Carbon Emission Analysis of RC Core Wall-Steel Frame Structures

Abstract

The development of super high-rise building projects has become crucial for mitigating land shortages in rapidly growing urban areas. Super high-rise steel structures, particularly RC core wall-steel frame systems, have become the preferred choice due to their superior performance, high prefabrication level, and construction efficiency. Despite their benefits, super high-rise buildings face challenges related to higher energy consumption and carbon emissions. Consequently, it is important to analyze the carbon emissions of these buildings throughout their lifecycle and propose low-carbon construction strategies. A carbon emission analysis focused on super high-rise buildings with RC core wall-steel frame structures is conducted in this study. A carbon emission analysis model is constructed based on BIM-enabled LCA through a real-world case study. The emission factor method is combined with the BIM model to calculate carbon emission. Furthermore, carbon emissions across various construction strategies are compared, with a particular focus on the manufacturing processes of the main materials. The results indicate that incorporating admixtures in concrete, along with adopting the electric arc furnace (EAF) method and utilizing recycled scrap steel in steel manufacturing, significantly reduces the carbon emissions of the buildings. Lastly, effective low-carbon approaches for these buildings are proposed.