Quantification of Embodied Carbon (EC) for Residential Development Project

Abstract

This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding on the quantitative study on indirect energy-related emissions, so called embodied carbon in housing development projects using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The assessment was carried out based on a residential housing development project in Malaysia, with a gross floor area of 92,903 μ. The assessment focused on the cradle-To-site phase of the building lifecycle, excluding on-site waste generation. Results revealed that a single residential unit accounted for 68.60 tCO2e (0.738 tCO2e/m2). The primary contributors to embodied carbon from material manufacturing were steel (38.12%), bricks (15.26%), and concrete (14.16%). The findings suggest that embodied carbon can be significantly reduced by sourcing materials locally within a 200 km radius, which alone could reduce material transportation emissions by 11%. The proposed LCA framework offers a practical reference for Malaysian construction companies to initiate early-stage embodied carbon assessments, potentially advancing sustainable residential building practice.