Xu, Yuqing (2025) Enhancing reliability and efficiency of upfront embodied carbon assessment leveraging openbim, llm, DES, and blockchain. PhD thesis, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong.
Abstract
The building and construction industry faces mounting pressure to reduce its environmental impact, particularly regarding upfront embodied carbon, which is the greenhouse gas emissions associated with building materials and construction processes before operation. As climate policies increasingly target decarbonization of the built environment, accurate and efficient assessment of upfront embodied carbon, spanning both "Cradle-to-Gate" and "Cradle-to-Site" boundaries at product and project levels, has become essential. However, traditional upfront embodied carbon assessment methods are typically manual, repetitive, and error-prone, while emerging digital tools such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and simulation software remain fragmented and poorly integrated. In addition to these efficiency challenges, the field also suffers from a reliability gap due to the absence of transparent carbon footprints and inadequate traceability mechanisms in current certification schemes. These limitations make it difficult for stakeholders to make informed low-carbon decisions during early project stages.This research aims to address both the reliability and efficiency challenges of UEC assessment through three main contributions:(1) enhancing reliability of product-level "Cradle-to-Gate" assessment via a blockchain-based framework (GPChain) with data privacy preservation and access control for carbon certification schemes of construction materials and products;(2) enhancing efficiency of project-level "Cradle-to-Gate" assessment through an automated openBIM-based approach that integrates a ductwork knowledge graph with a large language model (LLM) multi-agent system for carbon-aware assessment; and(3) enhancing efficiency of project-level "Cradle-to-Site" assessment by developing an automated openBIM-based discrete event simulation (DES) modeling workflow, including ontology design, BIM data verification, and IFC-to-XML conversion tools for simulation automation.Experimental validation across all three components demonstrates the feasibility, scalability, and high performance of the proposed methods. The results confirm their potential to significantly improve the reliability and efficiency of upfront embodied carbon assessment workflows and have received positive feedback from industry stakeholders, marking a step forward toward smarter, more trustworthy carbon management in construction.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Cheng, Jack Chin Pang |
| Index terms: | modelling, construction industry, automation, blockchain, construction material, building material, built environment, access control, conversion, efficiency, building information modelling, carbon footprint, discrete event simulation, climate policy, workflow, boundaries, construction process, greenhouse gas emission, multi-agent system, privacy, environmental impact, validation, large language model, face, ontology, embodied carbon, traceability, certification |
| Subjects: | environmental impact, climate policy, operations management, psychology, analytical methods, property law, manufacturing engineering, automation and robotics, building construction, professional ethics, computing systems, modelling and simulation, building materials, supplier oversight, artificial intelligence, data science, performance management, management, education and knowledge transfer, professional development, environmental health, information systems, industry analysis, administrative processes, infrastructure and transport systems |
| Topics: | Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Digital Applications, Urban Studies, Design Practice, Organizational Design, Site Management, Contract Administration, Engineering Principles, Sustainability, Supply Chain Management, Quality Management, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here