Life-cycle assessment and control measures for carbon emissions of typical buildings in China

The construction industry plays an important role in economic and social development, yet it is also a primary source of carbon emissions. Accordingly, owing to global climate change, energy conservation and carbon reduction have become critical issues in the construction industry. However, to date, no established theory has been proposed for the life-cycle carbon assessment of typical buildings in China. To address this, the present study proposes a detailed carbon emission inventory for buildings and divides the life-cycle of a typical building into three stages based on material and energy flow: the materialization stage, the operation stage, and the disposal stage. Additionally, an analytical framework and evaluation indices are established and the proposed methodology is applied to three case studies. The results demonstrate that residential and office buildings with a reinforced concrete block masonry structure could reduce carbon emissions by 38-112kgCO₂/m² compared with either a reinforced concrete structure or a brick-concrete structure. Although the operation stage appears to contribute approximately 82-86% of the total emissions, the materialization stage is also of considerable importance in alleviating the present environmental pressure. Furthermore, possible measures to control carbon during the materialization stage are proposed and evaluated, including optimization design of building structures based on carbon emissions and the selection of insulation materials. Accordingly, this study provides a standard method for life-cycle carbon assessment of buildings, which will be critical for future low-carbon development.