Assessment of Carbon Emissions for the Construction of Buildings Using Life Cycle Analysis: Case Study of Lagos State

Abstract

Environmental impacts associated with construction, use, and end-of-life of buildings have become a great concern to all and sundry especially as it concerns the health of people. This study aims to evaluate and ascertain the level of carbon emissions for the construction of a case residential building using life cycle analysis. In an attempt to determine carbon emissions at different stages, the following areas were considered: materials consumed during formwork construction, materials for structure, transportation of materials from factory to site, energy consumed by tenants, carbon emission removals, and disposal of debris. Emission factors were obtained from local sources to have cognitive and representative results. The results therefore established that the total carbon emission throughout the life cycle of the case building is 1,212 tons of CO₂e  which was found to pose a minor threat to the environment according to standard. It was also deduced that carbon emission due to the energy consumed by tenants emerged the most significant with 47% followed by materials for structure (36%), materials consumed during formwork construction (8%), materials based on demolition (7%) while transportation of materials from factory to site and debris to disposal site emerged as the least significant with just 1% each. Overall, findings suggest that a sufficient reduction of carbon emissions in building construction starts from the extraction, processing and manufacturing of building materials. Hence, lawmakers and professionals in the built industry should enforce implementable policies that will encourage designs of low carbon and sustainable residential edifice.