Environmental benefits arising from demountable steel-concrete composite floor systems in buildings

Abstract

This paper presents an assessment and quantification of the environmental impacts arising from different steel-concrete composite floor systems. In particular, a demountable composite floor system using pretensioned high-strength friction grip bolts as shear connectors is compared with three conventional composite floor systems that use welded shear studs as shear connectors. The first type promotes the end-of-life scenario of disassembly and reuse of structural elements, while the conventional systems are related to the current practices of waste management for building materials, i.e. demolition and recycling. To analyse these different structural systems and relative scenarios, a comparative Life Cycle Assessment investigating two entire life cycles of the materials is developed. Based on the evaluation of several impact categories, the building with demountable composite floor system is identified as the most environmentally friendly solution among all the considered structural solutions, and the saving of emissions and resources is quantified for each impact category.