Abstract
Having a tool in Spanish regulations to evaluate the sustainability of the construction process in a simple and efficient way (Annex 13 of the Structural Concrete Instruction EHE-08) means an advance with respect to regulations in other countries. However, the complexity of homogenising the conditions that affect the execution of each structure, which are of a very heterogeneous and variable nature, in order to be able to evaluate their contribution to sustainability within the same reference framework, is the greatest obstacle and can have a great influence on the representativeness of the obtained results. However, there are variables that, given their specificity and nature, are not contemplated in this methodology (dust, noise and vibration emission, transportation). This paper proposes a complementary disaggregated model to evaluate the sustainability of variables that are not considered, namely the transportation of materials to the worksite, the commute of workers, the construction process, the emissions of dust, noise and vibrations, as well as the necessary load tests. The results of the application of this model to the real case of the foundations of two singular buildings, show the importance that these previously unexamined variables can have when choosing the most sustainable technical solution in terms of CO2 emissions.
Highlights
Understanding the concept of sustainability is the first step in the study and analysis of the current tools used to evaluate environmental impact at a very reduced scale, which includes structures and foundations in general, and in particular those developed in urban areas since construction sites constitute major sources of pollutants provoking negative impacts on the environment [1]
In the case of the most sustainable solution, according to the results obtained (VDT), we can see that 67% of the emissions generated have their origin in the increases in electricity consumption associated with the combined emissions of dust, noise and vibrations, while the emissions derived from traffic diversions put into place in one of the lanes of Ramón y Cajal Avenue represent almost 20%
the obtainToetadl CrLOeo2asEdumTliestssstio.nHs (To) evaluate the contribution of structures to sustainability, using the tools currently available seems like the sensible choice, as they provide the basis for a homogeneous comparison between the different agents involved in the construction process
Summary
Understanding the concept of sustainability is the first step in the study and analysis of the current tools used to evaluate environmental impact at a very reduced scale, which includes structures and foundations in general, and in particular those developed in urban areas since construction sites constitute major sources of pollutants provoking negative impacts on the environment [1]. Sustainability is a broader concept than that of sustainable development, since it can be applied effectively to scales below the regional level, as well as to products, processes and services. Sustainability is applicable to different levels or objects, such as a certain sector, a specific activity, a product, a process, a group or an entity. In this context, Badi et al conduct a thorough review on the sustainability agenda in the construction sector [2] while Ahmad researches empirical interactions among the construction sector, energy consumption, urbanisation and carbon emissions [3]. Sustainability indicators have been designed to condense complex information into signals and are able to selectively support polarised sides of the same debate [7]
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