Embodied carbon of long span roofs

When faced with the challenge of long span roofs, designers define the structural system primarily based on the span they have to cover and spatial properties they aim to achieve. Other considerations such as acoustic, thermal and fire efficiency come to play an important role. In addition the environmental impact in terms of embodied carbon is rarely taken into account in the design process.

This paper offers a methodology for evaluating the embodied carbon of iconic long span roofs. Embodied carbon includes all lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) in a “cradle-to-site” perspective, from the extraction and manufacture of materials and components to the construction of the overall structure.

Therefore the spatial, structural and environmental challenges of recent steel structures spanning more than 40 m are compared. Case studies include airport terminals such as Madrid-Barajas Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, and Beijing International Airport, or train and bus stations such as the Qingdaobei North Railway Station, Shanghai Train Station, Wuhan Station, Gare de Lyon Railway Station and Gare de Montpelier-Saint-Roch. These cases are investigated and a methodology to assess the embodied carbon of long-span roof design is developed.