Life Comparative Analysis of Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions of Different Building Structural Frame Types

• Published in: TheScientificWorld Vol. 2013; no. 2013; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Seo, Deok-Seok, Kim, Gwang-Hee, Shin, Yoonseok, Moon, Joon-Ho, Kim, Sangyong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2013; Hindawi Limited; Wiley
• Subjects: Building construction; Buildings; Carbon - chemistry; Carbon dioxide; Carbon Dioxide - chemistry; Carbon dioxide emissions; Climate Change; Comparative analysis; Concrete; Conservation of Energy Resources; Construction; Construction costs; Construction industry; Construction Industry - economics; Construction Industry - instrumentation; Construction Materials; Cost analysis; Emission measurements; Emissions; Energy consumption; Energy measurement; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental policy; Floor coverings; Gases; Greenhouse Effect; Load; Materials selection; Materials Testing; Reinforced concrete; Reinforcing steels; Repair & maintenance; Steel; Steel - chemistry; Steel structures; Studies; Wood; Beijing China; Japan; China
• ISSN: 2356-6140; 1537-744X
• DOI: 10.1155/2013/175702

The objective of this research is to quantitatively measure and compare the environmental load and construction cost of different structural frame types. Construction cost also accounts for the costs of CO2 emissions of input materials. The choice of structural frame type is a major consideration in construction, as this element represents about 33% of total building construction costs. In this research, four constructed buildings were analyzed, with these having either reinforced concrete (RC) or steel (S) structures. An input-output framework analysis was used to measure energy consumption and CO2 emissions of input materials for each structural frame type. In addition, the CO2 emissions cost was measured using the trading price of CO2 emissions on the International Commodity Exchange. This research revealed that both energy consumption and CO2 emissions were, on average, 26% lower with the RC structure than with the S structure, and the construction costs (including the CO2 emissions cost) of the RC structure were about 9.8% lower, compared to the S structure. This research provides insights through which the construction industry will be able to respond to the carbon market, which is expected to continue to grow in the future.