Model-Driven Management a of Construction Carbon Footprint: Case Study

This paper applies, extends, and verifies a model-driven framework for managing carbon footprint of a construction project using a case study approach. Current construction management practice lacks methods to track carbon footprint of the construction phase since the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) methods has remained primarily limited to design and operation phases of a project. In addition, the current methods heavily rely on user inputs on materials and the state of planned-vs.-actual work-in-progress. The presented framework addresses existing inefficiencies by leveraging 4D building information models (BIM) in conjunction with LCA tools to benchmark carbon footprint during pre-construction phases and monitor it during the construction phase. The management framework - built on earned value management concepts - offers metrics to assess and communicate deviations between benchmarked and actual carbon footprint, and facilitates root-cause assessments to minimize performance deviations, and excessive carbon footprints. As a full proof-of-concept, an extended case study is conducted on a real-world project. The application of the proposed management framework as a mechanism for increased environmental product data in the supply chain, establishing policies requiring adherence to a carbon footprint budget during project tendering, and incentivizing reductions in carbon footprint through a cap-and-trade scheme are discussed in detail.