Embodied carbon analysis on multi-story building using flat slab and conventional slab system

Abstract

Concrete is a construction material that is responsible for a large portion of carbon emissions from the construction industry due to the use of heavy-duty machines during materials processes, transportation, and concreting. Improvement of engineering design has been conducted by previous researchers to develop an eco-friendlier built environment. The use flat slab system could reduce the work quantity due to the abstain of beams as structural members. Therefore, the flat slab should be designed to independently withstand flexure during the loading action. This current study intends to compare the resulting carbon embodied in the multi-story building which uses the flat slab system to one with the conventional system. Researchers use the building of the Faculty of Physical Education Science as a case study. This research will be investigated using Building Information Modelling-based program that incorporates the ICE Database for the carbon factor. The analysis is discretized in the cradle-to-gate phase. The use of flat slabs can reduce the need for concrete and reinforcing steel materials by up to 5.767%. With the use of reduced materials, the value of embodied carbon also decreased by a percentage of 6.607%.