Carbon emissions assessment
Comparative analysis between design and construction data for the foundation and structure stages
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46421/entac.v20i1.6056Keywords:
Embodied Carbon, LCA, Real Consumption, GHG EmissionsAbstract
This study investigates the Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions (EE), encompassing from the material manufacturing (cradle) phase to the production of materials (gate), used in a construction project, addressing the foundation and structure stages of a residential building located in Brasilia - DF. To accomplish this analysis, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied, utilizing real data originating from the project and from the construction site, comparing both sources. Data from Ecoinvent, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and the Construction Environmental Performance Information System (Sidac) were also used. The results revealed that the majority of emissions stem from concrete and steel production. A difference of up to 15% in emissions was observed when comparing actual material consumption data from the construction site to the project estimates. This research seeks to contribute scientifically by quantifying the EE of the foundation stage, which is typically excluded in LCA studies, and by drawing from real data, considering actual material consumption, and presenting metrics to assist in defining future carbon benchmarks for Brazilian buildings.
References
IPCC, 2023: Sections. In: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 35-115, doi: 10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647.
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY (IEA). CO2 Emissions in 2023: A new record high, but is there light at the end of the tunnel ?. Fev 2024. Disponível em: www.iea.org.
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (PNUMA). Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction: Beyond foundations: Mainstreaming sustainable solutions to cut emissions from the buildings sector. Nairobi, 2024. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.59117/20.500.11822/45095.
HABERT, G. et al. Environmental impacts and decarbonization strategies in the cement and concrete industries. Nature Reviews Earth and EnvironmentSpringer Nature, 1 nov. 2020.
HUANG, B. et al. Embodied GHG emissions of building materials in Shanghai. Journal of Cleaner Production, v. 210, p. 777–785, 10 fev. 2019.
KARLSSON, I. et al. Achieving net-zero carbon emissions in construction supply chains – A multidimensional analysis of residential building systems. Developments in the Built Environment, v. 8, 1 set. 2021.
RÖCK, M. et al. Embodied GHG emissions of buildings – The hidden challenge for effective climate change mitigation. Applied Energy, v. 258, 15 jan. 2020.
CARCASSI, O. B. et al. Material Diets for Climate-Neutral Construction. Environmental Science and Technology, v. 56, n. 8, p. 5213–5223, 19 abr. 2022.
WORLD GREEN BUILDING CONCIL. Bringing embodied carbon upfront: Coordinated action for the building and construction sector to tackle embodied carbon. London, United Kingdom office and Toronto, Canada office, 2019. Disponível em: www.worldgbc.org/embodied-carbon.
WORLD BUSINESS COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (WBCSD); ARUP. Net-zero buildings: Halving construction emissions today. [S.I]: WBCSD, 2023. Disponível em: <https://www.wbcsd.org/Pathways/Built-Environment/Resources/Net-zero-buildings-Halving-construction-emissions-today>. Acesso em: 14 abr. 2024.
COSTA, Simone de Fátima Campos e KOS, Darja. Aplicação da Metodologia de Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida Energético a uma Residência em Belém-PA. Paranoá 30: Cadernos de Arquitetura e urbanismo, n. 30, 5 Abr 2021.
CRIPPA, M. et al. GHG EMISSIONS OF ALL WORLD COUNTRIES. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. Disponível em: https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu.
SEEG. Análise das emissões de gases de efeito estufa e suas implicações para as metas climáticas do Brasil. Brasil, Sistema de Estimativas de Emissões e Remoções de Gases de Efeito Estufa - SEEG, 2023.
ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE NORMAS TÉCNICAS (ABNT). NBR ISO 14040: Gestão ambiental - Avaliação do ciclo de vida - Principio e estrutura. Rio de Janeiro, 2009a.
ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE NORMAS TÉCNICAS (ABNT). NBR ISO 14044: Gestão ambiental - Avaliação do ciclo de vida — Requisitos e orientações. Rio de Janeiro, 2009b.
CALDAS, Lucas e PEDROSO, Gilson e SPOSTO, Rosa Maria. Avaliação do ciclo de vida energético (ACVE) de uma habitação. Estudo para diferentes cenários considerando as etapas do berço ao túmulo. São Paulo, 2016. Disponível em: https://vitruvius.com.br/revistas/read/arquitextos/16.191/6012. Acesso em: maio 2024.
BSI STANDARDS PUBLICATION. EN 15978: Sustainability of construction works: Assessment of environmental performance of buildings - Calculation method. Brussels: CEN - European Committee for Standardization, 2011.
BSI STANDARDS PUBLICATION. EN 15804:2012+A2: Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations - Core rules for the product category of construction products. Brussels: CEN - European Committee for Standardization, 2019.
ASBEA. Guia para Arquitetos na Aplicação da Norma de Desempenho: ABNT NBR 15.575. Brasil, 2015.
FRISCHKNECHT, R. et al. Comparison of the greenhouse gas emissions of a high-rise residential building assessed with different national LCA approaches - IEA EBC Annex 72. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Anais...IOP Publishing Ltd, 20 nov. 2020.
LETI. Embodied Carbon Primer. Supplementary guidance to the Climate Emergency Design Guide. London Energy Transformation Initiative – LETI, United Kingdom, 2020.
Röck M, Sørensen A, Tozan B, Steinmann J, Le Den X, Horup L H, Birgisdottir H. Towards EU embodied carbon benchmarks for buildings – Setting the baseline: A bottom-up approach, 2022. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5895051. Acesso em: abril 2024.
MELO, P. C. DE et al. The potential of carbon storage in bio-based solutions to mitigate the climate impact of social housing development in Brazil. Journal of Cleaner Production, v. 433, 25 dez. 2023.
