Embodied carbon costs of prefabricated substation buildings

Abstract Exploring the economic impacts of embodied carbon emissions is significant for achieving sustainable development in construction projects. However, the quantitative assessment of carbon costs in prefabricated buildings remains lacking. Therefore, this study proposes a method to assess the embodied carbon costs of prefabricated building projects. First, this method clarifies the boundary scope of embodied carbon. After obtaining the PCXML bill of quantities through building information modeling (BIM), it quantifies embodied carbon emissions. Then, the corresponding damage carbon costs are calculated through a monetary valuation model (ReCiPe). Finally, interpretation and optimizations are carried out. In the case study of a prefabricated substation, its embodied carbon costs are concentrated in the raw material production stage (74.4%), while using renewable concrete and renewable steel bars can reduce carbon costs by 21.6%. The case results also show that embodied carbon emissions exacerbate human malnutrition, and its carbon cost ranks first among various damages (42.7%). By evaluating the embodied carbon costs of prefabricated substations, this study helps project stakeholders comprehensively understand the external diseconomy of carbon emissions.