A study on reducing the carbon footprint of architectural buildings based on their materials under the guidance of eco-design strategies

Abstract

The eco-design approach was developed in the field of design and architecture in the second half of the twentieth century, with the aim of considering and reducing the environmental impact of products throughout their whole life cycle. The purpose of this study is to reveal how and the extent to which the carbon footprints of small houses that were designed with industrial construction techniques have been reduced during the production phase of the life cycle. For this purpose, the small houses and their materials were reconsidered to reduce their carbon footprints under the guidance of eco-design strategies according to the life cycle assessment method. The study focuses on 7 small houses, a reflective design process in which designs are reconsidered and the reconsidered small house designs in which carbon footprints are reduced as a result of the process within the scope of the Ecological Architecture course conducted by the Department of Architecture at Ataturk University. The CCaLC program was used in the study to calculate and compare the carbon footprints of the first small house designs and the small house designs reconsidered under the guidance of eco-design strategies. Small houses stand out due to their lower use of natural resources and low environmental impact at all stages of their life cycle. Using such houses as examples, this study reveals that the carbon footprints of buildings can be significantly reduced based on their materials by reflective design processes under the guidance of eco-design strategies.