Embodied greenhouse gas emissions reduction for structural elements in office buildings

Abstract

In order to reach the COP21 objectives, mitigation strategies must be identified in all economic sectors. In Austria, the construction sector represents one of the greatest sources of carbon intensive activities. Within this sector, buildings have a significant role to play. Through a systematic literature review, this paper identifies strategies to reduce the embodied carbon emissions of structural building materials. Then, by implementing the most promising alternatives in building case studies and performing a life cycle assessment, up to 15% reduction of the embodied greenhouse gas emissions was observed. This paper, however, intends to show that there is no technology that is intrinsically best at surpassing all others.