Sustainable construction process : using construction virtual prototyping technology for visualization and simulation of CO₂emissions

Abstract

The construction industry has been criticized as one of the major greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters and a relatively unregulated sector in the management of carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. As the pressure on climate change related risks is mounting, a major cut in carbon emissions and other diesel emissions, like carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂), from construction operations is becoming a top priority if construction firms are to meet increasingly stringent emission controls. However, efforts for reducing these emissions still remain minimal, for the reasons that (1) a lack of awareness and concerns to estimate and manage emissions from on-site equipment usage, and (2) a lack of innovative techniques and monitoring methods to properly and quickly communicate the emissions with construction progress. Therefore, in order to minimize construction emissions, this study describes a 4D framework to estimate and simulate construction equipment emissions. This study adopts the construction virtual prototyping (CVP) technologies and mixed reality (MR) to establish an emission prediction and simulation tool. The estimated emissions of the construction operations for each activity is calculated, tabulated and plotted to visually demonstrate the emission rates side by side with the integrated 4D models of the construction project. The virtual prototype (VP)-based model allows project teams to visualize the predicted emissions at different times in the construction processes, identify the emission peaks, and allow the project team to take proactive measures against potential emissions. The application of mixed reality (MR) in the management of construction emission also provides an interactive experience of the on-site emission control. Finally, a real-life public housing construction project in Hong Kong is adopted to demonstrate the application of the emission prediction visualization tool. Through the simulation process, it is hoped that this tool can encourage the construction industry practitioners to become environmentally conscious and pro-active in carbon mitigation measurements.