Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
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ItemAssessing the social life cycle impacts of circular economy(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2023-02-01)A transition to a circular economy (CE) affects different stakeholders – positively and negatively. Social aspects still receive little consideration in the context of CE, which is why the assessment and monitoring of the social impacts of CE still require further development and consideration in research. In this context, social circularity indicators and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) are important tools that were examined in more detail in this study. This paper aimed to assess the current state of social circularity indicators in the literature, the implementation of S-LCA to assess CE concepts, and which additional indicators might be included in future S-LCA studies. Focus will be on the methodological approach of how to assess the social impacts of CE. A systematic literature review was conducted using Scopus Database, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. The search terms were derived from the aim of the study to identify the social impacts of CE in existing literature, to compile relevant social indicators in the context of CE, and to analyze the current role of S-LCA in the assessment of CE concepts. 97 papers were found. After excluding contributions that did not match the search criteria and adding new relevant contributions found through the analysis of the identified studies with the snowball sampling approach, 40 papers were considered in the review. 40 social impacts of CE were found within the literature. About half of them were positive and the other half negative. The authors found that positive impacts for some stakeholders could imply negative consequences for others, e.g., job creation in one region might lead to a decline in job opportunities in other regions. To assess CE, 104 single social indicators and 9 composed indicators were identified. Most of them could be linked to stakeholder groups and subcategories proposed in the UNEP S-LCA guidelines (UNEP, 2020). Training and education, job creation, as well as health and safety were relevant identified indicators in the context of CE. S-LCA has rarely been used in the assessment of CE strategies so far and needs to be standardized for application in the industry. Not all social impacts of CE are addressed by existing indicators. This, and the fact that not all circularity indicators that address social consequences of CE (social circularity indicators) are covered with S-LCA, reveals the need to suggest and harmonize additional subcategories that are especially relevant for CE. The authors propose to apply and integrate the identified social circularity (inventory) indicators in future S-LCA studies to assess CE concepts.
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ItemFifth-generation district heating and cooling systems: A review of recent advancements and implementation barriers(PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2023-01)As global urbanisation levels continue to rise, supplying urban areas with low emissions energy becomes imperative in the fight against climate change. In areas with high demand density, district heating and cooling systems are generally a more efficient alternative compared to individual solutions, but current systems are mainly powered by fossil fuels and suffer from significant thermal losses due to high operating temperatures. Fifth-generation district heating and cooling systems (5GDHC) is a promising technology, able to address these drawbacks. 5GDHC systems operate at near ambient temperature, ensuring efficient integration of renewable energy sources and waste heat recovery potential. Their ability to provide simultaneous heating and cooling through the same pipeline and bidirectional energy flows allow for load balancing through the harvesting of demand synergies between different users. 5GDHC systems can play an important role in the energy transition but not much is known about their environmental performance over their life cycle and the novelty of the concept means that planning and design guidelines are scarcely present in the literature, hindering their development and further adoption. This study critically reviews recent advancements in the relevant literature as the 5GDHC technology transitions from research and development to the demonstration phase. Moreover, the paper addresses the design parameters and methodologies encountered in the literature for the modelling and operation of 5GDHC systems. Finally, the economic and environmental performance are discussed while presenting an overview of future developments and challenges related to full-scale deployment.
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ItemIntegrating embodied greenhouse gas emissions assessment into the structural design of tall buildings: A framework and software tool for design decision-making(ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA, 2023-10-15)Urgent changes are needed in the construction industry to address the adverse effects of material production on the environment. The construction of tall buildings results in a high temporal and spatial concentration of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is largely due to the compounding influence of wind and earthquake loads on structural material requirements. Thus, to meet short-term climate change mitigation goals, the structural design of tall buildings must consider and minimise the embodied GHG emissions of structural systems. This study aimed to develop a framework to inform the design of tall building structural systems in order to minimise their embodied GHG emissions. A software tool was developed to implement the framework and automate the design, analysis, and embodied GHG emissions assessment of structural systems for tall buildings. Approximately 1,000 building models were iteratively designed, analysed, and assessed using the software tool. Through regression analyses, the resulting dataset was used to construct predictive models for the embodied GHG emissions of 12 unique combinations of structural system typologies and materials. By applying the framework and software tool to a 52-storey case study building, it is estimated that optimising structural material choices and geometric design strategies could reduce the embodied GHG emissions of tall building structural systems by up to 20% compared to current practices. The developed framework and software tool allow designers to use environmental assessment as a design decision-making tool, rather than an appraisal method for evaluating completed buildings, helping to reduce the environmental effects associated with tall building construction.
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ItemTowards a holistic assessment of circular economy strategies: The 9R circularity index(Elsevier BV, 2024-06-01)Our planet faces mounting environmental burdens due to linear production and consumption. Circular economy strategies offer a promising alternative, but evaluating their effectiveness requires robust measurement tools. Existing approaches lack a comprehensive framework incorporating the hierarchical strategies proposed by the 9R framework and the butterfly diagram. Based on the current circular economy indicators, this study gathers a set of indicators designed to assess the efficacy of circular economy strategies, considering the hierarchical levels outlined in the 9R framework. Moreover, it leverages the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) fundamental scale as an integration tool to consolidate the suggested indicators into a unified metric termed the “9R circularity index”. This approach relies on a bottom-up approach to measure circular economy at various levels. The “9R circularity index” enhances the ability to compare results from a material flow analysis perspective. In addition, this paper presents a step-by-step approach and a supporting software tool that aims to facilitate the measurement, selection and comparison between circular and linear models. Ultimately, this proposed approach offers a workable, data-driven tool to support the transition towards a circular economy.
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ItemPerformance of self-binding engineered panels made from sweet corn stalks (Zea mays L.) for furniture applications(Elsevier BV, 2024-02-01)Particleboard manufacturers face challenges with conventional adhesives and the shortage of wood particles. This research aims to offer an alternative to particleboard raw materials and investigates the physico-mechanical properties of particleboard made from sweet corn stalks (Zea mays L.) and citric acid (CA), with a focus on its suitability for furniture applications. The targeted density of particleboard was 0.7 g/cm3 and the CA solution addition was in the range of 0–25 wt%. The results show that the addition of 15 wt% CA increased the physico-mechanical properties of the panel. The physico-mechanical properties of particleboard with the addition of 25 wt% CA met the requirements of JIS A 5908 (2022). Py-GC/MS analysis of corn stalk particles shows 62 derivative compounds. The FTIR analysis confirms the formation of ester linkages between the carboxyl group of CA and hydroxyl groups of corn stalk.
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ItemEvaluating the impact of material service life on embodied energy of residential villas in the United Arab Emirates(Emerald, 2024)Purpose: Recently, there has been a shift toward the embodied energy assessment of buildings. However, the impact of material service life on the life-cycle embodied energy has received little attention. We aimed to address this knowledge gap, particularly in the context of the UAE and investigated the embodied energy associated with the use of concrete and other materials commonly used in residential buildings in the hot desert climate of the UAE. Design/methodology/approach: Using input–output based hybrid analysis, we quantified the life-cycle embodied energy of a villa in the UAE with over 50 years of building life using the average, minimum, and maximum material service life values. Mathematical calculations were performed using MS Excel, and a detailed bill of quantities with >170 building materials and components of the villa were used for investigation. Findings: For the base case, the initial embodied energy was 57% (7390.5 GJ), whereas the recurrent embodied energy was 43% (5,690 GJ) of the life-cycle embodied energy based on average material service life values. The proportion of the recurrent embodied energy with minimum material service life values was increased to 68% of the life-cycle embodied energy, while it dropped to 15% with maximum material service life values. Originality/value: The findings provide new data to guide building construction in the UAE and show that recurrent embodied energy contributes significantly to life-cycle energy demand. Further, the study of material service life variations provides deeper insights into future building material specifications and management considerations for building maintenance.
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ItemLife cycle environmental benchmarks for Flemish dwellings(IOP Publishing, 2024-03-01)To reduce the environmental effects caused by building construction and operation, life cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly applied. In recent years, national building regulations have implemented LCA requirements to support building life cycle impact reduction. A key element in these regulations are environmental benchmarks which allow designers to compare their building designs with reference values. This study aims to develop bottom-up life cycle environmental benchmarks that represent the range of environmental impact results achieved with conventional construction in Flanders, Belgium. For this purpose, the study investigates the potential of using a database of building energy performance calculations. Specifically, this study considers 39 residential buildings identified as representative of the Flemish energy performance of buildings database of 2015–2016, applying modifications to establish scenarios that are still relevant in 2025. The buildings are assessed with the Belgian LCA tool TOTEM to calculate an aggregated environmental score based on the European product environmental footprint (PEF) weighting approach and including 12 main impact categories. In addition to the aggregated score, the climate change (CC) indicator is analysed individually. In view of the benchmarks, variations were applied to the 39 original buildings in terms of heating system and materialisation. The variation in heating system included changing gas boilers to electric heat pumps to comply with upcoming (2025) Flemish building regulations. The variations in building materials included three sets of conventional Flemish building element compositions that were applied to generate a wider spread of impact results as a basis for benchmarks. Benchmark values were derived through a statistical analysis of the 117 modelled variants: a best-practice value (10th percentile), reference value (median) and limit value (90th percentile). For the environmental score, the benchmark values are 86, 107 and 141 millipoints per square meter of gross heated floor area (GHFA) (mPt m−2GHFA), respectively; and for CC, the benchmark values are 844, 1015 and 1284 kg CO2-eq m−2 GHFA. Finally, the study discusses the representativeness, implications and limitations of the final benchmarks and benchmark approach.
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ItemEPiC grasshopper: A bottom-up parametric tool to quantify life cycle embodied environmental flows of buildings and infrastructure assets(Elsevier BV, 2024-01)Reducing the embodied environmental flows of built assets is becoming increasingly important and is a key priority for actors in the built environment to improve life cycle environmental performance. Policies and related targets for embodied environmental flow reductions are emerging. Despite this, tools for quantifying the life cycle embodied environmental flows of built assets are limited in variety and scope. Parametric life cycle assessment (LCA) tools have emerged to address some of these limitations. These tools can enhance decision making, be embedded directly into CAD programs, and offer real-time LCA calculations across multiple design variations. Yet, existing parametric tools for LCA rely on process-based material environmental flow data, limited geometries, limited real-time data visualisation capacity, and often require specialised technical expertise to use. These gaps limit their ability to provide transparent, robust, and rapid assessments. This paper introduces EPiC Grasshopper, an open-source, open-access, bottom-up, parametric tool that enables the quantification of life cycle embodied environmental flows at the early stages of built asset design, bridging the aforementioned gaps. The key characteristics and functionalities of the tool are described, followed by verification (checking that calculations are correct), validation (checking that results are representative of reality), and demonstration of its application to two built asset case studies, i.e. parametrically-defined Australian house and road. The paper shows how the tool can be used to generate designs to meet specific embodied environmental flow targets as well as streamline and increase the uptake of embodied environmental flow assessment and considerations in built asset design workflows.
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ItemExploring the environmental assessment of circular economy in the construction industry: A scoping review(Elsevier, 2023-11-01)The literature on the evaluation of environmental performance within the circular economy (CE) domain is notably extensive, encompassing a considerable body of work spanning guidelines, case studies and software tools. Nonetheless, a comprehensive overview that encompasses the entirety of the knowledge landscape in this area remains notably absent. To address this scholarly gap, the present study undertakes a scoping review. Departing from previous inquiries which have predominantly focused on scholarly literature, the study amalgamates diverse knowledge sources. Through a meticulously orchestrated search and analysis process that integrates insights from academic databases and other knowledge reservoirs in the Australian context, a compendium of 249 indicators is delineated. As one of the pioneering endeavours of this nature, this study functions as a contemporary reference, catering to researchers, policy makers and practitioners, while providing multifaceted perspectives on assessing environmental ramifications within CE research. In theoretical terms, this investigation makes an in-depth contribution to the CE field by introducing a methodical and all-encompassing framework, interlinking life cycle phases and system boundaries for environmental evaluation within the CE paradigm. The findings furnish a reliable catalogue of 12 pivotal themes that merit prioritisation in the evaluation of environmental impacts tied to CE strategies. On a practical level, the study yields valuable instruments for researchers, practitioners and policy makers, equipping them with the means to gauge the efficacy of their CE endeavours, thereby facilitating data-driven decision-making processes.