Decision-making tool for the assessment and selection of construction processes based on environmental criteria: Application to precast and cast-in-situ alternatives

This paper presents a quantitative environmental impact assessment tool for the decision making of construction processes including structures, infrastructures and buildings by means of an Environmental Impact Index (EII) to be applied at design and/or construction stages. The research is based on m...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Casanovas Rubio, Maria del Mar|||0000-0001-5265-9606, Ramos Schneider, Gonzalo|||0000-0002-7263-8471
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/108540
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/108540
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.07.035
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Decision-making
Building--Environmental aspects
Building management
Environmental impact
Decision-making tool
Construction work
Construction processes
Resources
Indicators
Construcció -- Gestió
Construcció -- Aspectes ambientals
Decisió, Presa de
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Edificació
Descripción
Sumario:This paper presents a quantitative environmental impact assessment tool for the decision making of construction processes including structures, infrastructures and buildings by means of an Environmental Impact Index (EII) to be applied at design and/or construction stages. The research is based on multi-attribute utility theory, interviews with experts representatives of the different stakeholders in construction, and an analysis of fifty-nine European and Spanish environmental legislative acts. The resulting tool was applied to two construction alternatives for road drains (one precast and one cast-in-place). The findings show that the tool enables the prioritisation of construction processes and the selection of the best alternative in terms of environmental impact and that the results are stable to reasonable weight variations. The tool contributes to decision making in the context of project management in construction: it can help professionals in public administration, and design and construction companies. It helps to quantify the cradle-to-gate impact of construction work, which has usually been less studied than the operational impact in the life-cycle assessment of buildings. The tool is being piloted in construction projects of the Barcelona City Council.