Embodied carbon in commercial office buildings: Lessons learned from Sri Lanka

Nawarathna, A.M.D.B.; Alwan, Zaid; Gledson, Barry; Fernando, Nirodha

doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102441

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The growth of the construction industry has increased because built structures have influenced human social development, living conditions and health (Nawarathna et al , 2021a). According to Ali et al (2020), when addressing climate change, the building sector presents a number of problems and obstacles.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing the challenges associated with climate change

Sandaruwan,

Bihara Janardana,

Manoharan

2023

IJDRBE

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Purpose Construction professionals are the major contributors to developing a sustainable construction industry, whereas architects, engineers and quantity surveyors are the key construction professionals who must play extraordinary roles in achieving better sustainable construction. Therefore, this study aims to identify the job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing challenges associated with climate change. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a mixed research approach. A literature review and preliminary semi-structured interviews were used to appraise the job roles of architects, engineers and quantity surveyors in addressing challenges associated with climate change. The data collected through the qualitative approach were used in an online questionnaire survey, and the findings were analysed using the relative index method. Findings The findings highlight that regardless of the knowledge of the professional category on green rating tools, carbon footprint, adaptation of renewable energies for the reduction of energy consumption, building information modelling-related applications and waste management concepts/practices are the foremost job attributes required for the key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing challenges associated with climate change. Research limitations/implications The results from this study provide a handful of guidance to construction industry professionals, national and international professional institutions, non-governmental organisations and other relevant authorities to address climate change within the built environment by identifying ways for improving the relevant key job attributes of construction industry professionals. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that explores the job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing the challenges associated with climate change.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing the challenges associated with climate change

Sandaruwan,

Bihara Janardana,

Manoharan

2023

IJDRBE

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“…Carbon emissions over the building lifecycle are therefore divided into operational carbon and embodied carbon [12]. Operational carbon refers to the emissions owing to the energy consumption related to heating, cooling, and lighting during the use stage [13]. Embodied carbon is related to the carbon emissions associated with building material and component production, as well as their transportation, construction, maintenance, and end-of-life stages [14].…”

Section: Embodied Carbon In Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embodied Carbon in Australian Residential Houses: A Preliminary Study

Illankoon,

Vithanage,

Pilanawithana

2023

Buildings

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Embodied carbon is a buzzword in the construction industry. Australia is committed to achieving Net Zero 2050 targets, and minimizing embodied carbon (EC) is inevitable. Owing to the population growth, there will be a significant demand for residential construction. Therefore, the material consumption in residential construction should be evaluated and proper strategies should be in place to minimize EC. The aim of this research is to undertake a preliminary study of EC in the Australian residential sector, with an emphasis on new residential home construction. This research presents a preliminary study on EC in residential buildings in Australia. Three case study residential buildings were used in this study. All three case studies are single -story residential units, with a gross floor area between 200 and 240 m2. One Click LCA software was used to calculate the EC. The EC of three case study residential homes is between 193 and 233 kgCO2e/m2. Based on the findings of this study, ‘other structures and materials’ contribute to a large amount of EC in residential construction. Concrete and aluminum are considered significant contributors to EC. Therefore, it is vital to either introduce low-EC material to replace aluminum windows or introduce various design options to minimize the use of aluminum in windows. There are various sustainable concretes available with low EC. It is essential to explore these low-EC concretes in residential homes as well. This research identifies the importance of adopting strategies to reduce the carbon impact from other sources, including concrete. It is also essential to consider the EC through transportation related to construction and promote locally sourced building materials in residential construction. Therefore, the results of this research indicate the necessity of reducing raw material consumption in Australian residential construction by implementing approaches such as a circular economy in order to circulate building materials throughout the construction supply chain and reduce raw material extraction.

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Operational Carbon Simulation Using Industry Foundation Classes at Early Design Stage

Lu,

Deng

2024

Lecture Notes in Operations Research

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Embodied carbon in commercial office buildings: Lessons learned from Sri Lanka

Cited by 7 publications

References 44 publications

Job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing the challenges associated with climate change

Job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing the challenges associated with climate change

Embodied Carbon in Australian Residential Houses: A Preliminary Study

Operational Carbon Simulation Using Industry Foundation Classes at Early Design Stage

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