Architecture Engineers Award

Material selection is a critical determinant of sustainability in building design, requiring careful balance between structural performance and environmental impact. Conventional Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows often separate structural analysis from embodied carbon assessment, limiting the ability to efficiently explore design alternatives. This study introduces the Structural-Carbon Integrated Design (SCID) framework as a unified approach to address this challenge. Limitations of Conventional BIM-Based Design Approaches Traditional BIM workflows typically evaluate structural stability and environmental performance in isolation, resulting in fragmented decision-making and increased computational effort. Such separation restricts rapid comparison of material strategies, particularly during early design stages when design flexibility and impact reduction potential are highest. Development of the SCID Framework The SCID framework integrates structural performance evalu...

Material selection is a central challenge in sustainable building design, particularly for high-rise structures where structural safety and environmental performance often conflict. Conventional Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows typically separate structural analysis from environmental assessment, making it difficult to evaluate trade-offs efficiently during early design stages. This study addresses this gap by introducing an integrated methodology that simultaneously evaluates structural stability and embodied carbon, enabling informed, performance-driven material decisions. Limitations of Conventional BIM-Based Design Approaches Traditional BIM workflows treat structural performance and environmental impact as parallel but disconnected processes. This separation restricts designers’ ability to iteratively explore material combinations and geometric variations, especially when assessing low-carbon alternatives. As a result, design teams may overlook optimal hybrid solut...

  The construction sector is undergoing a paradigm shift as it faces increasing pressure to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly those linked to upfront embodied carbon. With operational emissions gradually decreasing due to grid decarbonization, the focus has shifted toward emissions from materials and construction activities. Prefabrication has emerged as a promising approach to tackle this challenge, but its benefits remain underexplored due to the absence of reliable benchmarks and frameworks. This research introduces a BIM-integrated carbon accounting framework designed to address this gap, providing new insights into the sustainability of prefabricated steel-framed buildings. Significance of Embodied Carbon in Prefabricated Construction Embodied carbon has become a critical research area in architecture and construction, given its growing contribution to the built environment’s carbon footprint. While prefabrication offers clear advantages in reducing on-site ...