SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT INDEX (SDI) FOR HIGHRISE BUILDINGS WITH CONCEPT OF FIGURE OF MERIT

Ajit Sabnis, M R Pranesh

Abstract: Urbanisation is demanding for construction of high-rise buildings. Different materials are the essential components of construction. Energy is the basic requirement during the life cycle of a building. High-rise buildings are energy intensive. Impact of embodied energy in high-rise buildings is assessed through the concept of Figure of Merit (FoM), an exclusive nondimensional parameter. FOM parameter represented as ZC accounts for two important engineering properties namely Modulus of Elasticity and Density of materials used in the construction process along with unit cost of material and cost of construction per unit area. This FoM equation is further integrated with other energy indicators including embodied energy, embodied carbon (CO2e), transport energy and other derived coefficients to give rise to a set of dimensionless interaction values designated as I1, I2 and I3. The complex interaction phenomena between the Construction Materials, Embodied Energy footprint and Global warming (CO2e) are simplified as: I1-Construction Materials and Embodied Energy interaction; I2- Embodied Energy and Global Warming Interaction; I3- Global warming and Construction materials Interaction. Three interaction phenomena results in the net outcome of Sustainability Development Index (SDI) enabling use of FoM as a tool in assessing the energy impact of construction materials on natural environment in the pre-construction and construction phases of building’s life cycle. The aim of this paper is to formulate a Sustainability Development Index which can be applied to assess the levels of sustainability of materials. SDI is expressed in terms of percentage of sustainability. SDI model has been developed based on three interaction factors. A case with SDI model has also been presented for formwork system.

Keywords: Embodied Energy, Embodied Carbon, High-rise buildings, Environmental Impact, Figure of Merit, Energy Efficiency, Global Warming, Sustainability Development Index, Construction Materials.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2016.0509027