Reducing building embodied emissions in the design phase: A comparative study on structural alternatives

Abstract

Abstract Currently, the building design phase is gaining increasing attention owing to the necessity to reduce carbon emissions. Research has been conducted on various building structures; however, a comparison of the emissions from different structures requires further investigation, because the relevant previous studies usually adopted different design conditions and lacked consideration of parameter uncertainty. In this context, the present study applied process-based method to compare the embodied emissions of five structure systems, namely brick masonry, hollow block masonry, reinforced masonry, reinforced concrete frame, and reinforced concrete wall structures based on the same building layout for structural design and a unified system boundary for assessment. A case study was performed based on both deterministic and stochastic analyses, and the emissions and parameter uncertainty were assessed from the perspectives of processes, subprojects, and scopes. The results indicated that hollow block masonry structures could be a good option for buildings in non-seismic regions, considering their relatively low project costs and emissions. With respect to reinforced masonry and concrete structures, the difference in emissions and relative reliability were evaluated by a statistical analysis, and the results indicated that reinforced masonry and concrete frame structures rather than concrete wall structures were recommended for typical multistory buildings in seismic regions, from a comprehensive perspective of safety, costs, and emissions. Overall, the results and findings of this study could be helpful for emission reduction from the perspective of structural design.