Quantitative assessment of the embodied environmental profile of building materials

An environmental impact assessment model was developed for building materials based on the life cycle assessment methodology. The embodied environmental profiles of cement, steel, and flat glass were analyzed, including the direct impact of raw materials extraction, transport, and the production of building materials, and indirect impacts such as energy generation and consumption. The model takes the potential environmental impact burden and resource consumption indicator as the parameters to measure the environmental effect of building materials. The assessment results show that the embodied environmental effect of steel is the most, flat glass the next, and cement the least per ton, which can be used to assess the life cycle environmental impact of construction projects and help the stakeholders to make decision.