Assessment Model for Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions during Building Construction

Abstract

Many studies use life-cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool to quantify the environmental impact of buildings. Most of these studies have focused on the maintenance and operation phases of construction projects, which account for the largest part of energy consumption during the life cycle of buildings. However, the construction phase may cause significant environmental impacts, so a detailed analysis on the construction phase is required to conduct a more accurate assessment of the energy consumption and environmental impact of a building’s entire life cycle. To assess energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, this study developed a model using process-based LCA and input-output (I-O) LCA. This study divided the construction phase into material manufacturing, transportation, and on-site construction, and applied an appropriate methodology for each part. The analysis of an apartment building project using the developed model showed that the material manufacturing stage had the largest amount of energy consumption and GHG emissions. Quantitatively, material manufacturing, transportation, and on-site construction phases were responsible for 94.89, 1.08, and 4.03% of energy consumption, and 95.16, 1.76, and 3.08% of global warming potential, respectively. It is believed that the developed model would allow a more accurate assessment of energy consumption and GHG emissions during a building’s construction phase.