbon of buildings. However, as the industry aims to produce “carbon neutral” buildings with extremely low operational carbon through measures such as insulation, embodied carbon (EC) component could get increased. As such, it is equally important to understand the state of EC emissions in buildings. The aim of this research was to analyse typical EC and cost profiles of school buildings within Australia to understand which building elements need more attention.Design/methodology/approachThe research involved measuring EC of five classroom blocks in schools in Sydney through a case study research approach and document survey. Bills of quantities from these projects were analysed to estimate the EC and cost profiles of the buildings.FindingsResults indicated that some elements such as roof, site works, upper floors and substructure had a higher cost also demonstrating an increased EC indicating a possibility of a relationship between carbon and cost. Accordingly, these elements were identified as the typical carbon hotspots within school buildings in Australia, which need greater attention in reducing EC.Originality/valueThe study explores the carbon–cost profile of Australian school buildings and highlights the importance of reducing EC in carbon hotspots.