Embodied energy and carbon footprint of two storied refuge space with lightweight load bearing panels

Abstract

With the effects of climate change, natural disasters are becoming more severe and frequent. Disaster resistant structures play a vital role in preventing loss of lives and damage to the belongings. A suitable material that could resist the forces of nature needs to be selected to ensure safety while reducing the adverse effects on the environment. Turning waste material into raw material is welcomed as the scarcity of natural resources and disposal of waste are becoming major issues nowadays. Such a method of replacing coarse aggregate with 100% recycled Expanded-polystyrene (EPS) is the production of lightweight concrete wall panels. A new trend of lightweight panels can be widely seen as partitions in reinforced concrete frame buildings. Incorporating these panels as a loadbearing element would lead to a drastic change in the industry. Hence a detailed study has been carried out to find out the properties of EPS panels with respect to embodied energy and carbon footprint. A comparative study has been conducted between two-storied refuge space with lightweight load-bearing panels and conventional materials such as cement blocks and fired clay bricks, through which the potential of lightweight wall panels as load-bearing walls for a two-storied refuge space is assessed.