Environmental benefits of using hybrid CLT structure in midrise non-residential construction: An LCA based comparative case study in the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Pierobon, Francesca; Huang, Monica L.; Simonen, Kathrina; Ganguly, Indroneil

doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2019.100862

Cited by 85 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Nevertheless, we attempted to compare against previous research on the use of CLT in building construction. Previous studies have been conducted comparing the life-cycle GHG balance of CLT and concrete buildings [14], CLT and RC buildings [16,20], CLT and mineral buildings [17], and CLT flooring and RC flooring [19]. In these studies, CLT was reported to produce smaller quantities of GHGs than RC, etc., even without considering the reduction in GHG emissions during the disposal and recycling process.…”

Section: Comparison Of Clt and Rc Slabsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have investigated GHG emissions and economic factors related to the use of CLT in building construction [14][15][16][17][18][19][20] and the technical aspects of using CLT slabs [21,22]. However, the use of CLT slabs in civil structures such as bridges and the environmental and economic impacts of such projects have not been investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Small-Scale Bridge Repair Using Cross-Laminated Timber Floor Slabs

Iwase

Sasaki

Araki³

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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Cross-laminated timber (CLT) has gained popularity worldwide in recent years, and its use in buildings and civil engineering structures has attracted attention in Japan. In this study, the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) balance and costs associated with CLT floor slabs were evaluated with respect to small-scale bridge repair as the first instance of the use of CLT in civil engineering projects in Japan. Additionally, waterproofing treatment was applied to CLT slabs, and the potential GHG and cost reduction of CLT in comparison with reinforced concrete (RC) slabs were examined. GHG emissions were the smallest for non-waterproofed CLT slabs and the greatest for RC slabs. When replacing RC slabs with CLT slabs without waterproofing, fossil-derived GHG emissions can be reduced by 73 kg-CO2eq/m2 per slab, and fossil/wood-derived GHG emissions can be reduced by 67 kg-CO2eq/m2; however, the use of disposed CLT as fuel is essential. Moreover, a reduction in GHG emissions can be expected if RC slabs are replaced with CLT slabs that are waterproofed only once every 20 years. Further, the cost associated with RC slabs is 20% of that attributable to CLT slabs. Hence, measures need to be taken to reduce the cost of CLT and waterproofing materials.

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Section: Comparison Of Clt and Rc Slabsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Small-Scale Bridge Repair Using Cross-Laminated Timber Floor Slabs

Iwase

Sasaki

Araki³

et al. 2020

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A comparative LCA study of a hybrid CLT structure and a reinforced concrete alternative was presented by Pierobon et al (2019) [46]. The authors followed a cradle-to-gate approach focusing on the embodied emissions and energy consumption.…”

Section: Comparative Sustainability Assessment Of Buildingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigations on the Sustainable Resource Use of Swiss Timber

Leyder

Klippel

Bartlomé³

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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In Switzerland, the advantages of timber buildings for the climate are broadly discussed. In the following paper, a comparative sustainability assessment of four building alternatives is presented. Especially the contribution of implementing Swiss timber versus the implementation of imported timber is highlighted. Additionally, the timber-hybrid building structures are compared to a pure reinforced concrete structure. The timber-hybrid structure, with Swiss timber, has clear ecological advantages with only half the greenhouse gas emissions and half the non-renewable energy consumption compared to the reinforced concrete alternative. Comparing the Swiss timber alternative to the imported timber alternative, there are clear ecological advantages, as well. In terms of economic and social sustainability assessment criteria, the reinforced concrete alternative has the lowest production costs and the lowest labor intensity (measured in terms of full-time equivalents). Additionally, the paper includes an analysis of biogenic CO2 emissions and CO2 storage within the timber building alternatives. Finally, an up-scaling to the national level is attempted, showcasing the ecological and economic advantages of promoting the use of locally produced timber.

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“…Chiniforush et al found that adopting a steel structure with steel-timber composite floors and shear wall systems resulted in a 107% reduction in embodied carbons, compared with the same building designed with a concrete structure [33]. Pierobon et al evaluated the embodied emissions and energy associated with building materials, manufacturing, and construction for midrise commercial buildings with a hybrid CLT structure [34]. They found that hybrid CLT buildings can save 8% of non-renewable energy (fossil-based) compared with concrete buildings [34].…”

Section: Energy Saving and Carbon Emission Reduction Potential Of Timmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pierobon et al evaluated the embodied emissions and energy associated with building materials, manufacturing, and construction for midrise commercial buildings with a hybrid CLT structure [34]. They found that hybrid CLT buildings can save 8% of non-renewable energy (fossil-based) compared with concrete buildings [34]. Pajchrowski et al concluded that the environmental impact of a conventional masonry building is 2.7 times greater than that of a conventional wooden building, and the environmental impact of a passive masonry building is 1.6 times greater than that of a passive wooden building [35].…”

Section: Energy Saving and Carbon Emission Reduction Potential Of Timmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction Performance of Reinforced Concrete and Timber Stadiums—A Case Study in China

et al. 2020

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Many stadiums will be built in China in the next few decades due to increasing public interest in physical exercise and the incentive policies issued by the government under its National Fitness Program. This paper investigates the energy saving and carbon reduction performance of timber stadiums in China in comparison with stadiums constructed using conventional building materials, based on both life cycle energy assessment (LCEA) and life cycle carbon assessment (LCCA). The authors select five representative cities in five climate zones in China as the simulation environment, simulate energy use in the operation phase of stadiums constructed from reinforced concrete (RC) and timber, and compare the RC and timber stadiums in terms of their life cycle energy consumption and carbon emissions. The LCEA results reveal that the energy saving potential afforded by timber stadiums is 11.05%, 12.14%, 8.15%, 4.61% and 4.62% lower than those of RC buildings in "severely cold," "cold," "hot summer, cold winter," "hot summer, warm winter," and "temperate" regions, respectively. The LCCA results demonstrate that the carbon emissions of timber stadiums are 15.85%, 15.86%, 18.88%, 19.22% and 22.47% lower than those of RC buildings for the regions above, respectively. This demonstrates that in China, timber stadiums have better energy conservation and carbon reduction potential than RC stadiums, based on life cycle assessment. Thus, policy makers are advised to encourage the promotion of timber stadiums in China to achieve the goal of sustainable energy development for public buildings.Sustainability 2020, 12, 1566 2 of 24 carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) [4]. The use of fossil fuels is believed to be the main factor leading to global warming [5,6]. Global warming is widely considered to cause glacier retreat and regional climate changes, species extinction, and further uncertain risks [7,8].Measuring the "greenhouse effect" for mitigation purposes has become a major interest internationally in the last few decades. During the last 50 years, global warming has mainly been caused by excessive GHG emissions due to human activities [9]. International Energy Outlook (2019) reported that the building sector, one of the most important areas of human activities, accounted for 20% of the world's delivered energy consumption in 2018 [10]. This figure will rise to about 22% by 2050 [10]. The Brown to Green Report (2019) showed that carbon emissions directly from the building sector accounted for 9% of G20 energy-related CO 2 emissions in 2019 and that 18% of these emissions arose from electricity use in buildings [11].At the end of 2016, the energy consumption of buildings in China was 26 billion GJ, accounting for 20.6% of the country's total energy consumption. In total, the building industry emitted 1.96 billion tons of CO 2 in this year, accounting for 19.4% of domestic carbon emissions [12]. At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference [13], the Chinese government set the goal of reducing carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60%-65% by...

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Environmental benefits of using hybrid CLT structure in midrise non-residential construction: An LCA based comparative case study in the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Cited by 85 publications

References 22 publications

Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Small-Scale Bridge Repair Using Cross-Laminated Timber Floor Slabs

Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Small-Scale Bridge Repair Using Cross-Laminated Timber Floor Slabs

Investigations on the Sustainable Resource Use of Swiss Timber

Comparative Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction Performance of Reinforced Concrete and Timber Stadiums—A Case Study in China

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