Embodied carbon dioxide as a design tool – a case study

Abstract

Embodied carbon dioxide is increasingly being used to measure the sustainability of a building’s structure. With reference to the West Kowloon terminus in Hong Kong, this paper outlines how estimates of embodied carbon dioxide were used as a design tool to develop structural options, and how embodied carbon dioxide data were incorporated within building information modelling processes. It proposes that embodied-carbon accounting be used alongside quantity surveying to determine the out-turn cost of a building, and recommends clients estimate embodied carbon dioxide on recently completed projects to help establish benchmarks.