Precast concrete has been widely adopted in public
housing construction of Hong Kong since the mid-1980s. While
pre-casting is considered an environmental friendly solution, there is
lack of study to investigate the life cycle performance of precast
concrete units. This study aims to bridge the knowledge gap by
providing a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) study for two
precast elements namely façade and bathroom. The results show that
raw material is the most significant contributor of environmental
impact accounting for about 90% to the total impact. Furthermore,
human health is more affected by the production of precast concrete
than the ecosystems.
[1] M. Anson, Y. Chiang, E. C. M. Hui, P. T. I. Lam, S. W. K. Mak, H. Ng,
and E. X. T. Yin, "An Annual Report of the Construction Industry of
China Hong Kong," 2009.
[2] L. Jaillon and C. Poon, "Sustainable construction aspects of using
prefabrication in dense urban environment: a Hong Kong case study,"
Construction Management and Economics, vol. 26, pp. 953-966, 2008.
[3] A. Baldwin, C. S. Poon, L. Y. Shen, S. Austin, and I. Wong, "Designing
out waste in high-rise residential buildings: Analysis of precasting
methods and traditional construction," Renewable Energy, vol. 34, pp.
2067-2073, 2009.
[4] Y. H. Chiang, E. Hon-Wan Chan, and L. Ka-Leung Lok, "Prefabrication
and barriers to entryÔÇöa case study of public housing and institutional
buildings in Hong Kong," Habitat International, vol. 30, pp. 482-499,
2006.
[5] L. Jaillon and C. Poon, "The evolution of prefabricated residential
building systems in Hong Kong: A review of the public and the private
sector," Automation in Construction, vol. 18, pp. 239-248, 2009.
[6] F. Wong and Y. Tang, "Comparative Embodied Carbon Analysis of the
Prefabrication Elements compared with In-situ Elements in Residential
Building Development of Hong Kong."
[7] V. W. Y. Tam, C. Tam, S. Zeng, and W. C. Y. Ng, "Towards adoption of
prefabrication in construction," Building and Environment, vol. 42, pp.
3642-3654, 2007.
[8] ISO, "ISO 14040 International Standard. In: Environmental Management
- Life Cycle Assessment - Principles and Framework," ed. Geneva,
Switzerland: International Organisation for Standardization, 2006.
[9] V. Hocenski, Z. Hocenski, and S. Vasilic, "Application of results of
ceramic tiles life cycle assessment due to energy savings and environment
protection," presented at the IEEE International Conference on Industrial
Technology, 2006, Mumbai, 2006.
[10] M. Goedkoop, R. Heijungs, M. Huijbregts, A. De Schryver, J. Struijs, and
R. van Zelm, "ReCiPe 2008, A life cycle impact assessment method which
comprises harmonised category indicators at the midpoint and the
endpoint level", 2009.
[1] M. Anson, Y. Chiang, E. C. M. Hui, P. T. I. Lam, S. W. K. Mak, H. Ng,
and E. X. T. Yin, "An Annual Report of the Construction Industry of
China Hong Kong," 2009.
[2] L. Jaillon and C. Poon, "Sustainable construction aspects of using
prefabrication in dense urban environment: a Hong Kong case study,"
Construction Management and Economics, vol. 26, pp. 953-966, 2008.
[3] A. Baldwin, C. S. Poon, L. Y. Shen, S. Austin, and I. Wong, "Designing
out waste in high-rise residential buildings: Analysis of precasting
methods and traditional construction," Renewable Energy, vol. 34, pp.
2067-2073, 2009.
[4] Y. H. Chiang, E. Hon-Wan Chan, and L. Ka-Leung Lok, "Prefabrication
and barriers to entryÔÇöa case study of public housing and institutional
buildings in Hong Kong," Habitat International, vol. 30, pp. 482-499,
2006.
[5] L. Jaillon and C. Poon, "The evolution of prefabricated residential
building systems in Hong Kong: A review of the public and the private
sector," Automation in Construction, vol. 18, pp. 239-248, 2009.
[6] F. Wong and Y. Tang, "Comparative Embodied Carbon Analysis of the
Prefabrication Elements compared with In-situ Elements in Residential
Building Development of Hong Kong."
[7] V. W. Y. Tam, C. Tam, S. Zeng, and W. C. Y. Ng, "Towards adoption of
prefabrication in construction," Building and Environment, vol. 42, pp.
3642-3654, 2007.
[8] ISO, "ISO 14040 International Standard. In: Environmental Management
- Life Cycle Assessment - Principles and Framework," ed. Geneva,
Switzerland: International Organisation for Standardization, 2006.
[9] V. Hocenski, Z. Hocenski, and S. Vasilic, "Application of results of
ceramic tiles life cycle assessment due to energy savings and environment
protection," presented at the IEEE International Conference on Industrial
Technology, 2006, Mumbai, 2006.
[10] M. Goedkoop, R. Heijungs, M. Huijbregts, A. De Schryver, J. Struijs, and
R. van Zelm, "ReCiPe 2008, A life cycle impact assessment method which
comprises harmonised category indicators at the midpoint and the
endpoint level", 2009.
@article{"International Journal of Architectural, Civil and Construction Sciences:59844", author = "Ya Hong Dong and Conrad T.C. Wong and S. Thomas Ng and James M.W. Wong", title = "Life Cycle Assessment of Precast Concrete Units", abstract = "Precast concrete has been widely adopted in public
housing construction of Hong Kong since the mid-1980s. While
pre-casting is considered an environmental friendly solution, there is
lack of study to investigate the life cycle performance of precast
concrete units. This study aims to bridge the knowledge gap by
providing a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) study for two
precast elements namely façade and bathroom. The results show that
raw material is the most significant contributor of environmental
impact accounting for about 90% to the total impact. Furthermore,
human health is more affected by the production of precast concrete
than the ecosystems.", keywords = "Environment, green, LCA, LCIA, precast.", volume = "7", number = "3", pages = "249-6", }