Concrete Construction: How to Explore Environmental and Economic Sustainability in Cold Climates

Abstract

In many cold regions around the world, such as northern China and the Nordic countries, on-site concrete is often cured in cold weather conditions. To protect the concrete from freezing or excessively long maturation during the hardening process, contractors use curing measures. Different types of curing measures have different effects on construction duration, cost, and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, to maximize their sustainability and financial benefits, contractors need to select the appropriate curing measures against different weather conditions. However, there is still a lack of efficient decision support tools for selecting the optimal curing measures, considering the temperature conditions and effects on construction performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a Modeling-Automation-Decision Support (MADS) framework and tool to help contractors select curing measures to optimize performance in terms of duration, cost, and CO2 emissions under prevailing temperatures. The developed framework combines a concrete maturity analysis (CMA) tool, a discrete event simulation (DES), and a decision support module to select the best curing measures. The CMA tool calculates the duration of concrete curing needed to reach the required strength, based on the chosen curing measures and anticipated weather conditions. The DES simulates all construction activities to provide input for the CMA and uses the CMA results to evaluate construction performance. To analyze the effectiveness of the proposed framework, a software prototype was developed and tested on a case study in Sweden. The results show that the developed framework can efficiently propose solutions that significantly reduce curing duration and CO2 emissions.

Material and Environmental Aspects of Concrete Flooring in Cold Climate

“…Concretes 1-5 represent most of the concrete options for the housing industry in Sweden, and the environmental emissions presented in this paper gave a good understanding of the environmental impact of Swedish concrete. Similar results for concrete materials in the northern periphery and Arctic regions were reported in, for example, [12,51,52]. The total primary energy, shown in Figure 10b, ranged between 3103 and 4053 MJ for 1 cubic meter of concrete, a difference of 31%.…”

“…To mitigate the effects of cold climate conditions on concrete drying, it is essential to take appropriate measures during the curing process [12]. These can include using warm concrete, insulating blankets, or internal heating cables to keep the concrete warm.…”

An Overview of Smart Materials and Technologies for Concrete Construction in Cold Weather

“…It is well known for its versatility, durability, and costeffectiveness [3][4][5][6][7]. However, concrete construction in cold weather conditions presents numerous challenges that can significantly impact the performance, durability, and sustainability of the structures [8][9][10][11][12]. As cold weather construction becomes more prevalent due to expanding urbanization, expedited by rapid population growth [13,14] and the increased requirements for infrastructure development in colder regions, understanding the material-related challenges and identifying effective strategies and technologies to address these challenges is essential.…”