Effect of sustainable materials on embodied energy, carbon footprint and cost for a proposed conventional apartment

Abstract The construction industry accounts for an incredible 36% of worldwide energy usage, and 40% of CO2 emissions. Therefore, it is required to reduce the impact of construction on the environment. In this study, a few green materials have been selected along with few green techniques and are applied to the apartment and a comparison is provided. An ongoing project consisting of 18 typical floors and basement is selected for the study. Estimation of quantities are done according to the drawings and major materials such as blocks, internal paints, flooring and concrete are replaced with proposed sustainable materials. Embodied energy and carbon footprint analysis is performed for the building components such as blocks, tiles, paints, concrete and plastering. Alternate materials like compressed stabilized earth blocks, clay plaster, wallpaper, terrazzo tiles and blended cement concrete are chosen as replacements for the conventional materials. A comparison is provided with conventional materials with respect to the chosen sustainable materials. The results show 73% reduction in embodied energy and 52% reduction in carbon footprint of the structure. Also, reduction in cost by 30%. Hence, reducing the impact on the environment and making the structure sustainable.