Characteristics and Reduction of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions during the Construction of Urban Parks in South Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the carbon dioxide emissions produced by each type of landscape construction required for each urban park design theme in South Korea and mitigation measures. This study obtained data from four urban park construction projects in South Korea and calculated the amount of carbon dioxide generated during the construction phase using the Tier 2 method based on the amount of construction machinery used according to Korean construction standards. The results show that the three cases beginning after 2020 generated about 1.0 tCO2 of carbon dioxide per 100 m2. In each case, mechanized construction accounted for more than 60% of the total trees planted, and more than 50% of the carbon dioxide was generated in constructing forest-themed parks. Transplanting trees in their natural state emitted at least 2.5 times and up to 9.6 times more carbon dioxide than planting new trees. Pavement construction generated about 340 to 390 tCO2, and block pavement construction generated about 20 to 70 tCO2 per 100 m2 more than pavement constructed by the wet construction method. Based on these results, in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the first step should be to reduce the planting and transplanting of large trees, as this involves a high workload in terms of construction machinery at the design stage, and in the long term, it will be necessary to lead the “landscape of time” through the growth of plant materials. Second, the workload of construction machinery should be improved to induce carbon dioxide reductions through the revision of the Standard Unit Productivity Data on Construction Projects, and it is necessary to refer to past standards. Third, it may be desirable to use wet pavement, but there is a need to improve the sectional detail of block pavement to reduce mechanized work.