An Investigation into the Role of the Building Structure on Energy Use & CO₂ Emissions over the Life Cycle of a Medium-Rise Residential Building

The shift towards Nearly Zero Energy Building (Nearly-ZEB) construction represents an attempt by the construction industry to limit the global warming potential of the sector. An investigation was carried out on how the structural frame of a low energy, residential, medium rise building is expected to affect energy use over the life cycle of the building. The feasibility of incorporating sustainable design constraints at the preliminary design is also assessed through the use of computer modelling and simulation methods. The findings of this paper show that by implementing simulation and knowledge management software, a life cycle approach to building construction can be adopted from the design conception stage. Results show that the building structure can influence life cycle energy use and carbon emissions. This information will provide an element of design control regarding environmental performance to Engineers across Europe from the early stages of the project.