Research on Carbon Footprint Calculation for the Materialisation Phase of Prefabricated Housing

Abstract

Against the backdrop of accelerating global low-carbon transition, the construction sector has emerged as a critical domain for carbon reduction. This paper establishes a carbon footprint calculation model for the materialisation phase of prefabricated residential buildings, grounded in the theory of whole-life-cycle carbon and the carbon emission factor method. It delineates phase boundaries and carbon source composition, while integrating project data to formulate computational expressions. Using Building 1 of YT Apartments as a case study for phased assessment, results indicate that the building material production phase accounts for the highest proportion of emissions (90.76%), followed by on-site construction (3.83%), material transportation (2.92%), on-site assembly (1.27%), component manufacturing (0.86%), and component transportation (0.36%). This demonstrates that the building material production phase holds the greatest potential for emissions reduction, providing theoretical support for low-carbon strategies in prefabricated housing.