Designing for climate neutrality: evaluation of reinforced-concrete slab systems in regard to emission reduction targets
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Date
2024-07-20
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Abstract
To tackle the emergencies of climate change, Germany has pledged to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045. In the context of such commitment, the German Committee for Structural Concrete (DAfStb) – a German expert body for structural concrete – has been developing a technical guideline, which proposes a set of annual reduction targets (by means of reduction classes) for limiting the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of structural systems. Previous research work suggests that opportunities for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions are higher during early design stages. However, the complexity that is typically involved in early decisions means that designing for reduced, or even minimal, emissions without loss of structural performance remains challenging for design practices. While the introduction of emission reduction targets for structural systems is a positive initiative for the promotion of more sustainable concrete construction, it might bring new and unexpected impacts for design practices. In this paper, the introduction of the emission reduction targets proposed in the new DAfStb guideline are investigated and their implications to practitioners are discussed. To this, two commonly-designed floor slab systems are evaluated in the context of a typical office/ residential multi-storey building by varying the design approach as well as the span width, loading conditions, concrete strength classes and cement compositions. The findings suggest that the combination of CO2-efficient cements with optimised design approaches offers the largest potential for emissions savings and enables longer target-compliant spans widths. Nonetheless, from 2030 onwards, the use of more conventional slab systems, as cast-in-situ slabs, for long span widths might become challenging. While reframing conventional practices might be required, opportunities for the introduction of innovative materials and solutions might emerge.
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Reinforced concrete floor slabs, Greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, Sustainable structural design, Sustainable materials, Climate neutrality