Framework for Designing Sustainable Structures through Steel Beam Reuse

The architecture, engineering, and construction sector requires carbon-intensive materials, such as steel, in the construction process and generates a large amount of waste in the life cycle. This causes global warming and waste problems. The demand for the reuse of construction materials is increasing, although it is not the convention, to reduce the environmental impact. Although the sustainable effect of the reuse of materials has been proven in several studies, materials are not always reused in practice, owing to the lack of an information system for reusable materials and the economic uncertainty. In this study, we propose a framework for designing structures using reusable steel beams. The design framework consists of a material bank and a design support tool. The material bank provides information on reusable materials based on the building information modeling. The design support tool generates efficient material procurement plans and provides information about the environmental and economic impact of the project. In a case study used to verify the framework, CO 2 emissions were reduced by up to 77% through material reuse, which was consistent with the results of previous studies. However, owing to the cost of processing reusable materials, the overall cost was found to increase by up to about 40%. Therefore, an economic analysis over the entire life cycle when using reusable materials needs to be done.