Mechanical carbon emission assessment during prefabricated building deconstruction based on BIM and multi-objective optimization

Abstract

Abstract Machinery operation is a major source of carbon emissions in building deconstruction. Early intervention through Design for Deconstruction (DfD) is crucial for emission reduction, yet the factors influencing these emissions are underexplored. This study integrates parametric BIM with multi-objective optimization (MOO) to assess mechanical carbon emissions in deconstruction. Using the Octopus solver in Grasshopper for Rhino, the study analyzes independent variables—possible working hours (PWH), vertical speed (VS), and horizontal speed (HS)—and dependent variables—minimum mechanical carbon emissions (MCE (min)), minimum deconstruction period (DP (min)), and maximum working efficiency (WE (max)). A lightweight steel roof truss structure is analyzed, comparing real-world deconstruction with optimized DfD schemes. Sensitivity analysis for BIM-MOO optimized results reveal that: (1) Adjusting PWH, VS, and HS significantly affects WE and DP, though with limited impact on carbon emissions; (2) VS influences WE and DP more than HS; (3) Limiting DP is essential for balancing WE, DP, and MCE, with WE adjusted to 20–60% and modifications to PWH and VS achieving balanced management. This study underscores the importance of early design and real-time adjustments for efficient, low-emission deconstruction, supporting the advancement of green building practices.

Keywords

• Mechanical carbon emission assessment
• Prefabricated building deconstruction
• Design for deconstruction
• Building information modelling (BIM)
• Multi-objective optimization
• Sensitivity analysis