Assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in Saudi Arabia
The continuous growth of the construction sector in Saudi Arabia will result in social, environmental, and economic implications. To this end, this study focuses on selecting optimal structural and external envelope systems for an office building in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Our research’s novelty li...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2023.2278461 |
| _version_ | 1797492003888431104 |
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| author | Ghasan Alfalah Naif Al Qahtani Abobakr Al-Sakkaf Nehal Elshaboury Othman Alshamrani |
| author_facet | Ghasan Alfalah Naif Al Qahtani Abobakr Al-Sakkaf Nehal Elshaboury Othman Alshamrani |
| author_sort | Ghasan Alfalah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The continuous growth of the construction sector in Saudi Arabia will result in social, environmental, and economic implications. To this end, this study focuses on selecting optimal structural and external envelope systems for an office building in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Our research’s novelty lies in the fusion of life cycle cost (LCC) and life cycle impact (LCI) assessment models to optimize structural and envelope choices, a methodology that has real-world applications for the sustainable construction of office buildings. The study findings offer a substantial contribution to the evolving field of sustainable construction practices by enhancing cost-efficiency and environmental performance. The proposed models evaluate different external envelope materials, including concrete masonry unit (CMU), insulated CMU, limestone cladding, autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), three types of glazing (double, triple, and Nanogel), and two structural systems (steel frame and reinforced concrete frame), considered over a 30-year lifespan. Our methodology integrates advanced tools, including Autodesk Revit for precise building modeling, Design Builder software for energy consumption simulations, and One Click LCA software for life cycle assessments. The LCC analysis reveals the most cost-effective option as reinforced concrete with insulated CMU and triple glazing, saving 5.6% or 11,962,496 Saudi Riyals compared to the baseline. Moreover, insulated CMU with Nanogel glazing demonstrates a remarkable 22% annual energy savings, equivalent to 397,469 Saudi Riyals. The proposed framework provides facility managers with comprehensive guidelines for updating conventional office buildings into sustainable ones. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:56:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0d789c5109854a2ca16d8b6f0c0f7a7e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1347-2852 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:56:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-0d789c5109854a2ca16d8b6f0c0f7a7e2023-11-23T14:41:27ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering1347-28522023-11-010012010.1080/13467581.2023.22784612278461Assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in Saudi ArabiaGhasan Alfalah0Naif Al Qahtani1Abobakr Al-Sakkaf2Nehal Elshaboury3Othman Alshamrani4King Saud UniversityImam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal UniversityConcordia UniversityHousing and Building National Research CentreImam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal UniversityThe continuous growth of the construction sector in Saudi Arabia will result in social, environmental, and economic implications. To this end, this study focuses on selecting optimal structural and external envelope systems for an office building in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Our research’s novelty lies in the fusion of life cycle cost (LCC) and life cycle impact (LCI) assessment models to optimize structural and envelope choices, a methodology that has real-world applications for the sustainable construction of office buildings. The study findings offer a substantial contribution to the evolving field of sustainable construction practices by enhancing cost-efficiency and environmental performance. The proposed models evaluate different external envelope materials, including concrete masonry unit (CMU), insulated CMU, limestone cladding, autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), three types of glazing (double, triple, and Nanogel), and two structural systems (steel frame and reinforced concrete frame), considered over a 30-year lifespan. Our methodology integrates advanced tools, including Autodesk Revit for precise building modeling, Design Builder software for energy consumption simulations, and One Click LCA software for life cycle assessments. The LCC analysis reveals the most cost-effective option as reinforced concrete with insulated CMU and triple glazing, saving 5.6% or 11,962,496 Saudi Riyals compared to the baseline. Moreover, insulated CMU with Nanogel glazing demonstrates a remarkable 22% annual energy savings, equivalent to 397,469 Saudi Riyals. The proposed framework provides facility managers with comprehensive guidelines for updating conventional office buildings into sustainable ones.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2023.2278461office buildingssustainabilitylife cycle costlife cycle assessmentsaudi arabia |
| spellingShingle | Ghasan Alfalah Naif Al Qahtani Abobakr Al-Sakkaf Nehal Elshaboury Othman Alshamrani Assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in Saudi Arabia Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering office buildings sustainability life cycle cost life cycle assessment saudi arabia |
| title | Assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in Saudi Arabia |
| title_full | Assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in Saudi Arabia |
| title_fullStr | Assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in Saudi Arabia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in Saudi Arabia |
| title_short | Assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in Saudi Arabia |
| title_sort | assessing life cycle cost and environmental impact for office building construction in saudi arabia |
| topic | office buildings sustainability life cycle cost life cycle assessment saudi arabia |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2023.2278461 |
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