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Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Building Design and Construction
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Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Building Design and Construction

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 April 2024) | Viewed by 18144

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Niluka Domingo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Built Environment, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
Interests: low carbon construction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global climate has already changed as a result of greenhouse gas (GHG) from human activities. In the light of climate change, 196 countries committed to reducing GHG emissions by signing the Paris Agreement in 2016. The building industry accounts for more than 40% of global energy use and generates one-third of worldwide GHG emissions. The design and construction of buildings are identified with the most opportunity to reduce carbon emissions in construction. Transforming the construction industry to deliver net zero-carbon (NZC) buildings is an inter-disciplinary challenge, requiring research and development in the cross-cutting areas of design, construction, technology, energy and waste reduction. In this context, this Special Issue aims to consolidate state-of-the-art research on recent advances in processes, products, technology and people in the design and construction of NZC buildings globally. It is expected to provide selected contributions to NZC building design and construction advances. Original manuscripts are invited under the following topics:

  • Energy-efficient buildings
  • Low/zero carbon building design and construction
  • Low carbon materials
  • Construction waste management
  • Early design intervention for carbon reduction technologies Environmentally sustainable design (ESD) for the construction industry Lifecycle costing of NZC buildings
  • Digital and innovative technologies for low-carbon buildings
  • Tools and technologies for low-carbon buildings
  • Industry transformation and upskilling Policies, regulations, and business models for NZC buildings

Dr. Niluka Domingo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • low carbon designs
  • low carbon construction
  • net zero carbon
  • energy reduction
  • energy efficiency
  • waste management
  • life cycle costing
  • life cycle analysis
  • digital technologies
  • innovative construction
  • sustainable construction

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 3427 KiB  
Article
Policy Mapping for Net-Zero-Carbon Buildings: Insights from Leading Countries
by An Le, Navodana Rodrigo, Niluka Domingo and Sepani Senaratne
Buildings 2023, 13(11), 2766; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13112766 - 1 Nov 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4192
Abstract
The construction industry is a key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, with buildings alone accounting for 39% of the global energy-related carbon emissions. Global carbon emissions from building operations increased by 5% in 2021 compared to 2020. However, the United Nations signed the [...] Read more.
The construction industry is a key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, with buildings alone accounting for 39% of the global energy-related carbon emissions. Global carbon emissions from building operations increased by 5% in 2021 compared to 2020. However, the United Nations signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 with global leaders, setting a limit to temperature increases below 2.0 °C or 1.5 °C. To achieve this goal, countries have established net-zero targets to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century. However, while some countries are making significant progress, others lag behind. Therefore, this study focuses on evaluating the actions taken by countries toward carbon neutrality, and on developing a policy roadmap for the construction industry to meet the net-zero-carbon commitments. This research adopted a systematic document review, including document analysis. The evaluation of countries’ practices towards achieving net-zero targets reveals both similarities and differences. The policy maps developed can be customised for decarbonising a country’s overall construction industry and building sector. This study provides insights for research, practice, and society, emphasising the importance of achieving net-zero targets through the implementation of policies, roadmaps, plans, and strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Building Design and Construction)
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16 pages, 1333 KiB  
Article
Holistic Review of Construction Process Carbon-Reduction Measures: A Systematic Literature Review Approach
by Suhaib Arogundade, Mohammed Dulaimi and Saheed Ajayi
Buildings 2023, 13(7), 1780; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071780 - 13 Jul 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3514
Abstract
The fragmented nature of construction operations makes it challenging to implement carbon-reduction strategies. However, attaining a holistic construction sector decarbonisation hinges upon ensuring all aspects of a construction project’s lifecycle are decarbonised, including the construction process stage. Therefore, to mitigate the implementation challenge [...] Read more.
The fragmented nature of construction operations makes it challenging to implement carbon-reduction strategies. However, attaining a holistic construction sector decarbonisation hinges upon ensuring all aspects of a construction project’s lifecycle are decarbonised, including the construction process stage. Therefore, to mitigate the implementation challenge of reducing the levels of carbon involved in construction processes, this study attempts to synthesise and categorise carbon-reduction strategies that could be employed to decrease the carbon footprint during a construction projects’ delivery. To achieve the aim of this study, a systematic literature review approach was adopted. Based on this technique, a total of 26 relevant articles within the built environment research area were eligible for the study, and their analysis revealed 56 carbon minimisation measures, which were summarised into nine distinct categories to ease their application and overcome the construction operations’ complexities. The nine categories include material transport, waste transport, materials and equipment, waste, materials, on-site office, on-site lighting, on-site transportation of material and equipment, and construction methods. The findings of this study provide contractors with a suite of measures that can be deployed to reduce the carbon impact of construction project delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Building Design and Construction)
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15 pages, 1122 KiB  
Article
Assessing Embodied Carbon in Structural Models: A Building Information Modelling-Based Approach
by James Hunt and Carlos A. Osorio-Sandoval
Buildings 2023, 13(7), 1679; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071679 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2623
Abstract
The construction industry’s recognition of the importance of embodied carbon (EC) drives the need for streamlined early-stage EC assessment. The adoption of building information modelling (BIM) allows for integrating EC assessment into current workflows, as BIM data are fundamental to the assessment. This [...] Read more.
The construction industry’s recognition of the importance of embodied carbon (EC) drives the need for streamlined early-stage EC assessment. The adoption of building information modelling (BIM) allows for integrating EC assessment into current workflows, as BIM data are fundamental to the assessment. This paper presents a BIM-based prototype tool developed to provide a quick and comprehensive assessment of EC in structural models. The prototype utilises visual programming language (VPL) and a database of external carbon factors to automate the assessment process and displays the results in a visualisation model. The prototype also offers high-level insights to support informed decision making and a detailed analysis to identify areas for optimisation. The results of this study indicate the effectiveness of the prototype in identifying EC hot spots and enabling informed decision making for optimisation. From an academic perspective, the study addresses a research gap by demonstrating the viability of integrating EC assessment in the early stages of design. In terms of practical implications, the presented prototype tool offers practitioners a solution that streamlines the assessment of EC in structural models, enabling informed decision making and identification of optimisation opportunities. In terms of policy, the research is aligned with the industry’s recognition of EC’s importance and supports sustainable building practices towards achieving net zero carbon goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Building Design and Construction)
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12 pages, 259 KiB  
Article
Towards Effective Implementation of Carbon Reduction Strategies in Construction Procurement: A Case Study of New Zealand
by Philip He, Thao Thi Phuong Bui, Wajiha Shahzad, Suzanne Wilkinson and Niluka Domingo
Buildings 2022, 12(10), 1570; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12101570 - 30 Sep 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2836
Abstract
In light of climate change, the construction industry plays a crucial part in alleviating carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. The focus on improving the public procurement process poses an important opportunity for the successful implementation of carbon reduction strategies in construction projects. [...] Read more.
In light of climate change, the construction industry plays a crucial part in alleviating carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. The focus on improving the public procurement process poses an important opportunity for the successful implementation of carbon reduction strategies in construction projects. There is a growing body of literature mapping green and sustainable procurement practices in construction. However, previous studies have not treated the implementation of procurement in a particular area, such as carbon reduction, in much detail. This study aims to investigate the implementation of construction procurement incorporating carbon reduction strategies, with a specific focus on the public sector in New Zealand. The research was conducted through 13 semi-structured interviews with construction procurement experts in New Zealand. The results shed light on the current implementation of carbon reduction strategies in construction procurement and its challenges, such as a lack of knowledge and ambiguous procurement guidelines and documents. It also emphasises the importance of (1) well-developed carbon reduction evaluation criteria, (2) specifying a budget for carbon-related initiatives, and (3) the prerequisite of a high level of innovation in the procurement document. The study adds to the rapidly expanding field of carbon reduction construction procurement by providing a deeper insight into the way carbon reduction strategies are effectively implemented in the procurement process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Building Design and Construction)

Review

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21 pages, 2040 KiB  
Review
Embodied Carbon Inventories for the Australian Built Environment: A Scoping Review
by Josephine Vaughan, Rebecca Evans and Willy Sher
Buildings 2024, 14(3), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14030840 - 20 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3027
Abstract
Accounting for the embodied carbon in construction materials and calculating the carbon footprint of entire construction projects in life-cycle assessments is a rapidly developing area in the construction industry. Carbon emission accounting relies on inventories that claim to represent the values of carbon [...] Read more.
Accounting for the embodied carbon in construction materials and calculating the carbon footprint of entire construction projects in life-cycle assessments is a rapidly developing area in the construction industry. Carbon emission accounting relies on inventories that claim to represent the values of carbon contained in materials. However, these values vary between different carbon inventories. This scoping review identifies academic research on the carbon inventories used in Australia, as well as the methods used to compare these inventories. The study was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. We identified 182 papers and narrowed these down to 11 that complied with the objectives of this study. Data for a range of construction materials were compared in these papers, as were the methods used to calculate the values. While some carbon inventories were used frequently, no clear preference for the method of calculating carbon values was apparent. The system boundaries also varied between publications, and a range of functional units was used. There was agreement that the variables involved in calculating carbon values for building materials are compounded by the practical issues of extracting and manufacturing materials in different regional or local conditions, cultures, and technological situations. It is therefore understandable that different inventories store different values when so many factors need to be considered. There is thus a clear need for agreement to be reached about standardisation of the processes involved. If the trustworthiness of the data stored in carbon inventories is questionable, so too are the outcomes of subsequent activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Building Design and Construction)
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