Case study of carbon footprint of residential building construction

Abstract

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a building’s construction stage are more concentrated and intense within a shorter time when compared with the operational stage. According to the characteristics of building construction, we identify the main direct and indirect carbon emission sources in residential projects and establish an assessment framework to calculate the carbon emissions from material consumption and mechanical operation. With a case study of residential buildings in Jiangsu Province, empirical results show that 90% of the GHG emitted during building construction is embodied in reinforced concrete engineering, metal structural engineering and masonry works; for three different structure types of buildings, indirect carbon emissions from the above materials production account for 94·34%, 96·04% and 97·05% of total carbon emissions, respectively. The findings reveal that those materials which contribute critically to the total embodied carbon footprint (CF) should be carefully inspected and selected at the design stage. This research provides a scientific and operational analysis tool in assessing the CF of building construction, and it also has practical value in promoting carbon emission reduction.