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Carbon Footprint of Dwelling Construction in Romania and Spain. A Comparative Analysis with the OERCO2 Tool

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  • Patricia González-Vallejo

    (ArDiTec Research Group, Departament of Architectural Constructions II, Higher Technichal School of Building Engineering, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain)

  • Radu Muntean

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brașov, Romania)

  • Jaime Solís-Guzmán

    (ArDiTec Research Group, Departament of Architectural Constructions II, Higher Technichal School of Building Engineering, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain)

  • Madelyn Marrero

    (ArDiTec Research Group, Departament of Architectural Constructions II, Higher Technichal School of Building Engineering, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain)

Abstract

CO 2 emissions due to the construction sector represent 40% of the total, either directly by the use of the building or indirectly by the emissions incorporated in construction materials and products. It is important to achieve a change in this sector to introduce these concepts in a simple way. There are various tools for evaluating emissions in construction projects. In the present work, the OERCO2 tool is used. This work studies housing projects in two European countries belonging to significantly different regions, Spain (Andalusia) and Romania (Bucharest and Transylvania). Although concrete or masonry structures are mainly used in Romania, due to an increased demand for residential buildings in recent years, a new niche has appeared in the construction sector: metallic and mixed (metal–concrete) structures for multi-storied buildings. For these reasons, a comparison between concrete and metallic buildings can be made in order to highlight their environmental impact. Twenty-four projects are selected from Romanian projects with metallic structures, and Spanish projects with concrete structures. They are also differentiated according to the type of foundation used. As expected, buildings with a metallic structure have more economic and environmental impact than reinforced concrete. The materials with greater impact are metal, concrete, cement, and ceramic products. The potential of the tool for the evaluation of various construction solutions, materials, and project phases is demonstrated.

Suggested Citation

  • Patricia González-Vallejo & Radu Muntean & Jaime Solís-Guzmán & Madelyn Marrero, 2020. "Carbon Footprint of Dwelling Construction in Romania and Spain. A Comparative Analysis with the OERCO2 Tool," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-22, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:6745-:d:401548
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Pilar Mercader-Moyano & Paula M. Esquivias, 2020. "Decarbonization and Circular Economy in the Sustainable Development and Renovation of Buildings and Neighbourhoods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-6, September.
    2. Alfredo Cabezas-Ares & María Jesús Delgado-Rodríguez & Sonia de Lucas-Santos, 2020. "The Dynamics of Cyclical Convergence and Decoupling in the Environmental Performance of Spanish Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-14, October.

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