Carbon Footprint Of Buildings Research Articles

Remote Solar Parks for Building Decarbonisation: A Lithuanian Case Study on Virtual Prosumers

To reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, the concept of virtual prosumers (consumers who both consume and produce) using remote solar energy parks represents a novel method in Europe. In 2019, Lithuania became the first country in Europe to introduce a digital platform that enables the buying or renting of parts of a remote solar park, making it the first such platform in the world to operate on a national scale. This study examines the effectiveness of this model in Lithuania, assessing the model's success, public engagement, and success factors. The main study focus is on evaluating the impact of remote solar parks on the decarbonization of buildings, particularly through the prism of virtual prosumer participation.Applying a mixed research method, this study integrates both qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative analysis includes a detailed case study, evaluating the amount of energy produced by two selected remote solar parks in Lithuania, as well as their impact on the carbon dioxide emissions and primary energy use of the two individual houses (a detached house and a unit within an apartment building) connected to these remote power plants. Concurrently, qualitative methods involve analyzing the existing legal and economic frameworks in Lithuania and Europe, which either facilitate or impede the prosumer model, in addition to examining the necessary technological infrastructure.Key findings of this study highlight the potential of remote solar energy parks to significantly reduce the carbon emissions of buildings. This model is especially beneficial for structures where onsite solar energy solutions are impractical. It fosters greater inclusivity in adopting renewable energy, enabling a variety of stakeholders to participate in and benefit from clean energy production. However, the study identifies several major challenges, including regulatory restrictions, the need for infrastructure development, a shortage of developers, state contributions, public awareness, and the creation of a unified platform.

Lifecycle carbon footprints of buildings and sustainability pathways in China

The Paris Agreement, with a 2 °C temperature increase baseline and a 1.5 °C target temperature increase, imposes challenges to the sustainability of buildings. However, as an end-user or end-of-the-art, the building sector overlaps with other sectors, such as industry and transportation in building materials manufacturing (such as steel, concrete, cement, etc. ) and electricity use (such as building-to-vehicle charging), imposing difficulties in lifecycle carbon footprint quantification in buildings. In this study, the lifecycle carbon footprint of buildings and sustainability pathways in China are provided. Tools and platforms for lifecycle carbon footprint quantification in buildings are reviewed. A global database for lifecycle carbon footprint quantification in buildings is reviewed and compared, together with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, decarbonization technologies in the building operation stage are comprehensively reviewed, including the decarbonization potential, technology readiness level (TRL), techno-economic performance, and current technical status. Pathways on carbon neutrality in building sectors in China are provided. The results indicate that inconsistencies in global databases, unclear definitions of lifecycle carbon emissions, and inaccurate models of building energy consumption are the main challenges for accurate lifecycle carbon analysis in buildings. Various carbon neutrality transformation technologies can be classified into ultralow energy building and near zero-energy building technologies and into efficient heat pump and smart metering technologies. Pathways for low-carbon transition in building sectors include building energy saving (330 million tCO2 with 22%), renewable energy supply (299 million tCO2 with 20%), building electrification and power sector decarbonization (450 million tCO2 with 30%), and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology (420 million tCO2 with 28%). These research results can pave the way for upcoming studies on the lifecycle carbon footprint in buildings and sustainability pathways in China.

Evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the geospatial distribution of buildings' carbon footprints associated with electricity consumption

The carbon footprint (CF) linked to electricity consumption in buildings has become a significant environmental issue because of its significant role in greenhouse gas emissions. This study seeks to assess and examine the CF of electricity consumption in buildings across various building types. Additionally, this paper aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the CF of buildings. The investigation involves a comparative analysis between the CF values observed and predicted during the years affected by the pandemic. Additionally, the study evaluates the influence of the pandemic on the accuracy of CF model predictions by employing three distinct machine-learning models. Spatial analyses were conducted to identify clustering patterns of CF and identify areas of both high and low CF concentrations within the study area. The findings demonstrate significant disparities in the CF of electricity consumption across distinct building types, with residential buildings emerging as the largest contributors to carbon emissions. Moreover, the pandemic has had a notable impact on CF patterns, leading to alterations in the areas identified as hotspots and cold spots during the pandemic years compared to the pre-pandemic period, based on building types.

Technical State, Renovation Need and Performance of Renovation Solutions of Estonian Wooden Log Houses

The wooden log house serves as a prevalent architectural archetype in rural regions of several Nordic and Baltic countries. To ensure the long-lasting nature of these buildings, proper maintenance is imperative. However, in order to meet the evolving expectations of residents and minimize the environmental impact, a deep renovation is currently required. To successfully achieve the goals of this renovation wave and effectively address the personal needs of the homeowners, it is crucial to develop systemic renovation solutions that can be offered through a digital renovation passport. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to identify common damages, renovation requirements, and evaluate current renovation practices. The findings will serve as a crucial resource for the development of a digital renovation passport. In our study, we utilize rural wooden log houses (comprising 208 houses, 4 years of data) as our research subject. The building elements that are most in need of renovation are the external walls, roofs, and foundations, which require renovation in 77%, 63%, and 63% of the buildings, respectively. The primary cause of damage to the vulnerable structures is excessive moisture. Additionally, decay in the foundation can be attributed to factors such as erosion of mortar, frost, insufficient plinth height, inadequate foundation depth, and inadequate moisture protection. Recommendations provided by consultants primarily focus on restoring and preserving the dwellings' original architectural appearance. As a result, they are deemed insufficient in terms of improving energy performance and indoor climate. This lack of comprehensive consultation is concerning as it fails to consider the potential for cost efficiency, minimizing disruption to occupants, and achieving a comprehensive end result. The absence of recommendations for enhancing indoor climate, energy efficiency, general living quality, and reducing the building's carbon footprint performance the necessity for such renovation solutions and the importance of educating professionals and homeowners. The study's novelty lies in the establishment of statistical probabilities for damages and their causes, as well as the assessment of renovation and maintenance needs and the quality of existing recommendations. Results are scaled to the Estonian building stock, showing the renovation need on national scale. The findings can be incorporated into the digital renovation passport, along with specific renovation goals related to a given house.

A methodology to simulate peak water demand for water supply systems using semi-direct methods: A case study for a residential building in Mexico

Historically, approaches for determining peak water demand in buildings have been based on probabilistic methods. Extensive research has shown that these methods lack accuracy because of the human factor in the probability of use. Inaccuracy in the calculation of peak water demand is the main cause of oversized water supply systems in buildings. This has led to unfavorable effects such as: 1) increasing the building carbon footprint due to the use of more construction materials, and 2) engendering health hazards due to the stagnation of water causing microbial growing. This paper presents a step-by-step methodology that serves to calculate the peak water demand by simulating the use of plumbing fixtures based on data obtained from standardized flowrate. With the implementation of the methodology, the peak water demand estimated was 2.6 times lower in comparison to traditional methods. The main conclusion drawn from the research is the potential of the methodology to easily simulated peak water demand in residential buildings in the short term. Thus, it reveals a hotspot for peak water demand calculation and can serve as routes for future research.

Forecasting the carbon footprint of civil buildings under different floor area growth trends and varying energy supply methods

The energy consumption and carbon footprint of buildings are significantly impacted by variations in building area and the number of households. Therefore, it is crucial to forecast the growth trend of building area and number of households. A validated time series model is used to predict the new building area in Jilin Province from 2023 to 2030. The new building area in Jilin Province is expected to exhibit two trends of growth in the future: rapid growth (S1) and slow growth (S2). By 2030, under the S1 growth trend, the residential construction area and public building construction area in Jilin Province are expected to be 30.26 Mm2 (million square meters) and 7.23 Mm2, respectively. If the future floor area grows slowly under the S2 trend, the new floor area of different types will be 8.26 Mm2 and 1.33 Mm2 by 2030, respectively. The population growth shows a downward trend. Therefore, the energy consumption and carbon footprint of new buildings with different growth trends of floor areas and the number of households can be predicted. The energy consumption of new buildings shows an increasing trend from 0.32 Mtce in 2023 to 0.55 Mtce in 2030 under the S1 trend and a slight downward trend under the S2 trend. The carbon footprint is expected to be reduced by 0.017–0.311 million tons of CO2 when using heat pumps to supply 10–50% of the heat and wind and solar to supply 10–50% of the electricity. For every 10% increase in the use of ultra-low energy buildings, the energy consumption of civil buildings decreases in the range of 0.0063–0.028 Mtce. If the use of heat pumps and renewable energy increases by 10%, the energy consumption of civil buildings decreases in the range of 0.0054–0.0249 Mtce.

Life Cycle Assessment and Building Information Modeling Integrated Approach: Carbon Footprint of Masonry and Timber-Frame Constructions in Single-Family Houses

The analysis of the carbon footprint of buildings is a key tool for assessing the impact of different buildings on climate change. Several frameworks and methodologies are available to calculate the footprint of buildings, including standards and norms, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and dedicated software tools. The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) programme for these calculations is both scientifically justified and very practical. This scientific publication focuses on the application of a BIM-based research methodology to analyse the carbon footprint of a single-family house. The research process included the following steps: (i) the design of a single-family house with masonry construction using Archicad 26, BIM programme, (ii) simulation of the building energy performance using the EcoDesigner Star plug-in, (iii) LCA using the plug-in for Archicad, (iv) preparation of a second model with timber-frame construction for comparison, and (v) comparative analysis of the single-family house models with masonry construction (building A) and timber-frame (building B). Analysis of the results highlights significant differences in CO2e emissions between buildings and the varying impact of individual elements on the total CO2e emissions of the buildings studied. Building A had significantly higher net emissions, amounting to 43,226.94 kg CO2e, in stark contrast to Building B’s significantly lower 13,522.13 kg CO2e. This discrepancy was also mirrored in the emission intensity, with Building A emitting at a rate of 281.06 kg CO2e/m2 compared to Building B’s 96.72 kg CO2e/m2. These findings are relevant for future work on sustainable building design and construction aiming to minimise negative environmental impacts. The goal of minimising the cumulative carbon footprint of buildings is critical to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and combating climate change.

Carbon handprint – a review of potential climate benefits of buildings

ABSTRACT As buildings account for 39% of greenhouse gas emissions, the building sector is essential for pursuing carbon neutrality. Carbon footprints of buildings are currently emerging in the legislation of European countries. However, the concept of carbon neutrality calls for both reducing emissions and increasing carbon sinks and storages. The concept of ‘carbon handprint’ describes potential climate benefits that are related to a product, service, or an organization. Although an increasing body of scientific and professional literature exist on the concept, there are no standards for guiding its quantification in the context of buildings. Furthermore, examples demonstrating the potential of building related carbon handprints are still scarce. In this article, we examine and evaluate different climate benefits that can be utilized in life-cycle assessment of buildings. We test them through a case study of a wooden apartment building. Our results indicate that methodologically most mature handprints include carbon storage in bio-based products, carbonation of concrete, surplus energy, as well as reuse, recycling, and energy recovery. In our study, the relative size of the calculated handprints varies considerably between 39% and 87% of the building’s footprint. However, uncertainties and methodological development needs should be addressed in the standardization work.

Direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump coupled with crystallisation-controlled supercooled PCM for shifting building electricity demand

This paper proposes a novel approach for improving the performance of a direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump (DX-SAHP) system by integrating a crystallisation controllable phase change material (PCM) and building energy demand shifting strategy. The proposed system aims to reduce buildings' energy consumption while utilizing solar energy efficiently. Sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT) as the crystallisation controllable supercooled PCM has a promising feature of releasing the stored latent heat when it is externally triggered, allowing the user to control the stored heat whenever needed. In the study, the PCM can store the thermal energy generated by the DX-SAHP during peak solar hours in an efficient way. This stored energy can be released when solar energy is unavailable, but the heating is requested. This approach not only reduces the load on the heat pump system but also makes efficient use of the stored thermal energy by crystallisation controllable PCM. A detailed controlling methodology of the system is given, and heating output is controlled considering the level of solar irradiance. The proposed system was modelled and simulated using MATLAB, and the results show that the integration of crystallisation controllable PCM and building demand shifting strategy can significantly reduce the energy consumption of the buildings. On the low solar radiation day, the COP improvement compared to the air source heat pump system was found 9.4%, this improvement value can reach 77% on high solar radiation days. The system can also effectively utilize solar energy and reduce the overall carbon footprint of buildings.

Carbon Footprint Reduction Through Sustainable Renovation of Buildings

The escalating threat of climate change necessitates urgent global action to reduce carbon emissions and adopt sustainable practices. Buildings, as significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, require immediate attention and transformative solutions. This article delves into the concept of carbon footprint reduction through sustainable renovation of buildings, exploring essential strategies and initiatives in combating climate change and achieving environmental objectives. The paper begins with an introduction to the pressing issue of climate change, its correlation with carbon emissions from buildings, and the crucial importance of addressing the carbon footprint challenge in the construction sector. It introduces sustainable renovation as a viable solution to mitigate emissions. Through a comprehensive analysis, the article examines the impact of buildings on carbon footprints, highlighting statistics on global carbon emissions from the sector, scrutinizing energy consumption, and operational practices that contribute to heightened carbon footprints, and discussing the environmental consequences. The article then delves into key strategies for carbon footprint reduction, such as energy-efficient retrofitting, the integration of renewable energy sources, and water conservation methods. To highlight real-world success stories, the article presents case studies of sustainable renovation projects that have achieved substantial carbon emission reductions, shedding light on valuable lessons learned from these initiatives. Conclusively, the paper envisions the potential impact of sustainable renovation on global carbon emissions and offers recommendations to policymakers, stakeholders, and building owners to accelerate the transition towards sustainable building practices. In essence, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the significance of sustainable renovation in reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. By embracing collective efforts and committing to sustainable practices, a greener and more resilient future can be secured, ensuring a sustainable planet for generations to come.

Turning waste into insulation – A new sustainable thermal insulation board based on wheat bran and banana peels

As modern buildings are getting more and more energy efficient in their operation due to improvements in the insulation envelope and building technology, the embodied emissions of the used building materials become increasingly important for the overall carbon footprint of buildings. This necessitates the creation of materials, including thermal insulation materials, with low embodied emissions, such as biomass-based materials. Here, thermal insulation boards based on wheat bran, a milling by-product, were produced using water only or a banana peel slurry as a binder. The density dependence of the thermal conductivity and compressive strength was determined and the moisture uptake, microstructure and thermal stability were evaluated. The boards showed thermo-mechanical properties comparable to other materials based on low-value or waste biomass with their thermal conductivity ranging between 50 and 66 mW/(m·K) and stress at 10% strain values between 20 and 170 kPa. Surprisingly, the properties were not significantly different when comparing those prepared with and without the banana peel binder. The wheat bran insulation boards provide a proof-of-concept for a thermal insulation board with good thermal and mechanical properties and low embodied emissions based on a low-value agricultural by-product.

Neuroinclusive workplaces and biophilic design: Strategies for promoting occupational health and sustainability in smart cities

This study aims to investigate the impact of biophilic design on occupational health and productivity, with a particular focus on addressing the needs of diverse populations, including the neurodiverse, during the post-pandemic return to work. With an estimated 15 – 20% of the global population considered neurodiverse, it is crucial to understand and accommodate their specific needs, such as those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum condition, and learning disabilities. These individuals face increased occupational stress, necessitating the development of targeted strategies. The renewed interest in sustainability and employee well-being has led to a resurgence of biophilic design in the workplace. Grounded in the concept that humans possess an inherent inclination to affiliate with nature, the biophilic design integrates natural elements and art into the built environment. This integration has been found to reduce activity in the amygdala, promoting stress recovery, prolonged attention, and increased productivity among employees. To effectively acclimate neurodiverse individuals in the work environment, biophilic design should be complemented using extended reality (XR) technology supported by artificial intelligence. Virtual reality, in particular, has been shown to facilitate individuals’ comfort in new workspaces, aid in self-assessments through biofeedback, and enable the adjustment of surroundings for self-regulation. Furthermore, biophilic design has the potential to promote sustainability in smart cities by integrating natural elements into the built environment. This integration helps reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and enhances energy efficiency. By creating workplaces that prioritize biophilic design principles, organizations can contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable, and productive work environment.

Совершенствование системы управления жизненным циклом комплексной застройки территорий с позиции низкоуглеродного развития

The sustainable development of the country's construction industry in the context of limited availability of resources involves the implementation of eco-oriented principles for assessing all stages of the life cycle into the life cycle management of construction projects, as well as the search for new organizational and technological solutions in construction. This in turn implies a shift towards green, low-carbon building, as well as improved tools for quantifying, monitoring and managing the carbon footprint of buildings. The intensive growth of complex development and the increased attention to global climate change make the issues of reducing the carbon impact that occurs during construction and pre-construction stages an urgent and promising area of research. In accordance with the Strategy for the Socio-Economic Development of Russia with Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions until 2050, the regulation and reduction of carbon impact and, as a result, the transition to low-carbon construction depends, first of all, on the scientific study of the issue.The authors propose recommendations for improving the tools for assessing the carbon impact of construction projects at the pre-operational stages of their life cycle, which are applicable in the formation of an effective state order for the creation of construction products that meet modern conditions of environmental friendliness and carbon neutrality. This can be effective in creating an institution of extended responsibility for construction participants, including a mechanism for certification of low-carbon building products.

An investigation on flow behavior and performance of a wind turbine integrated within a building tunnel

There is a growing interest in the development of sustainable buildings to overcome the degradation of the natural environment by minimizing the carbon footprints of buildings. This goal can be achieved by incorporating renewable energy generation systems into buildings. A promising option is to resort to wind power to energize the urban environment. This work introduces an investigation on the performance of Savonius wind turbine rotor integrated within a building tunnel. The effect of the tunnel width relative to building width is investigated. Moreover, the effect of the tunnel location through a building model is also investigated to attain the best performance and consequently the maximum power generation from the wind. The reasons behind either the degradation or improvement of the wind turbine performance are explored based on the flow behavior including pressure distribution and velocity streamlines through the building tunnel. The numerical results demonstrate the role of vortices evolution on the rotor performance. The numerical simulations presented here are validated by present measurements conducted on the wind turbine installed within a duct and in free stream conditions. The highest performance of the Savonius rotor in terms of power coefficient (Cp) is reached by integrating the rotor within a building tunnel at the best tunnel location far from the center of the building, with a 104% increase in the Cp, as compared to free stream wind turbine.

Economics and lifecycle carbon assessment of coconut oil as an alternative to paraffin phase change materials in North America

Globally, almost 40% of carbon emissions are attributable to building operation and embodied carbon. Phase change materials (PCMs) can store solar energy during peak periods to decrease summer cooling loads and overnight winter heating loads and emissions. At present, most PCMs are non-renewable paraffins with high embodied carbon; plant-based oils such as coconut oil may maintain the conditioning load reductions, while reducing the sustainability and embodied carbon of PCMs. The objective of this study was to determine the economic and emissions of coconut oil as an alternative to paraffins via full house simulations in three North American locations within different climate zones. It was found that paraffin PCM had greater embodied carbon and annual heating and cooling reductions than the coconut oil, causing the lifecycle carbon footprint to be lower with paraffin PCM than with the coconut oil over the house lifetime. This indicates the importance of developing bio-based PCMs with latent heat capacity that more closely compare to paraffins, in order to minimize total building carbon footprint. It was also found that the economic payback period of both PCMs may exceed the lifetime of the house and thus render the PCMs infeasible without reductions in capital costs or increased carbon pricing.

Net Zero Energy Buildings in Bangladesh: An Investigation of Solar Panel Feasibility and Potential

This research aims to investigate the feasibility and potential of using solar panels to achieve net zero energy consumption in buildings in Bangladesh. The study will focus on the technical, economic and environmental factors that influence the implementation of solar panel systems in residential buildings in Bangladesh. The findings of this research will provide valuable insights for architects, engineers, building owners and policy makers in Bangladesh, in their efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels and carbon footprint of buildings and promote energy sustainability. The research will also contribute to the ongoing efforts to develop cost-effective, reliable and sustainable energy solutions for buildings in Bangladesh. This study will include a proposed design of a building that has been integrated with solar panels to achieve net zero energy consumption. This model design will provide a detailed analysis of the installation, cost calculation, performance and maintenance of the solar panel system. Additionally, the research will also examine the potential of energy storage systems, such as batteries and thermal storage, in enhancing the performance of the solar panel systems and achieving net zero energy consumption.

Acoustic design trade-offs when reducing the carbon footprint of buildings

Architects and building engineers are increasingly tasked to consider the environmental performance of building designs to meet national and global targets to reduce carbon emissions. While minimizing the carbon footprint is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change, sustainability-driven design can have benefits or unintended consequences on secondary design objectives. Neglect of additional building disciplines could negatively impact the indoor environmental quality in a building and require costly change orders or retrofits. Recent research has shown that sustainability-driven design decisions can affect the acoustical performance in a building, though sustainable and acoustical goals are often unrelated. In response, this presentation reviews acoustic trade-offs when the building design is driven by sustainable goals. Acoustical ramifications and design solutions when minimizing the operational and embodied carbon are discussed. Lastly, areas of future research at the intersection of architectural acoustics and sustainability are provided. Overall, this presentation gives a brief overview on reducing carbon emissions in buildings, discusses the consequences sustainability-driven design can have on building acoustics, and provides sustainable alternatives that do not hinder acoustic performance.

Preparation of fully bio-based sound absorbers from waste wood and pulp fibers by foam forming

Building materials that are bio-based and produced from waste streams have a substantial effect on the carbon footprint of buildings. In this study, the authors prepared fully bio-based sound absorbers from waste wood and other cellulosic materials. Cutter shavings (CSs), softwood pulp, and cellulose powder (CP) were used as raw materials to prepare sound absorber samples using the foam-forming technique. The fully bio-based sound absorbers prepared were mechanically stable. However, an increase in CSs content decreased their mechanical properties, and samples with high CSs content became difficult to handle. The CP increased the mechanical properties, but it did not affect the sound absorption of the samples. The sound absorption properties of these fully bio-based materials could be tuned by carefully selecting CSs and fiber contents and adjusting the thickness of the material. Greater CSs content decreased the sound absorption properties of the materials. This decrease was mainly due to an increase in the average pore size, leading to poorer sound energy dissipation by visco-thermal effects.

Carbon Footprint Analysis of Buildings Based on LCA Theory Under Carbon Neutrality Goals: Taking the 3rd China International Solar Decathlon Competition as an Example

This paper focuses on the design of residential buildings oriented to the efficient use of solar energy, and selects the entries HUI HOUSE of Hefei University of Technology and Lille I University of France in the 3rd China International Solar Decathlon China Competition, based on the theory of the life cycle assessment (LCA) of buildings, and analyzes the carbon footprint from four aspects: building materials production and transportation stage, building construction stage, building operation stage, and building demolition stage. Through the calculation of the carbon footprint of buildings, the socio-economic benefits of HUI HOUSE in carbon reduction were analyzed; the result of the calculation was that HUI HOUSE achieved carbon neutrality in the ninth year, and continued carbon reduction after that, contributing a cumulative total of 947.54 tons of carbon negative in the life cycle of buildings.

Traditional African vegetables in modular living walls: a novel approach towards smart cities

In terms of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), combined with good health and wellbeing (SDG 3), are vital. The world is not making adequate progress in meeting the UN’s targets to address food security (SDG 2). In South Africa, the growing population, rapid urbanization, poverty, and unemployment exacerbate the issue of food security; even more so considering climate change (SDG 13). The built environment needs to respond to these demands and incorporate green initiatives that can provide ecosystem services. Novel approaches are required to optimize land use and promote sustainable built environments through food production. This paper consolidates literature on local vertical urban food production with vegetable crops to enhance ecosystem services and lower the carbon footprint of buildings in the Global South. The literature review points to the potential of small-scale edible living walls that utilize local materials and traditional African vegetable (TAV) species to enhance system sustainability and resilience. TAV species offer advantages as opposed to exotic food crops as they are tolerant to extreme heat and drought, have a high nutritional value, and have low irrigation and agrochemical maintenance requirements.