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Ecological Footprint of Residential Buildings in Composite Climate of India—A Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Ashok Kumar

    (CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee 247667, India
    Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India)

  • Pardeep Singh

    (Institute of Environmental Studies, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra 136119, India)

  • Nishant Raj Kapoor

    (CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee 247667, India
    Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India)

  • Chandan Swaroop Meena

    (CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee 247667, India
    Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India)

  • Kshitij Jain

    (Department of Computer Science Engineering, College of Engineering, Roorkee 247667, India)

  • Kishor S. Kulkarni

    (CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee 247667, India
    Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India)

  • Raffaello Cozzolino

    (Department of Engineering, University of Rome Niccolò Cusano, 00166 Roma, Italy)

Abstract

Buildings are accountable for waste generation, utilization of natural resources, and ecological contamination. The construction sector is one of the biggest consumers of resources available naturally and is responsible for significant CO 2 emissions on the planet. The effects of the buildings on the environment are commonly determined using Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). The investigation and comparison of the Life Cycle Ecological Footprint (LCEF) and Life Cycle Energy (LCE) of five residential buildings situated in the composite climatic zone of India is presented in this study. The utilization of resources (building materials) along with developing a mobile application and a generic model to choose low emission material is the uniqueness of this study. The utilization of eco-friendly building materials and how these are more efficient than conventional building materials are also discussed. In this investigation, the two approaches, (a) Life Cycle Energy Assessment (LCEA) and (b) Life Cycle Ecological Footprint (LCEF), are discussed to evaluate the impacts of building materials on the environment. The energy embedded due to the materials used in a building is calculated to demonstrate the prevalence of innovative construction techniques over traditional materials. The generic model developed to assess the LCEA of residential buildings in the composite climate of India and the other results show that the utilization of low-energy building materials brings about a significant decrease in the LCEF and the LCE of the buildings. The results are suitable for a similar typology of buildings elsewhere in different climatic zone as well. The MATLAB model presented will help researchers globally to follow-up or replicate the study in their country. The developed user-friendly mobile application will enhance the awareness related to energy, environment, ecology, and sustainable development in the general public. This study can help in understanding and thus reducing the ecological burden of building materials, eventually leading towards sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashok Kumar & Pardeep Singh & Nishant Raj Kapoor & Chandan Swaroop Meena & Kshitij Jain & Kishor S. Kulkarni & Raffaello Cozzolino, 2021. "Ecological Footprint of Residential Buildings in Composite Climate of India—A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-25, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:21:p:11949-:d:667325
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Binju P Raj & Chandan Swaroop Meena & Nehul Agarwal & Lohit Saini & Shabir Hussain Khahro & Umashankar Subramaniam & Aritra Ghosh, 2021. "A Review on Numerical Approach to Achieve Building Energy Efficiency for Energy, Economy and Environment (3E) Benefit," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-26, July.
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    7. Tabish Alam & Nagesh Babu Balam & Kishor Sitaram Kulkarni & Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui & Nishant Raj Kapoor & Chandan Swaroop Meena & Ashok Kumar & Raffaello Cozzolino, 2021. "Performance Augmentation of the Flat Plate Solar Thermal Collector: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-23, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cecília Szigeti & Zoltán Major & Dániel Róbert Szabó & Áron Szennay, 2023. "The Ecological Footprint of Construction Materials—A Standardized Approach from Hungary," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Bassem Jamoussi & Asad Abu-Rizaiza & Ali AL-Haij, 2022. "Sustainable Building Standards, Codes and Certification Systems: The Status Quo and Future Directions in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-24, August.

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