Abstract
Buildings are accountable for waste generation, utilization of natural resources, and ecological contamination. The construction sector is one of the biggest consumers of resources available naturally and is responsible for significant CO2 emissions on the planet. The effects of the buildings on the environment are commonly determined using Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). The investigation and comparison of the Life Cycle Ecological Footprint (LCEF) and Life Cycle Energy (LCE) of five residential buildings situated in the composite climatic zone of India is presented in this study. The utilization of resources (building materials) along with developing a mobile application and a generic model to choose low emission material is the uniqueness of this study. The utilization of eco-friendly building materials and how these are more efficient than conventional building materials are also discussed. In this investigation, the two approaches, (a) Life Cycle Energy Assessment (LCEA) and (b) Life Cycle Ecological Footprint (LCEF), are discussed to evaluate the impacts of building materials on the environment. The energy embedded due to the materials used in a building is calculated to demonstrate the prevalence of innovative construction techniques over traditional materials. The generic model developed to assess the LCEA of residential buildings in the composite climate of India and the other results show that the utilization of low-energy building materials brings about a significant decrease in the LCEF and the LCE of the buildings. The results are suitable for a similar typology of buildings elsewhere in different climatic zone as well. The MATLAB model presented will help researchers globally to follow-up or replicate the study in their country. The developed user-friendly mobile application will enhance the awareness related to energy, environment, ecology, and sustainable development in the general public. This study can help in understanding and thus reducing the ecological burden of building materials, eventually leading towards sustainable development.
Highlights
This article is an open access articleIn developing countries, there is rapid urbanization taking place that requires a large amount of energy with a compelling substantial impact through the generation of waste, emissions of greenhouse gases, etc. [1]
The results presented by Praseeda and Reddy [8] show that annual operational energy in the composite climate is 0.04–0.22 GJ/m2 /yr., in the warm humid climate is 0.03–0.04 GJ/m2 /yr., in the moderate climate is 0.01 GJ/m2 /yr., and in the cold climate is 0.06 GJ/m2 /yr
3D printing replacing traditional materials, and the conversion of excavation waste into building materials are all expected to transform the EE-associated ecological footprint scenario during the construction of future buildings. This manuscript is based on the study of five residential buildings in the composite climate of India
Summary
This article is an open access articleIn developing countries, there is rapid urbanization taking place that requires a large amount of energy with a compelling substantial impact through the generation of waste, emissions of greenhouse gases, etc. [1]. About 40% of the electrical energy is utilized in buildings in India [5]. The previous research indicates that the operational energy primarily used to maintain good indoor environmental quality in building stock is majorly responsible for energy and natural resource consumption followed by the construction industry [6,7]. In India, the amount waste generated annually is about 64 million tons, including construction and demolition (C&D) waste [9]. Buildings materials that form the major components of civil constructions play an important role in reducing the ecological footprint. According to the study, finding renewable alternative materials for construction and minimising energy expenditure in the construction sector in general is necessary, but the challenge is to develop techniques to convert solid wastes and biomass (both woody and non-woody) into construction products with minimal energy expenditure. Zhixing et al [11] studied carbon emissions in various types of buildings, in which the carbon emissions of the residential buildings are 514.66 kg CO2 e/m3 ; office buildings, 533.69 kg CO2 e/m3 ; and commercial buildings, 494.19 kg CO2 e/m3
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