Embodied Energy Analysis of a Pre-cast Building System

Abstract

The embodied energy of a building can represent up to 40% of life cycle energy use of residential buildings. Residential buildings in Sri Lanka serve as one third of the local construction sector. However, extraction materials which are extensively used in building construction in Sri Lanka are being limited by the environmental regulations and depletion of resources. Precast concrete products are generally chosen for achieving sustainability in buildings since they incorporate holistic design, efficient use of material and minimize the construction waste and site disturbance. This paper presents a comparative analysis of embodied energy of a conventional in-situ building system and a precast building system: a case study for two identical buildings constructed at the same location using the two building systems. The results of the analysis reveal that the embodied energy of the precast building system is 19% less than the conventional in-situ building system.