Life cycle energy analysis of residential wooden buildings versus concrete and steel buildings: A review

Abstract

Around 40% of global energy consumption can be attributed to the construction sector. Consequently, the development of the construction industry towards more sustainable solutions and technologies plays a crucial role in the future of our planet. Various tools and methods have been developed to assess the energy consumption of buildings, one of which is life cycle energy analysis (LCEA). LCEA requires the energy consumption at each stage of the life cycle of a product to be assessed, enabling the comparison of the impact of construction materials on energy consumption. Findings from LCEAs of buildings suggest that timber framed constructions show promising results with respect to energy consumption and sustainability. In this study a critical analysis of 100 case studies from the literature of LCEAs conducted for residential buildings is presented. Based on the studied material, the embodied, operational, and demolition energies for timber, concrete and steel buildings are compared and the importance of sustainable material selection for buildings is highlighted. The results reveal that on average, the embodied energy of timber buildings is 28–47% lower than for concrete and steel buildings respectively. The mean and median values of embodied emissions are 2,92 and 2,97 for timber, 4.08 and 3,95 for concrete, and 5,55 and 5,53 GJ/m2 for steel buildings. Moreover, the data suggests that the energy supply system of residential buildings plays a larger role in the operational energy consumption that the construction material. In addition, climate conditions, insulation detail, windows and building surfaces, and building direction are the other energy use role players. Finally, it was found that the demolition energy contributes only a small amount to the total life cycle energy consumption. This study demonstrates the significance of embodied energy when comparing the life cycle energy requirements of buildings and highlights the need for the development of a more standardised approach to LCEA case studies.

Practical Use of Materials of Natural Origin as Loose-Fill Insulations in Open-Diffusion Constructions—Observation and Numerical Simulation

“…Figures [13][14][15][16] show the detailed relative humidity (RH) distribution in the analyzed walls. Figures 13 and 14 present the RH distribution in the winter time (end of February) both for dry and wet conditions.…”

“…One of the alternative, more environmentally sustainable substitutes for industrially produced load-bearing materials is structural timber. According to research conducted by Schenek and Amiri [15], buildings constructed with timber elements, depending on the type of technology used, exhibit a 28-47% lower carbon footprint compared to buildings constructed with traditional materials [15]. Furthermore, the dismantling processes of timber-framed buildings require approximately 50% less energy input compared to buildings made from traditional materials [15].…”

Future buildings as carbon sinks: Comparative analysis of timber-based building typologies regarding their carbon emissions and storage

“…Previous studies have found that residential timber buildings with one up to twelve stories could reduce the amount of embodied energy by 28%-47% in comparison to concrete and steel buildings (Schenk and Amiri, 2022). Additionally, another study estimated a reduction in energy consumption by 25% for a 8-story residential timber building compared to a concrete building (Chen et al, 2021).…”

BIM- and GIS-Based Life-Cycle-Assessment Framework for Enhancing Eco Efficiency and Sustainability in the Construction Sector

“…Norman et al studied the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of highly and lowpopulated buildings to demonstrate the effects of urban density [14]. Schenk et al compared the ecological impacts of wooden buildings versus concrete and steel-framed buildings utilizing the LCA [15]. Furthermore, various other types of buildings were also analyzed using LCA [16].…”