Sustainable Construction Practices: Integrating Renewable Energy for Carbon Footprint Reduction

Abstract

The construction sector is a major contributor to resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the importance of adopting sustainable practices to meet environmental and climate goals. However, current assessments often underestimate impacts because of narrow system boundaries and insufficiently localized material inventory data, creating a critical research gap in accurately evaluating building sustainability. This study therefore applies to a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework to evaluate the environmental performance of key construction materials and to investigate strategies for integrating circular design and renewable energy to reduce carbon footprints. The results reveal that medium-term environmental impacts are approximately 20–30% higher than previously reported, while the Global Warming Potential of conventional brick increases by about 23% when additional life-cycle stages are considered. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrates that design-for-disassembly and recycling-oriented approaches can significantly enhance material recovery and reduce waste. These findings imply that developing harmonized, region-specific material databases and promoting circular construction alongside renewable energy integration are essential for improving LCA accuracy and achieving meaningful reductions in the environmental footprint of buildings.