Assessment and quantification of the environmental impacts arising from different steel-concrete composite floor systems
Building use
Office building
Country/Region
All Regions
Overview
The research was aimed at understanding the environmental implications of different composite floor systems, including a pre-fabricated dry-bound solution that promotes the possibility to disassemble, sort and reuse the various components at the end of the building life. Despite this is a unconventional research (not really aimed at material R&D) it was decided to include it in the database to show the relevance of Environmental matters in Europe.
Issue and/or innovation
To magnify the positive environmental effects of the pre-fabricated dry-bound solution, the time span of the study is extended to 100 years, imagining that, after 50 years, the designed building is dismantled and re-built in a different location. Also the non-demountable solutions are demolished, their materials sorted, recycled and the benefits deriving from the recycling of steel and the downcycling of concrete are considered. Unlike normal LCA analysis, the benefits deriving from the module D of the LCA as per the standard EN15978, are here included in the calculations.
Technical details
This research focuses on an assessment and quantification of the environmental impacts arising from different steel-concrete composite floor systems. In particular, a demountable composite floor system using pre-tensioned high-strength friction grip bolts as shear connectors is compared with three conventional composite floor systems that use welded shear studs as shear connectors. The first type promotes the end-of-life scenario of disassembly and reuse of structural elements, while the conventional systems are related to the current practices of waste management for building materials, i.e. demolition and recycling. To analyze these different structural systems and relative scenarios, a comparative Life Cycle Assessment investigating two entire life cycles of the materials is developed. Based on the evaluation of several impact categories, the building with demountable composite floor system is identified as the most environmentally friendly solution among all the considered structural solutions, and the saving of emissions and resources is quantified for each impact category.
The functional unit of the LCA analysis is an office building, 13.5 m wide and 48 m long. The building has 4 floors with an inter-story height of 3.5m. The composite floor systems are designed to cover a 6x6m span in one bay and 6×7.5m span in the second bay. Floors span on the shorter distance. 4 different composite floors have been tested: a pre-tensioned high strength Friction-Grips (HSFGB) connected to steel beam to the pre-cast solid concrete slabs; a conventional composite floor with steel beams and metal decking (in this case a secondary beam was added), acting compositely with welded shear studs; a precast hollow core system laying on steel beam, acting compositely with welded shear studs; pre-cast solid slab on steal beams, acting compositely with welded shear studs.
References / Technical Papers Content
Brambilla G. Lavagna M, Vasdravellis G, Castiglioni C. A. , “Environmental benefits arising from demountable steel-concrete composite floor systems in buildings”, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 141, 2019, Pages 133-142, ISSN 0921-3449, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.10.014.
Categories
Building, Floor (slab)