Interior Renovation Carbon Footprint Evaluation System

• Main Authors: Shan-ChunHuang, 黃善群
• Other Authors: Hsien-Te Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/74t2f4

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 建築學系 === 104 === SUMMARY According to statistics, the ratio of new buildings was approximately 3% compared to the existing buildings of 97% in Taiwan. Hence, an effective evaluation system supplementary to EEWH policy is necessary to evaluate all interior renovations performed in Taiwan in order to assess and provide solutions to reduce CO₂emissions produced through renovations. Interior Renovation is divided into 4 stages of life cycle: New materials, Construction operations, Upgrading and Demolition. In the ‘New materials’ stage, there are 7 categories which are Flooring, Partition, Wall Enhancement, Ceiling and Fixed Furniture. With all 4 stages of life cycle accounted for, the total CO₂emission value will allow us to assess and grade renovation cases according to Pass, Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels. In conclusion, the evaluation system not only provides an indication of the interior renovation’s carbon emission impact on the environment but also provides opportunities for designers and users to mitigate the amount of CO₂released into the atmosphere. INTRODUCTION In the past three decades, the Taiwan architecture industry has been booming exponentially, leading to the removal of old houses and since been replaced by many new building constructions. This has led to over-supply of housing units where demand fall short. The need for interior renovation has begun to increase since the 2000s especially for buildings that have surpassed their first 10 years of life cycle. According to statistics, the ratio of new buildings was approximately 3% compared to the existing buildings of 97% in Taiwan. Hence, an effective evaluation system supplementary to EEWH policy is necessary to evaluate all interior renovations performed in Taiwan in order to assess and provide solutions to reduce CO₂emissions produced through renovations. Interior Renovation is divided into 4 stages of life cycle: New materials, Construction operations, Upgrading and Demolition. Of all 4 stages, ‘New materials’ stage comprise most of the CO₂emissions which include 7 categories namely: Flooring, Partition, Wall Enhancement, Ceiling, Fixed Furniture, Bathroom and Kitchen. With all 4 stages of life cycle accounted for, the total CO₂emission value will allow us to assess and grade renovation cases according to Pass, Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels. In conclusion, the evaluation system not only provides an indication of the interior renovation’s carbon emission impact on the environment but also provides opportunities for designers and users to mitigate the amount of CO₂released into the atmosphere. MATERIALS AND METHODS The methods used in this research are as follows: 1. Literature Review To understand various existing carbon footprint assessment tools and international standards that have been defined, the researcher conducted a thorough literature review to identify and consolidate the various frameworks, definitions and contents of these studies. The researcher also reviewed “Building Carbon Footprint Evaluation Method” to understand the basic theorem and structure behind it to find the most suitable process for establishing an interior renovation carbon footprint evaluation system. 2. Establishing a Carbon Footprint Evaluation Framework In the process of constructing the interior renovation carbon footprint evaluation method, a few priorities were undertaken to ensure the effectiveness and competency of the framework. Firstly, a specialized carbon footprint database for interior renovation materials was established. Secondly, 4 categories of buildings arranged from ‘least usage’ to ‘highest usage’ were identified to aid in the carbon emissions calculation of ‘Upgrading’ stage when renewal renovations are performed. Thirdly, a self-comparison system of ‘baseline project’ and ‘design project’ benchmarks is established to facilitate the calculations of carbon reduction effects of any interior renovation project. Lastly, the main framework of interior renovation life cycle stages including various requirements and specifications are combined into a formula to quantized carbon emission. 3. Case Analysis Based on an actual case, calculations can be performed to see the breakdown of carbon emissions in every life cycle stage. In the respective stages namely: New materials, Construcion operations, Upgrading and Demolition, carbon emission can be further dissected into various sectors and categories allowing one to clearly understand which area is responsible for the most carbon emission. Researchers can also use these data to further refine and build more accurate evaluation methods and formulas. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results of this research are as follows: 1. The interior renovation carbon footprint evaluation system is an efficient tool to help users, designers and researchers to understand the trends and breakdown of life cycle carbon emissions. 2. ‘New materials’ commands the highest amount of carbon emissions as compared to others, comprising up to 40% of the total interior renovation life cycle carbon footprint. The second highest level of carbon emission comes from ‘Demolition’ where a lot of energy is used to demolish the renovations and transporting them to recycling and waste yards. The third source comes from ‘Upgrading’ which in this case, a lot of materials used have yet to surpass their life expectancy hence most of them did not require replacement at the time of upgrading. Last but not least, ‘Construction’ produces the least amount of carbon emission due to limited equipment and tools used in the renovation process. 3. In essence, it is evident that the type of material used in renovating a interior space plays an important role in reduction of carbon footprint. Therefore, the best method to reduce carbon emissions is to choose low carbon and high life expectancy materials. When paving the floor or building a wall partition, it is advisable to fixate the objects and materials firmly to the structure of the building but not in excess as it would require more energy and machineries in the ‘Demolition’ stage to remove these interior renovations. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this research have developed a carbon footprint evaluation system for interior renovations, which could aid users, designers and researchers to understand the trends and breakdown of life cycle carbon emissions. With the establishment of a specialized carbon footprint database for interior renovation materials and the categorisation of buildings with respect to level of usage, this quantitative system allows one to identify carbon emission hotspots in various areas of an interior renovation project. With the ability to analyse carbon emission distribution, the system provides alternative materials and methods for carbon-reduction strategies so that various carbon reduction targets can be achieved. Finally, the total amount of carbon emission calculated will allow us to assess and grade renovation cases according to Pass, Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels.