Comparative Study of Cradle-to-Gate Carbon Emissions from Steel and Concrete Structures of Bangladeshi Industrial Projects

Sustainable practice is necessary for the construction industry's environmental impact, particularly carbon footprint. A "cradle-to-gate" Life Cycle Assessment of the embodied carbon emissions of two structural systems, steel and reinforced concrete, is presented for an industrial building in Bangladesh. By quantifying these emissions through BIM modeling and emission factor databases, the analysis shows that steel-framed structures have a significantly higher carbon footprint than their concrete alternatives, mainly because of the energy-intensive steel production processes. Emissions from raw material extraction, transportation, and manufacturing stages are detailed and assessed. The results show that steel structures produce 60% more embodied carbon than reinforced concrete counterparts, primarily due to raw material emissions, with other emissions from aluminum and rebar in both systems. These findings provide a basis for construction material selection and highlight the need for low-carbon approaches to reduce the sector's carbon footprint in rapidly urbanizing areas like Bangladesh. Further research should extend to the end-of-life impacts and more localized emission data to continue to refine sustainable construction strategies.