Browsing by Author "Tam VWY"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Carbon footprint accounting of prefabricated buildings: A circular economy perspective
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024-06-15) Li CZ; Tam VWY; Lai X; Zhou Y; Guo S
    Prefabricated buildings have gained significant attention as a solution for reducing carbon footprint in the construction industry. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive accounting approach tailored to the construction features of prefabricated buildings. To address this issue, this study develops a framework to account the life-cycle carbon footprint of prefabricated buildings within the circular economy principles. The developed framework is applied to a prefabricated building in Chengdu, China, revealing that a significant carbon footprint is attributed to the material production and transportation stages. Moreover, an uncertainty analysis is conducted based on Data Quality Indicator evaluation method and Monte Carlo Simulation to validate the accounting framework, and a minor deviation of 0.085 % between the uncertain and calculated values validates the proposed accounting framework. Furthermore, key processes to mitigate the carbon footprint are identified. The results show that cast-in-place concrete is a key process at the construction materials level. Building upon these findings, this study offers recommendations on accurately and efficiently accounting the carbon footprint of prefabricated buildings. The research findings contribute to fostering the accounting of the life-cycle carbon footprint for prefabricated buildings, establishing a theoretical and empirical basis for circular economy implementation in prefabricated buildings, and offering insights for making informed carbon emission reduction decisions in prefabricated buildings.
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    Developing a multi-objective optimization model for improving building's environmental performance over the whole design process
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2023-12-01) Zhou Y; Tam VWY; Le KN
    This study is built upon two previous articles which focus on identifying the key design variables affecting the life-cycle environmental impacts in each design stage of the building design process. This research aims to investigate the trade-offs between embodied and operational impacts and explore potential reduction in the total environmental impacts of a building by varying the identified design variables in each stage of the design process. A multi-objective optimization model based on BIM and LCA integration has been developed to find out the design solution with the optimal trade-offs between the embodied and operational impacts and the option with the minimal environmental impacts. Applying the proposed model to a mid-rise residential building, the results showed that the design process has the potential to lower the environmental impacts of the building by approximately 47.6 %. Moreover, the potential for reducing carbon emissions is greater in the early design stages, with the potential to lower emissions by up to 32.5 %, compared to the lower emission reduction potential of approximately 7.5 % in the detailed and construction design stages. Furthermore, solutions aimed at addressing the trade-off between embodied and operational impacts were identified in each design stage. The study provides an insight into the understanding of how building design can be optimized to mitigate environmental impacts.
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    Lean construction management: A catalyst for evaluating and enhancing prefabricated building project performance in China
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024-10-01) Li CZ; Tam VWY; Hu M; Zhou Y
    The development of prefabricated construction in China has encountered challenges that prevent it from fully realizing its potential advantages. To overcome the challenges, this research examines the implementation of lean construction management in prefabricated building projects as a strategic approach to enhance their performance. Initially, this study examines the casual links between the driving factors of lean construction management and the performance indicators in prefabricated buildings by employing a structural equation model. Moreover, a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is used to assess the performance of a selected prefabricated building across the four dimensions: project schedule, quality, cost and safety. Furthermore, through the analysis and research above, this paper proposes a performance enhancement path for prefabricated building projects based on the key driving factors of lean construction management. The research identifies 23 driving factors and 16 performance indicators. 13 key driving factors are identified, including (1) accurate positioning and lean evaluation of the project, (2) identification of project product market demand, (3) modular collaborative design of the project implementation plan, (4) component production plant standardization, (5) production procurement costs reduction, (6) distance and cost of component transportation reduction, (7) lean transportation program plan, (8) construction and assembly costs reduction and waste elimination, (9) modular parallel construction, (10) lean construction assembly technology and management technology, (11) internal performance incentive mechanism of the project organization, (12) lean culture cultivation and lean management training, and (13) support from senior management. In addition, this research proposes a performance enhancement path for prefabricated buildings. The findings contribute to the theoretical knowledge of lean construction management in prefabricated building projects and offer valuable guidance for its practical implementation.
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    Life Cycle Assessment of the Environmental Impacts of Virgin Concrete Replacement by CO2 Concrete in a Residential Building
    (Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd, 2023-01-01) Ma M; Zhou Y; Tam VWY; Le KN; Duan W; Zhang L; Shah SP
    Concrete is one of the most consumed materials in construction, with 25 billion tons produced globally per year.