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1
Wahyuni, Yuni Sri, and Dewi Larasati ZR. "Identifikasi Nilai Embodied Energy sebagai Upaya Mitigasi Energi dalam perencanaan Bangunan." Jurnal Lingkungan Binaan Indonesia 6, no. 1 (April 21, 2017): 9–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.32315/jlbi.6.1.9.
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Siklus bangunan terdiri atas berbagai tahapan sepanjang daur hidup bangunan tersebut, dimana setiap tahapan mengandung kebutuhan energi yang menyertai aktivitasnya. Energi ini disebut Embodied Energy (EE). Nilai EE dapat menjadi dasar perhitungan potensi besaran Emission Carbon (EC) yang akan ditimbulkan suatu bangunan sehingga potensi dampak lingkungan akibat EC dapat diukur. Paper ini bertujuan menjelaskan hasil perhitungan EE material pada pembangunan perumahan sederhana di Indonesia. Harapannya adalah nilai EE ini dapat digunakan sebagai pertimbangan dalam upaya mitigasi energi, yang pada akhirnya akan menjadi mitigasi potensi EC dan mencegah dampak kerusakan lingkungan sejak dini. Di sisi lain, kebutuhan perumahan sederhana yang bersifat massal membutuhkan pasokan material bangunan dalam jumlah besar. Mitigasi energi akibat penggunaan material yang besar ini diharapkan dapat dilakukan melalui pengukuran nilai EE. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode perhitungan nilai EE material perumahan sederhana serta analisis data secara kuantitatif, sehingga diketahui nilai EE yang signifikan dihasilkan oleh jenis pekerjaan tertentu, yang hasilnya digunakan untuk merumuskan usulan mitigasi. Hasil perhitungan EE material pada tipe-tipe perumahan sederhana menunjukkan bahwa komponen bangunan dengan nilai EE terbesar adalah pada pekerjaan dinding (35%-45%) dan pekerjaan atap bangunan (46%-48%). Berdasarkan hal itu, maka kedua item pekerjaan tersebut akan menjadi fokus mitigasi, melalui upaya penurunan nilai EE material yang tinggi melalui perencanaan desain dan usulan subtitusi material. Kunci keberhasilan dari kedua mitigasi energi tersebut ada pada efisiensi penggunaan volume material dan penggunaan material alternatif dengan nilai EE rendah yang dipilih untuk subtitusi.
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Dixit, M. K., P. Pradeep Kumar, and S. S. Shanbhag. "Analyzing embodied energy and embodied water for university buildings using input-output-based hybrid method." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1196, no. 1 (June 1, 2023): 012047. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1196/1/012047.
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Abstract Buildings present a unique opportunity to not just effectively decrease global energy use but also drastically reduce nearly 40% of global carbon emissions to help mitigate the ongoing climate change. Although most of the building energy use is attributed to building operations as operational energy (OE), a portion of it is termed embodied energy (EE) that is consumed in building construction, transportation, and material production activities. EE of a building, therefore, includes energy consumed directly in onsite and offsite construction and transportation and indirectly through material consumption since each construction material consumes energy in its production and transportation. Like EE, buildings also consume significant amounts of fresh water directly and indirectly as embodied water (EW) in their construction, which is becoming a major concern globally. As fresh water is also depleted in producing and refining energy sources used as EE, a portion of this EW is attributed to energy-related water use (EREW). Most research so far has been focusing on the energy and carbon emission dimensions of buildings overlooking the equally important aspect of water use, which is also crucial for delivering a truly environmentally sustainable building. In this study, an input-output-based hybrid (IOH) model is created to compute and compare EE and EW of 10 higher education buildings and examine the correlation of the calculated EE and EW values. The results demonstrate that the total EE and electricity EE of the study buildings share a very strong positive correlation (r2 = 0.93-0.99) with the buildings’ total EW at the building level. This correlation, however, weakens at the material level. The share of EREW in the total EW ranges from 9-13%, which indicates that reducing just EE may not help decrease EW, and additional efforts may be needed to address EW and reduce fresh water use in building construction.
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Dixit, M. K., and P. Pradeep Kumar. "Analyzing Embodied Energy and Embodied Water of Construction Materials for an Environmentally Sustainable Built Environment." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1122, no. 1 (December 1, 2022): 012045. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1122/1/012045.
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Abstract Buildings consume over 40% of global energy in their construction and operations contributing to over 39% of global carbon emission each year. This huge environmental footprint presents an excellent opportunity to reduce energy use and help deliver an environmentally sustainable built environment. Most of the energy is consumed by buildings as embodied energy (EE) and operational energy (OE). EE is used directly and indirectly during buildings’ initial construction, maintenance and replacement, and demolition phases through construction products and services. OE is used in the processes of heating, cooling, water heating, lighting, and operating building equipment. Most environmental optimization research has been centered on energy and carbon emission overlooking another critical sustainability aspect, water use. Each building also consumes a significant amount of freshwater as embodied water (EW) or virtual water in its initial construction, maintenance and replacement, and demolition phases. Since each primary and secondary energy source depletes water in its extraction, refinement or production, there is also a water expense associated with EE and OE use that must also be included in total EW use. The total EW, therefore, includes both non-energy and energy related water use. Research suggests that there are tradeoffs between EE and EW that may complicate design decisions such as material selection for environmental sustainability. In other words, a material selected for its lower EE may have higher EW and selecting such a material may not help reach environmental sustainability goals since water scarcity is becoming a grave problem. In this paper, we created an input-output-based hybrid (IOH) model for calculating and comparing EE and EW of building materials frequently used in building construction. The main goal is to examine and highlight any tradeoffs that may exist when selecting one material over another. The results reveal that there is a weak correlation between EE and total EW that is the sum of energy and non-energy water use, which means that a design decision made solely based on EE may conflict with EW. The share of energy related water use in total EW of construction materials also varies significantly (2.5%-31.2%), indicating that reducing energy use alone may not be sufficient to reduce freshwater use; additional efforts may be needed to decrease the use of materials and processes that are water intensive. The results of this study are significant to achieving the goal of creating a truly sustainable built environment.
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Dixit, M. K., and P. Pradeep Kumar. "Analyzing Temporal Changes in Initial and Recurrent Embodied Energy Using an Input-Output-based Hybrid method." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1176, no. 1 (May 1, 2023): 012015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1176/1/012015.
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Abstract Buildings consume over 40% of global energy annually in their initial construction and operation as embodied and operational energy, contributing to over 39% of global carbon emissions. Embodied energy (EE) is consumed directly in construction processes and indirectly using construction materials, each of which uses energy during its manufacturing. All direct and indirect embodied energies used in maintenance, repair, and replacement processes of buildings is termed recurrent embodied energy (REE). Because REE accrues over 50-100-year life cycle of buildings, it may be equal to, or more than the initial embodied energy (IEE) used during buildings’ construction. Both REE and IEE must be optimized to help effectively reduce the environmental burdens of buildings. However, calculating IEE and REE is a data-intensive process requiring temporally representative data that may not be readily available. Consequently, studies may use older data. This paper offers a temporal analysis of the IEE and REE of healthcare buildings to demonstrate how energy source-specific EE values may change over time and introduce errors in IEE and REE calculations if old data is used. Using macroeconomic modeling, the IEE and REE intensities of healthcare building sector are computed. The results indicate that using 5-year and 10-year-old data may underestimate IEE by 5% and overestimate it by 26%, respectively, whereas the REE may be overestimated by 20% and 33%, respectively. The results also show that the share of electricity in EE may be increasing over time. The findings underscore the importance of using temporally representative EE data for energy analysis.
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Nwanya, S. C., and H. N. Ononiwu. "Issues and perspectives of capacity development in embodied energy indices for building materials sourced in Nigeria: A review." Nigerian Journal of Technology 39, no. 4 (March 24, 2021): 1131–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v39i4.21.
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Embodied energy (EE) property of building material is a great determinant of the performance of a building. The dearth of information on EE of locally sourced building materials (LSBMs) constitutes a challenge to affordable housing in Nigeria. In this paper, a review of the previous literature, unfilled gaps in those works, and future directions in embodied energy research for LSBMs is presented to evolve a Nigerian perspective. A constructive non-meta analytic methodology was adopted for the paper. This was followed by classification and comparison of snapshot literature in the embodied energy of building materials. Insightful sources of information for the study were drawn from a vast body of knowledge both documented literature and some interviews with knowledgeable personnel in the area of a built environment. From the survey, energy management opportunities were revealed, which would not have been apparent from a specific building case study alone. There are distinctions in the literature with this currentpaper for a Nigerian case study: none have addressed the embodied energy coefficient of materials. Also, the status of embodied energy studies, for these materials, is at a low profile and the few investigations carried out focused on life cycle operating energy of buildings. These research gaps evidently imply abundant research opportunities that await exploitation in the building industry. This paper adds to an existing body of knowledge on the use of EE index to promote and optimize the selection of LSBMs as alternative to imported building materials. We hope engineers, estate developers and architects would find it useful for making an informed decision in the design of resilient buildings using indigenous materials.
Keywords: building material, embodied energy, system boundary, capacity, building information modelling, Nigeria.
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Salehian, Sanaz, Muhammad Azzam Ismail, and Ati Rosemary Mohd Ariffin. "Assessment on Embodied Energy of Non-Load Bearing Walls for Office Buildings." Buildings 10, no. 4 (April 20, 2020): 79. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings10040079.
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Two important factors that have been put in the limelight in the current age are environmental concerns and sustainable future. The building sector has emerged as an important player in this matter due to their contribution into the large share of resources and energy consumption as well as harmful greenhouse gas emission. This paper discusses the percentage of embodied energy (EE) in two common building wall materials in Malaysia: steel and concrete. Concrete is used in concrete non-load bearing walls and steel is used to manufacture curtain walls. Although there are more materials used in the selected case studies, steel and concrete possess the high amount of embodied energy. Thus, the concrete wall and curtain wall in the lifecycle analysis (LCA) pre-use phase in high-rise office buildings in Malaysia are considered in this research. GaBi software is used to evaluate and calculate embodied energy in the case studies. The functional unit for this LCA study is determined as one cubic meter of concrete non-load bearing wall and curtain wall. In order to determine the components included in the analysis, input-output flowcharts are created for each process. The comparison of these walls shows that curtain wall has more embodied energy than concrete. The highest amount of embodied energy in curtain wall construction for case B is 4873.89 MJ, and for the case A is 4851.09 MJ approximately. The amount of EE in the concrete non-load bearing wall for both case studies are the lowest amount, with 278.85 MJ for case A and 280.66 MJ for case B. Results also show that the manufacturing of materials is the biggest contribution to the amount of EE at more than 50%, whereas transportation is between 1.83% and 3.77% only.
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Wan Omar, Wan Mohd Sabki, Jeung Hwan Doh, and Kriengsak Panuwatwanich. "Variability in Embodied Energy and Carbon Intensities of Building Materials Using Hybrid LCA: Malaysian Experience." Applied Mechanics and Materials 699 (November 2014): 858–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.699.858.
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This paper empirically investigates the variations of embodied energy (EE) and carbon (EC) intensities of materials and identifies their parameter variations in hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA). These parameters include energy tariff, primary energy factor, disaggregation constant, emission factor, and price fluctuation. Hybrid LCA has been conducted to expand the system boundary by filling the gaps in traditional LCA data inventories. The Malaysian Input-Output (I-O) tables are used to derive indirect energy and carbon intensities which are then combined to take advantages of detailed process LCA. The results revealed that maximum increase in energy tariffs and material price fluctuations were the key parameters and issues leading to higher variations in EE and EC intensity values. Other parameters – such as maximum increase in primary energy factor, emission factor and excluding disaggregation constant – have a slight impact upon EE and EC intensity variations. Building materials with high indirect energy in the upstream boundary of materials production have high influence on hybrid LCA variation. Therefore, any decision relating to these materials should be considered carefully.
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Tennakoon, G. A., Anuradha Waidyasekara, and B. J. Ekanayake. "Revisiting the role of professionals in designing buildings with low embodied and operational energy." Built Environment Project and Asset Management 10, no. 1 (September 6, 2019): 110–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bepam-01-2019-0009.
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Purpose Many studies have focused on embodied energy (EE) and operational energy (OE), but a shortage of studies on decision making, which involves several decision makers whose decisions can affect the energy performance of buildings, is evident. From the stages of the project life cycle, the design stage is identified as the ideal stage for integrating energy efficiency into buildings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to revisit the role of professionals in designing energy-conscious buildings with low EE and OE. Design/methodology/approach This study administered a qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews only with 12 experts, due to the lack of expertise in the subject matter. The data were analyzed using manual content analysis. Findings The outcomes revealed the necessity to revisit the role of construction professionals in terms of adopting energy-efficient building design concepts from the project outset. The roles of the key professional groups (i.e. architects, structural engineers, services engineers and quantity surveyors) were identified through this research. Common issues in designing energy-efficient buildings and the means of addressing such problems were outlined. Originality/value This study contributes to the knowledge by revisiting the roles of construction professionals and proposing how they could leverage their strengths to play the important role and contribute collectively to design buildings with both low OE and EE.
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Haik, Rotem, Isaac A. Meir, and Alva Peled. "Lime Hemp Concrete with Unfired Binders vs. Conventional Building Materials: A Comparative Assessment of Energy Requirements and CO2 Emissions." Energies 16, no. 2 (January 7, 2023): 708. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en16020708.
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This work assesses the energy requirements and CO2 emissions of a building made of Lime Hemp Concrete (LHC) with alternative unfired binders as lime replacement, compared to buildings made of standard LHC, and several conventional building materials. The assessment is based on ISO 14040, which deals with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and examines two aspects: energy, including pre-use phase Embodied Energy (EE), and use phase Operational Energy (OE); and CO2 emissions, including pre-use phase Embodied Carbon (EC), and use phase Operational Carbon (OC). The EE and EC calculations are based on published databases, while OE and OC were obtained with EnergyPlus simulations. The assessment refers to a specific case study in an arid region, with extreme diurnal and seasonal fluctuations of temperature and relative humidity. Using LHC with 100% unfired binder as lime replacement was shown to save up to 90% of the total energy consumption and CO2 emissions, as compared to conventional building materials. The findings of this research clearly demonstrate the high potential of LHC with unfired binders as lime replacement, which possesses the lowest energy requirements and CO2 emissions, illustrating the potential for a building with significantly low environmental impact over its life cycle, i.e., when calculating both EE and EC, and OE and OC.
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Dixit, M. K., and P. Pradeep Kumar. "Analyzing Water Use Embodied in the Initial Construction and Life Cycle Management of Healthcare Facilities." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1176, no. 1 (May 1, 2023): 012011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1176/1/012011.
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Abstract Most research on the environmental sustainability of buildings often centers on reducing energy use and may overlook an equally crucial aspect of freshwater use. Buildings consume 1/5th of global fresh water in their construction as embodied water (EW) that must be reduced for long-term sustainability. Like embodied energy (EE), the EW of a facility is composed of a direct component used in construction processes and an indirect component that includes water used in manufacturing construction materials. An equally important component rarely covered in EW calculations is the energy-related embodied water (EREW), which comes from different energy sources that are consumed as EE, each of which depletes a significant amount of water in its generation, refinement, and transmission/transportation. This paper presents a macroeconomic model to compute and analyze not only the direct and indirect EW but also EREW of healthcare facilities. A wide variation is observed in calculated EW values associated with facilities’ initial construction (1,010-38,750 gallons/m²) and life cycle management (1,335-51,250 gallons/m²). The findings further show that EREW may represent 7.7% and 6% (average 6.7%) of the total EW of healthcare facilities relating to their initial construction and facilities management, respectively, including interior and exterior maintenance, repairs, and replacement activities. The significance of these findings is twofold. First, it shows that reducing EE may not help decrease most EW of a facility, and additional measures must be applied to decrease water use holistically. Second, it highlights the urgency of decreasing the water footprint of both renewable and non-renewable energy sources.
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Kooduvalli, Komal, John Unser, Soydan Ozcan, and Uday K. Vaidya. "Embodied Energy in Pyrolysis and Solvolysis Approaches to Recycling for Carbon Fiber-Epoxy Reinforced Composite Waste Streams." Recycling 7, no. 1 (February 14, 2022): 6. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/recycling7010006.
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Carbon fiber composites are increasingly used in aerospace, motorcycles, sporting, and high-performance vehicles, and their end of life recycling is of growing interest. This study deals with the life cycle assessment (LCA) of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) waste streams. The embodied energy (EE) of recycling CFRP via two viable methods—i.e., pyrolysis and solvolysis—is studied. Both pyrolysis and solvolysis were studied for EE with different variants. Alongside fiber recovery from CFRP, the pyrolysis process calculations consider energy recovery from syngas and oil produced within the system. For pyrolysis, electric furnace and natural gas were primarily considered. For solvolysis, different solvent scenarios were considered, including (a) deionized water, (b) water and potassium hydroxide, (c) acetone and water, and (d) water with acetic acid and potassium hydroxide. Energy reduction from one generation to the next has also been highlighted. The EE for recycling CFRP is quantified and discussed for these scenarios in this paper.
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Alvarez, Diego, Riko Kouda, Anh Dung Ho, and Tetsu Kubota. "Scenario analysis of embodied energy and CO2 emissions for multistory apartments in Indonesia." E3S Web of Conferences 396 (2023): 04015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202339604015.
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Contribution in the building sector to the global warming can be tackled by diminishing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (mainly CO2) not only from operational energy but also from the embodied energy (EE) of construction materials. Harvested Wood Products (HWP) such as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), Glued Laminated (Glulam) timber, among others, make multistorey wooden buildings possible. These wooden buildings could help to reduce EE and CO2 emissions significantly. A material flow analysis (MFA) using an I-O (Input-Output) table was used to compare three scenarios for an 8-story apartment building in Indonesia (total floor area: 9140 m2): First, the building had a reinforced concrete structure. Second, the building had a “hybrid” structure with reinforced concrete cores and first-floor elements, consisting of CLT floor panels, and Glulam columns and beams. Third, the building used only CLT panels besides reinforced concrete cores. The results showed that the last scenario achieved the largest CO2 emissions and embodied energy reductions (58 t-CO2 and 905 GJ), compared with the first scenario (81 t-CO2 and 1110 GJ). Furthermore, we compare two methods to apply displacement factors (DF) to assess the CO2 emissions savings for each CO2 ton in wood products substituted in place of non-wooden products between the three building scenarios.
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Binow Bitar, Ana Luíza, Ivar Bergmans, and Michiel Ritzen. "Circular, biomimicry-based, and energy-efficient façade development for renovating terraced dwellings in the Netherlands." Journal of Facade Design and Engineering 10, no. 1 (December 1, 2022): 75–105. http://dx.doi.org/10.47982/jfde.2022.1.04.
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Many studies concerning lowering the Operational Energy (OE) of existing dwellings have been conducted. However, those studies barely cover its collateral Embodied Energy (EE). As the Circular Economy is gaining momentum and the balance between OE and EE is shifting, the Life Cycle Energy Performance (LCEP) is becoming increasingly relevant as an indicator. LCEP accounts for all the OE and EE a building consumes during its lifespan. However, clear insights into the LCEP are still to be investigated. This study focuses on developing a circular and energy-efficient renovation solution for a common terraced dwelling typology in the Netherlands. The energy-efficient renovation is based on three circular strategies: Biomimicry, Urban Mining, and Design for Disassembly (DfD), covering the aspects of EE and future reuse of building materials and components. The developed renovation solution reduces 82% of the LCEP compared to the existing scenario. With additional photovoltaic (PV) modules, the dwelling reduces 100% of the LCEP. Applying biomimicry, urban mining, and DfD-based renovation can significantly lower the overall LCEP and its collateral environmental impacts to achieve a Life Cycle Zero Energy circular renovation.
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Giordano, Roberto, Federica Gallina, and Benedetta Quaglio. "Analysis and Assessment of the Building Life Cycle. Indicators and Tools for the Early Design Stage." Sustainability 13, no. 11 (June 7, 2021): 6467. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13116467.
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Construction is a crucial sector in terms of worldwide environmental impacts. Building material production along with transport and demolition are no exception, because in the last decades, they have constantly increased their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Actions and initiatives are therefore important to tackle the relationship between buildings and climate change. Particularly, it is necessary to develop Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools useful to calculate the environmental impact of buildings and to make them accessible to designers and stakeholders acting in the building sector. The article aims to contribute to the international debate about environmental assessment indicators for buildings and the simplified LCA based tools. The Embodied Energy (EE) and the Embodied Carbon (EC) have been investigated. The former, related to primary energy content; the latter, associated with the equivalent carbon dioxide emissions. EE and EC have been used as indicators for the development of a calculation tool named EURECA, for assessing the environmental impact of the building over its life cycle, as defined by the EN 15978:2011 standard. The Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean’s house designed and built by an international academic team has been an opportunity to check the indicators and the tool’s effectiveness.
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Andrea, Maria Carolina da Silva, Thiago Libório Romanelli, and José Paulo Molin. "Energy flows in lowland soybean production system in Brazil." Ciência Rural 46, no. 8 (April 29, 2016): 1395–400. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20151298.
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ABSTRACT: Soybean is the main product of Brazilian agribusiness, both production and income. Considering the increase in food and energy demand and the search for more sustainable production systems, this study aimed to analyze inputs and energy use of a possible area of expansion of soybean production: a system under sub irrigation management located in a lowland area of Cerrado biome, northern region of Brazil. Its environmental performance was compared to other Brazilian locations among them traditionally soybean producers. The evaluation and comparison was made through material and energy flow tools in order to determine the inputs embodied per area, as well as energy demand, availability and efficiency in the analyzed production system. Energy demand (IE) and energy availability (OE) of the analyzed production system were 7.6 and 57.1 GJ ha-1, respectively. Energy balance (EB) was 49,5 GJ ha-1, energy return over investment (EROI) was 7.5 and embodied energy in grains (EE) was 2,2 MJ kg-1, respectively. Highest energy consumption was due to the use of fertilizers, fuel and herbicide. The system is energy efficient, since it provides more energy than demands, and efficient when compared to usual production systems in other regions, however it is highly dependent on non-renewable energy.
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Khlifi, Fethi, Habib Cherif, and Jamel Belhadj. "Environmental and Economic Optimization and Sizing of a Micro-Grid with Battery Storage for an Industrial Application." Energies 14, no. 18 (September 17, 2021): 5913. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14185913.
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This study focuses on the sizing and optimization of a micro-grid with storage, which is destined to supply the load of an economic activity zone (EAZ) in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. To solve this problem, a genetic algorithm is established and programmed into MATLAB. The objective functions are considered by providing three minimums, namely Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG), Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Embodied Energy (EE), for three values of loss of power supply probability (LPSP) previously fixed. The sizing and optimization results are found and evaluated using a time series exchange of energy during a year to determine the optimal component size of a photovoltaic/wind/battery system (PV/WT/Bat). The simulation results show that the lowest ratio of LPSP values corresponds to the higher GHG, EE, LCC, photovoltaic panels area (APV), battery storage capacity (Cn), wind turbines area (AWT) and vice versa. This means that demanding higher energy reliability leads to higher energy cost and pollution. A comparative analysis was made, showing the cons and pros of each LPSP value in order to allow the owner of the plant to choose the most suitable PV/WT/Bat configuration.
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Russo, Sofia, Alicia Valero, Antonio Valero, and Marta Iglesias-Émbil. "Exergy-Based Assessment of Polymers Production and Recycling: An Application to the Automotive Sector." Energies 14, no. 2 (January 12, 2021): 363. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14020363.
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In the last century, the economic growth has been accompanied by a worldwide diffusion of polymers for multiple applications. However, there is a growing attention to the environmental pollution and energy consumption linked to the unconditional use of plastic. In the present work, exergy is used as a measure of the resource consumption during the life cycle of polymers. Nine commercially diffused polymers are chosen, and their production chains are identified according to the “grave to cradle” approach. The global Embodied Exergy (EE) is calculated as the sum of the contribution of each step of the chain, including the production process and the Exergy Replacement Cost (ERC) of the fossil fuel. Then, recycling routes and the associated exergy consumption are analysed. Thermodynamic recycling indexes are developed depending on the final product, namely the crude polymeric material and the oil derivatives or structural molecules. The main results show that some commonly used polymers have a considerable impact in terms of EE (e.g., PET). Recycling indexes encourage the recycling processes, which are always energetically convenient (from 10% to 60% of exergy savings) compared with the production from virgin raw material. Results from EE calculation are used for the thermodynamic assessment of the plastic content of vehicle components, to obtain useful information for recycling practices development.
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Faridmehr, Iman, Ghasan Fahim Huseien, and Mohammad Hajmohammadian Baghban. "Evaluation of Mechanical and Environmental Properties of Engineered Alkali-Activated Green Mortar." Materials 13, no. 18 (September 15, 2020): 4098. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma13184098.
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Currently, alkali-activated binders using industrial wastes are considered an environmentally friendly alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), which contributes to addressing the high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and enlarging embodied energy (EE). Concretes produced from industrial wastes have shown promising environmentally-friendly features with appropriate strength and durability. From this perspective, the compressive strength (CS), CO2 emissions, and EE of four industrial powder waste materials, including fly ash (FA), palm oil fly ash (POFA), waste ceramic powder (WCP), and granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS), were investigated as replacements for OPC. Forty-two engineered alkali-activated mix (AAM) designs with different percentages of the above-mentioned waste materials were experimentally investigated to evaluate the effect of each binder mass percentage on 28-day CS. Additionally, the effects of each industrial powder waste material on SiO2, CaO, and Al2O3 contents were investigated. The results confirm that adding FA to the samples caused a reduction of less than 26% in CS, whereas the replacement of GBFS by different levels of POFA significantly affected the compressive strength of specimens. The results also show that the AAM designs with a high volume FA provided the lowest EE and CO2 emission levels compared to other mix designs. Empirical equations were also proposed to estimate the CS, CO2 emissions, and EE of AAM designs according to their binder mass compositions.
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Xie, Hui, Yajing Li, Ercan Kahya, Bo Wang, Xiyun Ge, and Guanda Li. "Physical Properties and Environmental Impact of Sound Barrier Materials Based on Fly Ash Cenosphere." Buildings 12, no. 3 (March 8, 2022): 322. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings12030322.
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Traffic noise and solid waste pollution are two major problems that restrict urban development and affect urban environments. In this study, a new kind of cement-based material for sound barriers was prepared using industrial waste fly ash cenosphere to explore the material ratio of the sound absorption, sound insulation, and composite layers and to optimize the material’s properties. The research findings showed that the compressive strength had significant effects on the material properties of the sound absorption layer, with the optimal compressive strength range being 0.2–0.4 MPa. At 0.4 MPa, the material with an aggregate-to-binder ratio of 1.0 had the best comprehensive properties. The sound insulation layer had the best compressive strength of 29.00 MPa at a 45% fiber admixture. The composite had the best sound insulation when the thickness ratio of the sound absorption and insulation layers was 60:40, and the sound transmission loss was 38 dB. The embodied carbon (EC) and embodied energy (EE) of the new fly ash cenosphere across the whole life cycle were 57.57 kgCO2e and 477.08 MJ, respectively, which were 4.8−52.9% and 53.2−82.3% lower than other traditional sound barriers, respectively. Thus, they were environmentally friendly and had satisfactory energy-saving and environmental protection values.
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Hernández, Héctor, Felipe Ossio, and Michael Silva. "Assessment of Sustainability and Efficiency Metrics in Modern Methods of Construction: A Case Study Using a Life Cycle Assessment Approach." Sustainability 15, no. 7 (April 6, 2023): 6267. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su15076267.
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The construction industry faces various sustainability challenges, and modern methods of construction (MMC) have been promoted as an effective alternative to mitigate environmental impact and improve productivity. However, to gain a thorough understanding of the benefits, there is a need for more objective data. To address this, the present study employs a simplified life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate a set of environmental and efficiency metrics in a case study. The study aims to demonstrate the benefits of using an MMC known as the “VAP system” by comparing it with its conventional counterpart built with reinforced masonry. Adopting the MMC resulted in significant reductions in embodied carbon (EC) and embodied energy (EE) related to materials, as well as a reduction in global warming potential (GWP), cumulative energy demand (CED), and construction waste. Additionally, it shortened delivery times and increased labor productivity. Furthermore, when both local and European parameters were considered in the evaluation, the percentage of materials circularity (PMC) was higher. The study concludes that the adoption of the MMC leads to higher sustainability by reducing carbon emissions, minimizing construction waste, and conserving resources. This research has significant implications for promoting the adoption of MMC globally, leading to more sustainable and efficient construction practices.
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Faridmehr, Iman, Moncef L. Nehdi, Mehdi Nikoo, Ghasan Fahim Huseien, and Togay Ozbakkaloglu. "Life-Cycle Assessment of Alkali-Activated Materials Incorporating Industrial Byproducts." Materials 14, no. 9 (May 5, 2021): 2401. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma14092401.
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Eco-friendly and sustainable materials that are cost-effective, while having a reduced carbon footprint and energy consumption, are in great demand by the construction industry worldwide. Accordingly, alkali-activated materials (AAM) composed primarily of industrial byproducts have emerged as more desirable alternatives to ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based concrete. Hence, this study investigates the cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment (LCA) of ternary blended alkali-activated mortars made with industrial byproducts. Moreover, the embodied energy (EE), which represents an important parameter in cradle-to-gate life-cycle analysis, was investigated for 42 AAM mixtures. The boundary of the cradle-to-gate system was extended to include the mechanical and durability properties of AAMs on the basis of performance criteria. Using the experimental test database thus developed, an optimized artificial neural network (ANN) combined with the cuckoo optimization algorithm (COA) was developed to estimate the CO2 emissions and EE of AAMs. Considering the lack of systematic research on the cradle-to-gate LCA of AAMs in the literature, the results of this research provide new insights into the assessment of the environmental impact of AAM made with industrial byproducts. The final weight and bias values of the AAN model can be used to design AAM mixtures with targeted mechanical properties and CO2 emission considering desired amounts of industrial byproduct utilization in the mixture.
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Deng, Ziming, Zhangfeng Yang, Jin Bian, Xinxiang Pan, Guanglin Wu, Fei Guo, Ruizhi Fu, Hongjin Yan, Zijun Deng, and Siqi Chen. "Engineering Properties of PVA Fibre-Reinforced Geopolymer Mortar Containing Waste Oyster Shells." Materials 15, no. 19 (October 10, 2022): 7013. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma15197013.
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Recycling crushed waste oyster shells (WOS) as a fine aggregate is an attractive method of disposal. However, its use in geopolymer mortar has not been reported. The influence of PVA fibres on the engineering properties of the new geopolymer mortar is still unclear. To bridge the gap, this study investigated the influence of various PVA fibre contents (0–1.05 vol%) on the flowability, compressive, flexural strengths, drying shrinkage, sorptivity, chloride resistance, porosity, fibre dispersion, embodied CO2 emissions (ECO2e), and embodied energy (EE) of the geopolymer mortar. The results indicated that the inclusion of 0.15–1.05 vol% of PVA fibres improved the flexural strength by 10.10–42.31% and reduced the drying shrinkage by 13.37–65.79%. The flowability and compressive strength decreased by 10.78–34.28% and 7.50–27.65%, respectively, but they were sufficient for construction. The sorptivity increased by 1.45–15.16%, and the chloride resistance decreased by 15.09–56.35%, but the geopolymer mortar was still classified as low chloride penetrability. In summary, the optimal content of PVA fibres is 0.45 vol%, and the geopolymer mortar has good engineering properties and eco-efficiency. The cost analysis and high-temperature resistance of the geopolymer mortar are neglected in this study, which should be evaluated in future work.
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Biondi, Alfonso, and Enrico Sciubba. "Extended Exergy Analysis (EEA) of Italy, 2013–2017." Energies 14, no. 10 (May 12, 2021): 2767. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14102767.
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In recent years, many studies have been published on the applications of exergy analyses to complex systems, including entire countries. Oddly, the results, although consistent, appear to lead to divergent conclusions. The underlying problem is that in a “pure” thermodynamic analysis, the so-called “externalities”, i.e., labor, capital, and environmental costs, are often neglected or only approximately included in the picture. In 1998, an extension of the theory that included the exergy content of the externalities was introduced, called “extended exergy accounting” (EEA). Its novelty consisted of the explicit inclusion of the exergy embodied in the externalities. The aim of this work is to use the results of the extended exergy accounting to obtain an indicator that can be used to assess the sustainable development of a country. First, a novel methodological approach to the theory is presented, based on the exploitation of a very large dataset obtained from several national and European statistical institutions. After a brief discussion of the theory, an application to the case of Italy is developed over a 5 years time window (2013–2017). The paper includes a comparison with the concurrent evolution of other sustainability indicators and of the gross domestic product (GDP) indicator. The results show a consistent trend for EE as compared with those of other indicators, and also convincingly proves that this trend is incompatible with that of the GDP. The EE indicator is called the exergy footprint, which also displays a remarkable sensitivity to both environmental and economic factors.
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Tajuddeen, Ibrahim, Seyed Masoud Sajjadian, and Mina Jafari. "Regression Models for Predicting the Global Warming Potential of Thermal Insulation Materials." Buildings 13, no. 1 (January 9, 2023): 171. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010171.
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The impacts and benefits of thermal insulations on saving operational energy have been widely investigated and well-documented. Recently, many studies have shifted their focus to comparing the environmental impacts and CO2 emission-related policies of these materials, which are mostly the Embodied Energy (EE) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). In this paper, machine learning techniques were used to analyse the untapped aspect of these environmental impacts. A collection of over 120 datasets from reliable open-source databases including Okobaudat and Ecoinvent, as well as from the scientific literature containing data from the Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), was compiled and analysed. Comparisons of Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression, and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) regression methods were completed for the prediction task. The experimental results revealed that MLR, SVR, and LASSO methods outperformed the XGBoost method according to both the K-Fold and Monte-Carlo cross-validation techniques. MLR, SVR, and LASSO achieved 0.85/0.73, 0.82/0.72, and 0.85/0.71 scores according to the R2 measure for the Monte-Carlo/K-Fold cross-validations, respectively, and the XGBoost overfitted the training set, showing it to be less reliable for this task. Overall, the results of this task will contribute to the selection of effective yet low-energy-intensive thermal insulation, thus mitigating environmental impacts.
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Kuété, Martial Aimé, Pascal Van Velthem, Wael Ballout, Nathan Klavzer, Bernard Nysten, Maurice Kor Ndikontar, Thomas Pardoen, and Christian Bailly. "Eco-Friendly Blends of Recycled PET Copolymers with PLLA and Their Composites with Chopped Flax Fibres." Polymers 15, no. 14 (July 10, 2023): 3004. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym15143004.
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The structure and properties of blends of a novel polyethylene terephthalate copolymer (COPET) obtained by chemical recycling of commercial PET with high-molar-mass poly-L-lactide (PLLA) are investigated and compared to corresponding composites with chopped flax fibres. The focus is on the morphology at nano- and micro-scales, on the thermal characteristics and on the mechanical behaviour. The blends are immiscible, as evidenced by virtually unchanged glass transition temperatures of the blend components compared to the neat polymers (49 °C for COPET and 63 °C for PLLA by DSC). At low PLLA content, the blends display a sea–island morphology with sub-micron to micron droplet sizes. As the composition approaches 50/50, the morphology transitions to a coarser co-continuous elongated structure. The blends and composites show strongly improved stiffness compared to COPET above its glass transition temperature, e.g., from melt behaviour at 60 °C for COPET alone to almost 600 MPa for the 50/50 blend and 500 MPa for the 20% flax composite of the 80/20 COPET/PLLA blend. The flax fibres increase the crystallisation rate of PLLA in blends with dispersed PLLA morphology. The evidence of cavitation on the fracture surfaces of blends shows that despite the immiscibility of the components, the interfacial adhesion between the phases is excellent. This is attributed to the presence of aliphatic ester spacers in COPET. The tensile strength of the 80/20 blend is around 50 MPa with a Young’s modulus of 2250 MPa. The corresponding 20% flax composite has similar tensile strength but a high Young’s modulus equal to 6400 MPa, which results from the individual dispersion and strong adhesion of the flax fibres and leads close to the maximum possible reinforcement of the composite, as demonstrated by tensile tests and nano-indentation. The Ashby approach to eco-selection relying on the embodied energy (EE) further clarifies the eco-friendliness of the blends and their composites, which are even better positioned than PLLA in a stiffness versus EE chart.
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Al-Subari, Lutf, Noor Ahmad Yaqubi, Onur Selcukhan, and Abdullah Ekinci. "Environmental and economical assessment of earth-retaining walls for design optimization." Environmental Geotechnics, May 9, 2022, 1–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/jenge.21.00151.
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The construction sector is one of the major contributors to global warming. This study aims to present a simplified method of evaluating the environmental impacts through the embodied energy (EE) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with earth-retaining walls (ERWs). The study considers a real case of slope movement caused fractures of a structure where four different types of ERWs were proposed to stabilise the slope. Moreover, an economical assessment of the selected ERWs is introduced. Recycled materials are also investigated as sustainable replacements of the natural materials. The results showed that concrete followed by steel production are the major contributors to CO2 emissions and have the highest embodied energy among other materials and stages by around 80% of the total amounts, regardless of the ERW design option. ERWs construction emits 13.5 to 19.5 tons of CO2 and consumes 130 to 175 GJ of energy while a reduction of 10 – 20% achieved by using recycled materials. In general, the pile wall is found to be the most environmentally friendly and economical option. Ultimately, the resulting CO2 emissions and EE of all the ERW alternatives was verified and found to be well-aligned with CO2 emissions and EE of the energy sources.
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Tokede, Olubukola, Mani Kumar Boggavarapu, and Sam Wamuziri. "Assessment of building retrofit scenarios using embodied energy and life cycle impact assessment." Built Environment Project and Asset Management, June 27, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bepam-07-2022-0103.
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PurposeCrucial transition of the Indian residential building sector into a low-emission economy require an in-depth understanding of the potentials for retrofitting the existing building stock. There are, however, limited studies that have recognised the interdependencies and trade-offs in the embodied energy and life cycle impact assessment of retrofit interventions. This research appraises the life cycle assessment and embodied energy output of a residential building in India to assess the environmental implications of selected retrofit scenarios.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilises a single case study building project in South India to assess the effectiveness and impact of three retrofit scenarios based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and embodied energy (EE) estimates. The LCA was conducted using SimaPro version 9.3 and with background data from Ecoinvent database version 3.81. The EE estimates were calculated using material coefficients from relevant databases in the published literature. Monte Carlo Simulation is then used to allow for uncertainties in the estimates for the scenarios.FindingsThe three key findings that materialized from the study are as follows: (1) the retrofitting of Indian residential buildings could achieve up to 20% reduction in the life cycle energy emissions, (2) the modification of the building envelope and upgrading of the building service systems could suffice in providing optimum operational energy savings, if the electricity from the grid is sourced from renewable plants, and (3) the production of LEDs and other building services systems has the highest environmental impacts across a suite of LCA indicators.Originality/valueThe retrofitting of residential buildings in India will lead to better and improved opportunities to meet the commitments in the Paris Climate Change Agreement and will lead to enhanced savings for building owners.
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Wandahl, Soren, Christina T. Pérez, Stephanie Salling, Hasse H. Neve, Jon Lerche, and Steffen Petersen. "The Impact of Construction Labour Productivity on the Renovation Wave." Construction Economics and Building 21, no. 3 (August 15, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/ajceb.v21i3.7688.
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The European Green Deal's Renovation Wave aims to renovate 35 million energy-inefficient buildings to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Historically, efforts to reduce CO2 emissions focused on Operational Energy (OE) of the finished buildings. However, in recent years the Embodied Energy (EE) of the building’s construction process has gained attention because of its essential role in construction renovations projects. In this context, construction efficiency, and more precisely, workers’ efficiency, is a vital catalyst to achieve the European Union (EU) targets. To identify the impact of Construction Labour Productivity (CLP) on the renovation wave an exploratory case study was adopted as a research strategy. Data from four domestic housing renovation projects were gathered. Three specific research goals are outlined. The first is to demonstrate the effect of the adoption of Lean tools and methods to increase CLP. The second is to quantify the correlation between improved productivity and the EE emissions saved during the construction phase. The third goal is to estimate the effect the higher productivity has on OE emissions. The results show that the adoption of several Lean tools and methods has a potential to improve CLP to 45%. This rate of improvement for the 35 million housing units to be renovated could save 6.9 million tonnes CO2e from EE and 386 million tonnes CO2e from OE. This novelty link between process improvements and reduced energy consumption and emissions can support politicians and infrastructural developers in decision-making for a more sustainable construction industry.
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Kern, Andrea Parisi, Renata Postay, Eduardo Reuter Schneck, Mauricio Mancio, Marco Aurélio Stumpf González, and Georgio Guerra. "Cost and environmental impacts reduction through building compactness." Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management ahead-of-print, ahead-of-print (July 30, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ecam-03-2020-0147.
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PurposeThe central motivation for this study was to examine alternatives against the apartment area reduction as a safe way to reduce construction costs, adopted by many construction companies. From the building economic compactness index concept, it was studied the cost and environmental impacts (material consumption, embodied energy – EE and CO2 emission).Design/methodology/approachThe research strategy takes advantage of a case study aiming to investigate the relation between design characteristics related to area (m²) and building economic compactness index (%) with cost (Research Stage 1) and with environmental impacts: (Research Stage 2). The study involved real data from social housing projects, chosen in terms in terms of very similar features like size, area and constructive method (constants), however, with dissimilar compactness (variable).FindingsThe lack of direct relation between area and cost signs the importance of including the cost of vertical plans considered in the economic compactness building. The higher the economic compactness index, the lower the cost, the lower the amount of material, EE and CO2 emission parameters. However, due to the wide range of EE and CO2 values available, the reduction in the amount of materials achieved by increasing building economic compactness index may not be reflected in EE and CO2 gains.Research limitations/implicationsAs the limitation of this study, it must be taken into account a limited number of case buildings and the fact that the analysis is dependent on the reliability and accuracy of the data provided by constructors and the available information of EE and CO2 emission. As well discussed in the literature, the consistent database is a great challenge for the construction sector.Originality/valueThere might be alternatives to higher areas with relatively low-cost increments since results from buildings with the same area present different cost estimative and suggest a strong relationship with the economic compactness index. The large variation of EE and CO2 emission data indicates that reductions obtained by compactness increase may be impaired if the construction materials are produced with high levels of EE and CO2 emission. Thus, there must be an integrated effort on the part of designers (design and material specification) and manufacturers (material production), since isolated solutions may not be enough.