Life Cycle Assessment for Modular-Constructed Buildings: A Proposed Methodological Framework

Jayawardana, J.; Kulatunga, Asela K.; Sandanayake, Malindu; Zhang, G.; Jayasinghe, J. A. S. C.

doi:10.1007/978-981-19-2886-4_37

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In the environmental sustainability domain, extended work requires assessing other environmental impacts. On top of that, evaluating scenarios such as prefabrication rate and use of alternative materials is crucial in the Sri Lankan context [33]. Moreover, further research is required in the life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) of PFC, combining LCA, LCC, and S-LCA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prefabricated Construction in Sri Lanka: A Proposed Adoption Strategy and a Pilot Case Study from Sustainability Perspective

et al. 2023

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Prefabricated construction (PFC) has increasingly been recognised as a viable construction solution that has the potential to address the typical issues of conventional construction. Portability, quick fixing ability, less labour intensity, a massive potential for quality, productivity enhancements, and environmental savings are some of the most highlighted benefits of PFC. Developed nations and other industrialised regions have been applying these construction methods more successfully compared to developing economies such as Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is slow in adopting PFC because of some inherent barriers. Thus, this study aims to strengthen the case for shifting to PFC in Sri Lanka. Firstly, the current status of the PFC in the Sri Lankan context is described, including the barriers to adoption. Subsequently, an adoption strategy is proposed using the learnings from successful countries. This adoption framework discusses in-depth strategies/ initiatives to overcome current barriers to adopt prefabrication in construction projects. Finally, a pilot case study is carried out to assess the potential of PFC from a sustainability perspective. The results show that PFC has potential time savings and slight improvements in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than traditional construction in the selected case studies. Reduced times have a huge positive impact on sustainability by cost savings and environmental benefits from less on-site waste and emissions from fuel and electricity usage of construction machines. The outcomes of this study can influence construction industry stakeholders, including government and academia, towards escalating the use of prefabricated technologies to maximise sustainability and project-specific benefits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prefabricated Construction in Sri Lanka: A Proposed Adoption Strategy and a Pilot Case Study from Sustainability Perspective

et al. 2023

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“…However, even with the welldocumented benefits of modular construction compared to traditional construction, the application of these technologies is less globally. Notably, adoption in low socioeconomic countries such as Sri Lanka is significantly behind other developed and industrialised countries [3]. Some key impediments to applying MC technologies are high initial capital establishment costs, transportation constraints (module dimensions, road conditions and regulations and logistic costs), and a lack of experienced and skilled engineers, designers, labourers, and technical experts [19][20][21].…”

Section: Background and Research Significance 21 Global Context Of Mo...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, modular construction practicing in the Sri Lankan construction projects are significantly less relative to the conventional methods [3]. More national and local-level manufacturers are required to diffuse modular technologies to the construction market.…”

Section: Practical Implications To the Sri Lankan Modular Constructio...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Modular construction (MC), a modern method of construction, is increasingly recognised by the AEC industry as a viable alternative to conventional construction [2]. MC manufactures modular components in an off-site production facility and then transports, erects, and assembles them on the final construction site to build the desired construction outcome [3]. Faster delivery, cost competitiveness, improved productivity and environmental savings are some of the well-recognised advantages of MC over in situ construction [4][5][6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The adoption of modular construction technologies in developing regions such as South Asia is slow compared to developed and industrialised economies [13]. Furthermore, there is limited research evaluating the environmental sustainability of MC practices using methodologies such as life cycle assessment (LCA) in the South Asian context [3]. Thus, research approaches such as case study-based LCAs on MC integrated with DfD and CE strategies can enrich the research and development initiatives in these countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Evaluating the Circular Economy Potential of Modular Construction in Developing Economies—A Life Cycle Assessment

Jayawardana,

Sandanayake,

Kulatunga

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Circular economy (CE) is an emergent concept that promotes resource circularity in multiple product systems. Modular construction (MC), an evolving construction technique, which includes an off-site manufacturing environment, increasingly supports CE strategies such as reuse due to the elevated potential for design for disassembly (DfD). Design-stage environmental assessments are paramount in aiding the early decision making of modular construction projects to successfully plan and implement DfD strategies. Research on synergising modular construction, circular economy and environmental sustainability is rare in developing economies. Thus, the current study aims to conduct a design-stage life cycle assessment of a DfD and linear versions of a modular building unit in Sri Lanka to evaluate the potential environmental benefits. The life cycle assessment results highlight that the DfD strategy has the lowest environmental impacts in all categories, with a 63% reduction in global warming potential and an approximately 90% reduction in terms of human toxicity compared to the linear version. Further, it showed the elevated potential of reuse compared to recycling practices in improving the environmental performance. Sensitivity assessment revealed that steel was the most sensitive to the change in reuse percentage among main building materials. The analysis outcomes highlight the importance of long-term thinking, architectural design creativity and industrial and technology development to uptake the CE-driven MC in the Sri Lankan context. Finally, strategies are proposed to support the CE approach in MC in developing regions. Both quantitative and qualitative outcomes provide a basis for construction industry stakeholders, academia, and policy makers to explore further and promote modular construction practices to enhance the circularity of building materials and components in developing regions.

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Prefabricated Construction in Sri Lanka: From a Sustainability Perspective

Jayawardana

Jayasinghe

Kulatunga

et al. 2023

Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering

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Life Cycle Assessment for Modular-Constructed Buildings: A Proposed Methodological Framework

Cited by 3 publications

References 26 publications

Prefabricated Construction in Sri Lanka: A Proposed Adoption Strategy and a Pilot Case Study from Sustainability Perspective

Prefabricated Construction in Sri Lanka: A Proposed Adoption Strategy and a Pilot Case Study from Sustainability Perspective

Evaluating the Circular Economy Potential of Modular Construction in Developing Economies—A Life Cycle Assessment

Prefabricated Construction in Sri Lanka: From a Sustainability Perspective

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