Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Various Structural Frame Materials of Single-Family Houses in Nordic Countries

Since the choice of material for the construction of single-family houses has a major impact on the buildings' total carbon dioxide emissions, this study examines the carbon dioxide emissions from various structural frame (frame) materials used for single-family houses in the Nordic countries. The analysed frame materials are wood, concrete, and steel as they are the most frequently chosen for single-family houses in these countries. To map the carbon dioxide emissions from the frame materials, a literature review of existing life cycle analyses of the materials is conducted. To present the results, a typical wall is employed for each material; the width and height of the walls are 1 m, while the depth varies for the different materials. The walls are designed to illustrate the results, which are reported in kg CO2/m3. Moreover, the study includes interviews with housing manufacturers to get the building industry's views on the choice of frame material with regard to carbon dioxide emissions. The results show that there are major differences in the carbon dioxide emissions from the three frame materials. The wooden, steel, and concrete frames emit 96 kg CO2/m3, 209 kg CO2/m3, and 602 kg CO2/m3, respectively. The results confirm that the wooden frame has the lowest carbon dioxide emissions, which makes it the most environmentally friendly frame in the Nordic countries when compared with the steel and concrete frames.