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QUANTIFYING THE EMERGY OF CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER(CLT) USING ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE ENGINEERING (EVE) ASSESSMENT

Bhattarai, Ashmin Raj
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3504-5140
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1714089038602843

Abstract Details

2022, MS, Kent State University, College of Architecture and Environmental Design.
The construction industry's environmental impact is a growing concern, necessitating a shift towards sustainable practices. The construction industry is the leading cause of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases (Globalabc, 2019). The global construction industry is increasingly likely to fall short of the promise of the Paris Agreement to decarbonize by 2050 (Paris Agreement, 2015). To reach the goal, our standard for sustainability and environmental sustainability must be higher. As the paradigm of construction and materials shifts towards sustainable practices, we must conduct a comprehensive assessment of different materials and processes. This research introduces a comprehensive approach to the environmental assessment of Mass Timber, specifically cross-laminated timber (CLT) using the Environmental Value Engineering (EVE) methodology. When comparing different environmental assessment methodologies such as cost-benefit analysis, Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Input-Output Analysis, EMERGY analysis, and EVE analysis it was found that only EVE is the unique methodology that incorporates all the inputs of Environment, Fuel, Goods, and Services throughout the life cycle. Acknowledging the environmental challenges posed by construction, the study focuses on comparing the environmental effects of CLT. Analyzing each life cycle phase, including the resource formation stages, is crucial as the raw material for mass timber is renewable and comes from nature. Grounded in the need for a holistic assessment method, the study aims to bridge gaps in the evaluation of the environmental effect of cross-laminated timber. It employs a quantitative and qualitative approach, utilizing EMERGY values as the cornerstone for the analysis. From the EVE analysis, the Transformity of the cross-laminated timber was determined to be 6.48E+11 solar emjoules/board foot. The EMERGY of a 20’X10’ CLT panel was calculated to be 8.91E+14 SEJ. The analysis of individual life cycle phases revealed that the material production phase has the most impact on the environment (41.46% of the total impact). An analysis of the inputs (environment, fuel energy, goods, and services) throughout the CLT life cycle revealed that service inputs had the most impact in terms of EMERGY (72.12 % of the total EMERGY). Since services are calculated separately in EVE, they do not have a direct impact on the environment. In terms of impact, environmental inputs had the most impact with 11.46%. The EMERGY Investment Ratio was calculated to be 7.727 units, which means that for every unit of EMERGY input from the free environment, the economy is feeding back approximately 7.727 units of EMERGY. The result indicated a high level of efficiency in utilizing investments from the environment.
Dr. Lameck Onsarigo (Committee Chair)
Dr. Anthony Mirando (Committee Member)
Dr. Simon Adamtey (Committee Member)
109 p.
Architectural; Architecture; Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Studies
Environmental Value Engineering (EVE), EMERGY, EMERGY Investment Ratio, Mass Timber Construction, Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), Sustainability, and Transformity.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bhattarai, A. R. (2022). QUANTIFYING THE EMERGY OF CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER(CLT) USING ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE ENGINEERING (EVE) ASSESSMENT [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1714089038602843

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bhattarai, Ashmin. QUANTIFYING THE EMERGY OF CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER(CLT) USING ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE ENGINEERING (EVE) ASSESSMENT. 2022. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1714089038602843.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bhattarai, Ashmin. "QUANTIFYING THE EMERGY OF CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER(CLT) USING ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE ENGINEERING (EVE) ASSESSMENT." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1714089038602843

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1714089038602843
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© 2024, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License QUANTIFYING THE EMERGY OF CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER(CLT) USING ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE ENGINEERING (EVE) ASSESSMENT by Ashmin Raj Bhattarai is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12