Assessment of energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions in low rise building systems: Case study of five building systems built after the Gorkha Earthquake in Nepal

Buildings are responsible for significant energy consumption and greenhouse gases (GHG) emission. This study aims to assess energy consumption and CO2 emission in five low rise building systems of buildings used for the reconstruction of earthquake-resistant houses in hilly regions of Nepal after Gorkha Earthquake. The Ecoinvent dataset version 3.5 and software tool OpenLCA version 1.8 has been used to assess the energy consumption and CO2 emission due to the construction of the buildings after the earthquake. The study considers four stages of lifecycle assessment starting from firstly, material production and transportation stage; secondly, the construction of the building stage; thirdly, operation of the building stage to finally, demolition stage of the residential buildings with different construction materials. The results of the study show that Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) system demands 1.69 times higher energy than the Compressed Stabilized Earth Block (CSEB) system, whereas, the RCC system emits 1.64 times higher CO2 equivalent emission than Interlocking Block (IB) building system throughout their lifecycle. This outcome of the study would be useful to the policymakers to choose the right structural system of the building with appropriate construction materials for the construction of houses which will give less impact on the environment.

Automated summary

This study assessed energy consumption and CO2 emissions in five low rise building systems used for reconstruction after Gorkha Earthquake in Nepal hilly regions. The results showed that Reinforced Cement Concrete system has higher energy demand and CO2 emissions compared to Compressed Stabilized Earth Block system.