Evaluation of Load-Bearing Systems in the Scope of Environmental Impact and Local Context
Abstract
The construction industry, and particularly structural elements, which constitute the largest percentage of total building elements, consume large amounts of energy and produce emissions, placing a significant burden on the environment. Therefore, evaluating structural systems in terms of environmental impact is crucial. Furthermore, the built environment and physical environmental characteristics are factors that must be considered. This study develops a decision support system based on topographic impact values and lifecycle environmental impact. Accessibility parameters that will impact lifecycle environmental performance are also explicitly evaluated within the system boundaries, and scenario analyses are conducted. The developed mathematical method demonstrates the advantage of different alternative structural systems in different scenarios. The integrated approach of topography, transportation network, and accessibility factors demonstrates the impact of the local context on decision-making. While integrated mathematical studies within the lifecycle context are quite limited in the literature, this study is considered of significant importance.
Keywords
Environmental impact, life cycle assessment, built environment, load-bearing systems
Ethical Statement
This study is produced from the ongoing doctoral thesis under the advisement of Prof. Dr. Ümit Arpacıoğlu at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Department of Architecture. The article complies with national and international research and publication ethics. Ethics committee approval was not required for the study.
References
- Balasbaneh, A. T. & Ramli, M. Z. (2020). A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of concrete and steel-prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction structures in Malaysia. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(34), 43186–43201. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/S11356-020-10141-3/METRICS
- Cabeza, L. F., Rincón, L., Vilariño, V., Pérez, G. & Castell, A. (2014). Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) of buildings and the building sector: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 29, 394–416. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RSER.2013.08.037
- Dubuc, S. (2007). GIS-based accessibility analysis for network optimal location model. Open Edition Journals, 2007. Doi: https://doi.org/10.4000/CYBERGEO.12653
- European Committee for Standardization. (2011). Sustainability of construction works—Assessment of environmental performance of buildings—Calculation method, Brussels (Standard No. EN 15978:2011).
- European Commission (2018). Environmental Benchmarks for Buildings. JRC Technical Report. ISBN 978-92-79- 80970-5.
- Fay, R. & Treloar, G. (2003). Life Cycle Energy Analysis— A measure of the environmental impact of buildings. The Environment Design Guide.
- Guggemos, A. A. & Horvath, A. (2005). Comparison of Environmental Effects of Steel- and Concrete-Framed Buildings. Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 11(2), 93–101. Doi: Doi: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1076- 0342(2005)11:2(93)
- IEA, ANNEX 57. (2016). Evaluation of Embodied Energy and CO2eq for Building Construction (Annex 57). Access Address (01.01.2025): https://www.iea-ebc.org/projects/project?AnnexID=57
- Kim, S., Moon, J. H., Shin, Y., Kim, G. H. & Seo, D. S. (2013). Life comparative analysis of energy consumption and CO2 emissions of different building structural frame types. The Scientific World Journal, 2013. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/175702
- Nassim, M. (2024). Optimising sustainability in building design from a life cycle perspective (Doctoral thesis). University of New South Wales, Department of Engineering, Australia.