Evaluation of Embodied Carbon Emissions in UK Supermarket Constructions: A Study on Steel, Brick, and Timber Frameworks with Consideration of End-of-Life Processes

Augustine Blay-Armah (), Golnaz Mohebbi, Ali Bahadori-Jahromi (), Charlie Fu, Joseph Amoako-Attah and Mark Barthorpe
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Augustine Blay-Armah: Department of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, School of Computing and Engineering, University of West London, London W5 5RF, UK
Golnaz Mohebbi: Department of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, School of Computing and Engineering, University of West London, London W5 5RF, UK
Ali Bahadori-Jahromi: Department of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, School of Computing and Engineering, University of West London, London W5 5RF, UK
Charlie Fu: Department of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, School of Computing and Engineering, University of West London, London W5 5RF, UK
Joseph Amoako-Attah: Faculty of Engineering and Technology, School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
Mark Barthorpe: LIDL Great Britain Ltd., Lidl House, 14 Kingston Road, London KT5 9NU, UK

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-20

Abstract: Buildings and the construction sector as a whole are among the chief emitters of carbon, and the structural system of a building contributes substantially to its embodied carbon emissions. Whereas extensive studies exist into carbon missions, a detailed evaluation of real multipart building systems in brick, steel, and timber (glulam) substitutes is lacking. This paper employs whole-life-embedded carbon as a sustainability metric to compare a current UK supermarket building system of steel, brick, and timber. Four construction systems by the supermarket, referred to as CS1, CS2, CS3, and CS4, are used in the investigation. Comparisons are also made between two end-of-life treatment methods (recycle and landfill) along with the benefits that can be realised in future construction projects. The outcome from the comparative assessment reveals that there are minor variations in the embodied carbon of building systems used by the supermarket. CS4, while currently presenting marginal gains (approximately 148,960.68 kgCO 2 eq.) compared to CS1, loses its advantages when recycled contents for future construction projects are considered. The result indicates that CS4 generates about 18% less carbon emission reduction potential than CS1, whilst CS3 generates approximately 16% less than CS1. The findings of this article can enhance the knowledge of embodied carbon estimation and reduction capabilities of timber, steel, and brick buildings. Also, the detailed method for quantifying embodied carbon used in this article can be adopted in similar projects around the world.

Keywords: building systems; embodied carbon emissions; life-cycle assessment (LCA); material selection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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