Investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments
Life cycle assessment is a tool to quantify the environmental impact of products and has been widely studied in the building context. This is an important context given the building sector's substantial embodied energy and carbon. Against this backdrop, this study has two main objectives. The f...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
2021
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88435 |
| _version_ | 1848765020870017024 |
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| author | Minunno, Roberto O'Grady, T. Morrison, Greg Gruner, R.L. |
| author_facet | Minunno, Roberto O'Grady, T. Morrison, Greg Gruner, R.L. |
| author_sort | Minunno, Roberto |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Life cycle assessment is a tool to quantify the environmental impact of products and has been widely studied in the building context. This is an important context given the building sector's substantial embodied energy and carbon. Against this backdrop, this study has two main objectives. The first objective is to create a benchmark the environmental impact of buildings. The second objective is to develop a procedural guideline that assists practitioners in decreasing the environmental impact of buildings. To achieve these objectives, a systematic review of the relevant literature was conducted to categorize and summarize relevant studies. A meta-analysis followed to synthesize the life cycle assessment results that emerged from the collected articles. The articles were categorized into two main groups: articles on construction materials and articles on entire buildings. Eight construction materials (i.e., concrete, reinforcement bars, structural steel, timber, tiles, insulation, and plaster) and three building types (i.e., concrete, timber, and steel) were identified, and related embodied energy and carbon were extracted. Subsequently, the data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the meta-analysis informed a regression model, which in turn informed a procedural guideline for practitioners who seek to reduce buildings' environmental impact. Further, the findings of this paper shed light on previously equivocal results concerning the impact of construction materials and buildings, but also support previous findings for structural materials, showing, for example, that the use of timber structures results in substantial savings over concrete structures in terms of both embodied energy (43%) and carbon (68%). |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:28:37Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-88435 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:28:37Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-884352022-05-31T06:49:25Z Investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments Minunno, Roberto O'Grady, T. Morrison, Greg Gruner, R.L. Science & Technology Technology Green & Sustainable Science & Technology Energy & Fuels Science & Technology - Other Topics Life cycle assessment Buildings Embodied energy Embodied carbon Construction material Meta-analysis Systematic literature review GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS ORDINARY PORTLAND-CEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ASSESSMENT LCA INSULATION MATERIALS RECYCLED AGGREGATE LAMINATED TIMBER OFFICE BUILDINGS CO2 EMISSIONS Life cycle assessment is a tool to quantify the environmental impact of products and has been widely studied in the building context. This is an important context given the building sector's substantial embodied energy and carbon. Against this backdrop, this study has two main objectives. The first objective is to create a benchmark the environmental impact of buildings. The second objective is to develop a procedural guideline that assists practitioners in decreasing the environmental impact of buildings. To achieve these objectives, a systematic review of the relevant literature was conducted to categorize and summarize relevant studies. A meta-analysis followed to synthesize the life cycle assessment results that emerged from the collected articles. The articles were categorized into two main groups: articles on construction materials and articles on entire buildings. Eight construction materials (i.e., concrete, reinforcement bars, structural steel, timber, tiles, insulation, and plaster) and three building types (i.e., concrete, timber, and steel) were identified, and related embodied energy and carbon were extracted. Subsequently, the data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the meta-analysis informed a regression model, which in turn informed a procedural guideline for practitioners who seek to reduce buildings' environmental impact. Further, the findings of this paper shed light on previously equivocal results concerning the impact of construction materials and buildings, but also support previous findings for structural materials, showing, for example, that the use of timber structures results in substantial savings over concrete structures in terms of both embodied energy (43%) and carbon (68%). 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88435 10.1016/j.rser.2021.110935 English PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD restricted |
| spellingShingle | Science & Technology Technology Green & Sustainable Science & Technology Energy & Fuels Science & Technology - Other Topics Life cycle assessment Buildings Embodied energy Embodied carbon Construction material Meta-analysis Systematic literature review GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS ORDINARY PORTLAND-CEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ASSESSMENT LCA INSULATION MATERIALS RECYCLED AGGREGATE LAMINATED TIMBER OFFICE BUILDINGS CO2 EMISSIONS Minunno, Roberto O'Grady, T. Morrison, Greg Gruner, R.L. Investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments |
| title | Investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments |
| title_full | Investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments |
| title_short | Investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments |
| title_sort | investigating the embodied energy and carbon of buildings: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments |
| topic | Science & Technology Technology Green & Sustainable Science & Technology Energy & Fuels Science & Technology - Other Topics Life cycle assessment Buildings Embodied energy Embodied carbon Construction material Meta-analysis Systematic literature review GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS ORDINARY PORTLAND-CEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ASSESSMENT LCA INSULATION MATERIALS RECYCLED AGGREGATE LAMINATED TIMBER OFFICE BUILDINGS CO2 EMISSIONS |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88435 |