Embodied Energy, CO2e, and Construction Cost of Indian Housing: Model of Low-Rise versus High-Rise Development
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 3
Abstract
There has been a good deal of discussion over the most sustainable model for development of housing in India. Planners discuss the advantages of low-rise versus high-rise development in terms of energy and cost efficiency. Shortage and high cost of land has been a justification for high-rise development. In this paper, mixed housing (EWS, LIG, MIG, and HIG), from 1 to 30 stories, has been analyzed at a city level for a fixed population for embodied energy, construction cost, and potential for CO2e sequestration. The inference drawn from this exercise is that low-rise (1–4 stories) load-bearing development is energy and cost efficient and can accommodate the maximum number of housing units in about 4% of the land area in a city. High-rise development is 194% and 17.5% more than low-rise in terms of embodied energy and construction cost, respectively. It is also found that 100% of CO2e can be sequestered by planting trees in available open areas in low-rise developments compared with 57% in high-rise development (30-story). Further, high-rise development results in only marginal increase in open areas after four stories. Hence, high-rise development is neither sustainable nor cost effective.
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Acknowledgments
Authors are thankful and acknowledge support and help provided by Mrs. Manju Safaya, Ex Executive Director (Design Wing) HUDCO, New Delhi, India, for permitting us to use housing data of HUDCO for carrying out this research. Authors are also thankful to Dr. Shailesh Kr Agarwal, Executive Director, Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), New Delhi, India, and Ms. Yashika Bansal, student of B. Design, FDDI, Noida, India, for constant encouragement, proof checking, and help in analyzing data used and critical comments during this study.
Limitation of This Study
Built-up areas of housing units with fixed carpet areas of 25 m2 (EWS) is available in literature, from 1- to 30-story development, whereas no such data is available for housing units of the LIG, MIG, or HIG category to understand increase in built-up areas along with increase in number of stories. Similarly, embodied energy of different housing units in different stories of high-rise is not available for Indian housing. Hence, data is derived in this study for built-up areas and embodied energy in different stories, to understand the trend of increase of embodied energy and open areas in low-rise and high-rise development. More such types of models must be studied further, as results may vary depending upon designs, local factors, and construction materials/practices.
Future Works
This is a very interesting exercise, as all types of housing, that is, EWS, LIG, MIG, and HIG, at a city level has been analyzed in a 1–30-story model for embodied energy, construction cost, built areas, and open areas. Carbon footprints have been calculated story-wise, to find CO2 sequestration potential by planting trees in available open areas. However operational and recurring energy is not considered in this exercise, which might also be considered in future work. Few more types of housing designs may also be analyzed to find a pattern of increase in built-up areas, story-wise, for more understanding of low-rise–high-rise development.
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Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 3 • September 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 2, 2020
Accepted: Mar 24, 2021
Published online: May 25, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Oct 25, 2021
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