Material quantities of foundation systems in building structures

Abstract

There are three major areas in which buildings consume energy: (1) energy consumption from operational processes, such as heating and electricity, (2) energy from building material production and supply, and (3) energy from design and construction processes. In recent years, improved operational energy efficiency has shifted the framework for quantifying a building's energy consumption to a total life-cycle approach, which includes energy consumed in the design and construction phases, also known as the embodied energy. Researchers and industry professionals are in the early stages of developing methods and metrics to quantify embodied energy of buildings, particularly focused on building superstructure. To date, no extensive studies have been performed on the material quantities of foundation systems in building structures or their environmental impact. This thesis answers the key question: "How much do foundation systems contribute to the overall material quantities of buildings, and do foundation systems significantly contribute to the overall embodied energy?" Two methods are used to address these questions. First, an analysis was performed on a survey of building materials using a database of embodied energy recently developed at MIT. The database contains information on material quantities of foundation systems from 200 actual buildings. Second, a case study was analyzed in an attempt to evaluate gaps in the database. Ultimately this thesis is intended to provide preliminary benchmarks for material quantities and embodied energy of foundation systems in buildings. The findings in this study show that foundation systems contribute approximately 25% to a building's total weight and contribute nearly the same percent to the building's overall embodied energy. In addition it provides architects, engineers, contractors, and building owners with information related to the sustainability of building structures.