Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-27-2025

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This article is the author's final published version in Sustainability (Switzerland), Volume 17, Issue 15, 2025, Article number 6830.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156830. Copyright © 2025 by the authors.

Abstract

As the construction industry continues to evolve, energy consumption of buildings, particularly CO2 emissions, has become a critical focus for sustainable development. The need for effective design decisions regarding the selection of materials throughout the project life cycle is apparent, yet the link between specifications and CO2 emissions has not been set yet. This study presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of CO2 emissions across various Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) categories, aiming to identify the carbon footprint of different building systems and materials. The methodology focuses on using 3D building model case studies to evaluate the design decisions versus their impact on global warming potential (GWP). The results of this study emphasize that within CSI categories, concrete divisions consistently emerge as the predominant contributors to GWP, exceeding 75% in several instances. Following closely, metals contribute approximately 50% in multiple projects. The study also explores sustainable design options across CSI divisions to provide insights into building components contributing most to a building’s overall carbon footprint. This deeper understanding of sustainable design principles regarding CSI divisions and their impact on carbon footprint reduction will help sustainable designers and construction managers to implement carbon-conscious material choices and design strategies early in the planning phase.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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Language

English

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