Excavation Method Determination of Earth-Retaining Wall for Sustainable Environment and Economy: Life Cycle Assessment Based on Construction Cases in Korea

Seol, Youngman; Lee, Seung-Joo; Lee, Jong‐Young; Han, Jung-Geun; Hong, Gigwon

doi:10.3390/su13052974

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Some studies analyzed the effects of data quality (Inui et (Lee and Basu 2016, Purdy et al 2022, Speranza et al 2022. Though not a sensitivity study, Seol et al (2021) embedded varying soil conditions and properties in their study. Sánchez-Garrido et al (2022) validated results by implementing different multi-criteria decision-making procedures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of life cycle assessment (LCA) use in geotechnical engineering

de Melo,

Kendall,

DeJong

2024

Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.

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In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis to incorporate sustainability metrics into geotechnical engineering design decisions, driven by the surging eco-consciousness of industry standards. Consequently, life cycle assessment (LCA) has emerged as a popular method for evaluating the environmental impacts of geotechnical systems or projects. This paper conducts a critical review of 54 publications that apply life cycle assessment to various geotechnical systems, including deep foundations, biogeotechnics, dams, ground improvement, earth retaining structures, tunnels, and others. This review assesses the current state of practice for LCA in geotechnical engineering, identifies common barriers to implementation, and provides suggestions for successful execution. While sustainability practices have been more readily adopted by some subdisciplines of civil engineering including structural and transportation, geotechnical engineering faces distinct challenges due to its inherent site-specific nature, characterized by non-homogeneous soils and the necessity for bespoke solutions. Despite the notable increase in geotechnical LCAs , the absence of uniform standards remains a critical issue. Many studies could be improved by enhancing transparency in reporting data and results, clearly justifying input assumptions, and assessing the effects of variable soil conditions. Geotechnical LCA studies often concentrate on highly specialized problems, limiting the relevance of findings to other projects and impeding the development of clear recommendations for industry practitioners. Future research endeavors would benefit from establishment of comprehensive frameworks and multi-indicator models tailored to geotechnical systems to more accurately capture expected environmental impacts and opportunities for their reduction. A standardized approach could reduce redundancy in studies, encourage knowledge transfer, and provide a basis for broader applicability of sustainability practices in the geotechnical engineering profession.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Leal et al (2020) reported that material haulage accounted for more than 50% of GWP. Seol et al (2021) also applied the environmental costs per unit of pollutants for each reported impact categories.…”

Section: Earth Retaining Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of life cycle assessment (LCA) use in geotechnical engineering

de Melo,

Kendall,

DeJong

2024

Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.

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“…From the design perspective, these discussions are relevant if knowledge about the environmental performance of different, equally feasible solutions would change the decision about which type of, for example, foundation or stability measure will be used in a specific situation. Seol et al [10] used LCAs to compare different construction methods for urban excavations in Korea. They concluded that consideration of the environmental impact in design would influence the choice of method.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First steps in the development of standardised processes for life cycle assessments of geotechnical works

Tann

Størdal

Ritter

et al. 2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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Despite geotechnical works contributing considerably to the environmental impact of buildings and infrastructure, the application of life cycle assessments (LCAs) in geotechnical engineering still needs to be developed and matured. This paper presents a scenario analysis of an excavation in a typical Norwegian geology. For three excavation depths, different design solutions were derived varying the length of the supporting wall and the amount of soil stabilisation within the excavation. The cradle-to-site impacts of the different solutions were then evaluated through a LCA. Global warming and acidification potentials were compared for the different design choices in parallel with an estimate of the respective solution’s costs and different functional units were considered. The study shows that, for excavations in the chosen setting, most emissions are caused at product stage and the environmental impact related to the excavated volume or to the additional floor space created underground increases with excavation depth. It emphasises that different impact categories need to be considered to get a full picture of environmental impact. Simple to use LCA tools can provide a direct comparison of different potential solutions. Shifting the focus from minimising cost to minimising environmental impact will likely lead to different design decisions for geotechnical works.

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“…A popular foundation variant was selected as a good example of the potential application of this design method (i.e., construction of high-rise buildings in a dense urban development [18,19]): the execution of four or more underground floors in the sheathing of diaphragm walls using the ceiling or Top-down method. Section 1 describes some historical data on prestressing concrete, and a scientific connection between prestressing and diaphragm walls; Section 2 presents an analytical method of designing prestressed structures; Section 3 is related to bridge and geotechnical solutions in the Sofistik environment; Section 4 shows comparison of the suggested solution models prepared with the Sofistik and Plaxis software; Section 5 presents conclusions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modern Methods of Diaphragm Walls Design

2021

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This article addresses hazard reduction in deep excavations. The authors present a possible combination of prestressing of concrete structures (from bridge engineering) and prestressed structures of diaphragm walls from geotechnical engineering science. This innovative concept has not yet been shown in scientific articles. The “Sofistik” software (with TENDON module–SYSP/AXES/TOPP/TGEO) and its use is shown, with graphical presentations of the suggested solution. The authors compare the provided solution through usage of Sofistik and Plaxis software. The results show possible strengthening of sustainable construction by limitation of hazards and decreasing costs (via limitation of use of expensive steel reinforcement).

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Excavation Method Determination of Earth-Retaining Wall for Sustainable Environment and Economy: Life Cycle Assessment Based on Construction Cases in Korea

Cited by 11 publications

References 22 publications

Evaluation of life cycle assessment (LCA) use in geotechnical engineering

Evaluation of life cycle assessment (LCA) use in geotechnical engineering

First steps in the development of standardised processes for life cycle assessments of geotechnical works

Modern Methods of Diaphragm Walls Design

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