Kibwami, N and Tutesigensi, A (2015) Exploring the potential of accounting for embodied carbon emissions in building projects in Uganda. In: Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (eds.) Proceedings of 31st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2015, Lincoln, UK.
Abstract
With the well-known impacts that the building sector has on the environment, accounting for embodied carbon (EC) emissions in building projects is emerging as an important consideration in project development approval processes. National and international initiatives on accounting for EC have been registered and in some countries, accounting for EC has been made mandatory. However, largely, the potential of accounting for EC is yet to be fully realised due to the prevailing limited integration of EC in building projects. In this paper, the potential of accounting for EC in the building sector in Uganda is explored using a two-stage approach. The first stage comprised of three steps: process discovery – to document prevailing practices; process modelling – to create an as-is system representing prevailing practices, and verification – using semi-structured interviews to ascertain whether the as-is system had been created correctly. The second stage comprised of two steps: analysis and process modelling. Analysis involved drawing evidence from the literature and the verified practices, in order to identify opportunities of introducing EC accounting. Through process modelling, a new (to-be) system incorporating EC was then created. Results from the verification step showed that the prevailing practices had been modelled correctly, further confirming the absence of EC accounting in the referenced context. Analyses revealed that incorporating EC accounting in building projects is plausible but should largely consider national circumstances, such as development approval processes. The overall findings shed more light on the increasingly appreciated phenomenon of accounting for EC in building projects. It is hoped that this work can remind, and at the same time, inform construction management practice and policy of the responsibilities the building sector has towards promoting sustainable construction.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | embodied carbon; process modelling; sustainable construction; Uganda |
| Index terms: | interview, approval, embodied carbon, process modelling, sustainable construction, drawing, integration, management practice, evidence, project development, accounting, Uganda |
| Subjects: | economic analysis, project delivery, technical documentation, design analysis, environmental impact, contractual role, evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods, organizational analysis, Geography, sustainable construction, management |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Business Strategy, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Contract Administration, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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