Abstract
The building sector is a voracious consumer of primary materials. However, the study of building material use and associated impacts is challenged by the paucity of publicly available data in the field and the heterogeneity of data organization and classification between published studies. This paper makes two main contributions. First, we propose and demonstrate a building material data structure adapted from UniFormat and MasterFormat, two widely used construction classification systems in North America. Second, the dataset included provides fine grained material data for 70 buildings in North America. The dataset was developed by collecting design or construction drawings for the studied buildings and performing material takeoffs based on these drawings. The ontology is based on UniFormat and MasterFormat to facilitate interoperability with existing construction management practices, and to suggest a standardized structure for future material intensity studies. The data structure supports investigation into how form and building design are driving material use, opportunities to reduce construction material consumption and better understanding of how materials are used in buildings.
Highlights
Background & SummaryThis paper presents a novel dataset and data structure to facilitate study of resource use in building design and construction
While in theory detailed information is available for each constructed building in the form of design drawings, quantity takeoffs and construction records; recording material use is generally not a priority in an industry pressed by the competing challenges of cost and speed
This research draws on construction management-based data organization and material takeoff methods to present a novel dataset and data structure for building material use research
Summary
This paper presents a novel dataset and data structure to facilitate study of resource use in building design and construction. This study extends the earlier MFA database research to include more buildings and more geographies in time, increase the level of detail on where in the building (e.g. above or below ground) and for what purpose (e.g. slab vs column) construction materials are being used. This study builds on past research in industrial ecology and MFA which assesses the changes in flows and stocks of materials within a system[16]. Building materials have not been disaggregated into different building elements generally in past studies To address this gap, we adapted an ontology based on Uniformat[24] and MasterFormat[25], two widely used construction classification systems in North America, to facilitate a highly disaggregate assessment of material use
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