ANNOUNCEMENTS
The construction industry is one of the key sectors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. This study aimed at identifying the most significant impacts of construction on the environment through life cycle assessment techniques. This study consulted a group of experts to identify and prioritize the significant impacts of construction on the environment through an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) survey. It was found that significant impacts arise from energy use in the operational phase, embodied carbon of materials used, construction and demolition waste generation and pollution caused during the construction phase. A case study of a residential apartment-type building in New Delhi was chosen to carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA) using OneClick LCA software to calculate the environmental footprint of buildings. A green building model based on the case study model was constructed using the Edge app and Eco-Niwas software. A life cycle impact assessment using CML method was used to compare the two models. This helped understand the impact the construction of a new building has on the environment through various stages of its life cycle including raw material extraction, processing and transportation, construction phase, operation phase and demolition phase of the building. Significant impacts due to energy use in the operation phase were observed in both cases. The LCA indicated that the embodied emissions of materials commonly used in the construction of green buildings to improve energy efficiency are comparable to conventional construction materials and even higher in some cases. The findings of this study can provide construction companies with the necessary tools for decision making to make their organizations more sustainable in the future. This would minimize the direct and indirect impacts the construction industry has on the environment.
Key words: Construction, environmental footprint, residential buildings, Life cycle assessment (LCA), emissions.
