Evaluation of the CO2 emissions of an innovative composite precast concrete structure building frame

The type of frame system, materials, and power consumption used for the construction of new buildings cause environmental issues because of the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Therefore, a new type of sustainable precast concrete structural system called SMART frame has been introduced to reduce the CO2 emissions during the construction of buildings. To determine the effectiveness of the CO2 emission reduction based on the new SMART frame, a similar frame configuration based on reinforced concrete (RC) was used. The SMART and RC building frames consisted of 12 storeys with similar floor areas and were designed under similar conditions. The CO2 emissions based on the material resources and construction methods used for the two building models were analysed. Additionally, the power consumption associated with the use of electricity and fuels for the devices and equipment was considered in the analysis of the total CO2 emissions. The total CO2 emissions of the SMART and RC frame buildings in kilograms (kg) per square meter (m2) are 455.94 and 516.12 kg CO2/m2, respectively. Thus, the total amount of CO2 emission reduction achieved in this study is 60.18 kg CO2/m2. In terms of the individual effects of materials and power consumption, the SMART building has a larger contribution, accounting for a 12.42% and 8.12% decrease in the CO2 emissions, respectively, compared with the RC building. Overall, based on the materials and power consumption used during the construction stage of the SMART frame building, the total CO2 emissions decreased by 11.66% compared with the RC building. Therefore, the SMART frame can be adopted as a sustainable frame alternative to the RC frame system. © 2019 Elsevier Lt