DEVELOPING A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR PRELIMINARY SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT OF EMERGING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

Abstract

The construction industry is undergoing a profound transformation driven by concerns about sustainability, particularly the environmental impact of the materials used. Researchers are seeking to address such adverse impacts by introducing new sustainable construction materials; however, such emerging materials often lack clear criteria by which to verify claims about their sustainability. Traditional methods, including life cycle assessment (LCA), are comprehensive but present challenges, particularly in the early stages of development, in terms of information availability, complexity, and high resource requirements. In an attempt to mitigate these gaps, this paper proposes a simple framework for preliminary sustainability assessment of emerging construction materials, providing an accessible and easy-to-use tool for assessing sustainability claims. The three dimensions of this framework, environmental responsibility, economic viability, and social equity, provide a balanced view and identify key areas for assessment, including carbon footprint, embodied energy, resource efficiency, pollution management, life cycle cost, recyclability, market competitiveness, health and safety concerns, jobs, and societal benefits. By linking theoretical frameworks of sustainability to practice, such a scheme enables early sustainability assessments, and in effect, fosters responsible innovation.