Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of modular construction: a US case study of a prototype housing unit.
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| Title: | Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of modular construction: a US case study of a prototype housing unit. |
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| Authors: | Nguyen, Tran Duong1 (AUTHOR) dnguyen458@gatech.edu, Pishdad, Pardis1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Environmental Engineering & Science. 2026, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p116-136. 21p. |
| Subjects: | Modular construction, Product life cycle assessment, Industrialized building, Sustainable construction, Greenhouse gases, Construction industry, Ecological impact, Housing |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | The construction industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and waste generation. Modular construction (MC), which involves prefabricating building components off-site and assembling them on-site, has emerged as a promising strategy to reduce project time, cost, and environmental impacts. However, there is still limited comparative life cycle data available when measuring against traditional construction (TC). This study evaluates the environmental performance of MC versus TC in the United States through life cycle assessment (LCA). A mixed-methods approach combines a literature review with a comparative case study analyzed through BIM-integrated LCA tools. Results indicate that MC can achieve up to 54% lower embodied carbon per square foot and 45% lower emissions per kilogram of material, mainly due to efficient material use, prefabrication, and minimized on-site waste. Controlled factory-based production also enhances optimization and reduces environmental burdens during the construction process. These benefits, alongside faster project delivery, position MC as a viable pathway toward sustainable construction, particularly for affordable housing and post-disaster recovery. Key limitations include data variability and the restricted scope of current LCA datasets, highlighting the need for broader, multi-regional studies and diverse building typologies to strengthen future assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Environmental Engineering & Science is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 193367866 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of modular construction: a US case study of a prototype housing unit. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nguyen%2C+Tran+Duong%22">Nguyen, Tran Duong</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> dnguyen458@gatech.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pishdad%2C+Pardis%22">Pishdad, Pardis</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Environmental+Engineering+%26+Science%22">Journal of Environmental Engineering & Science</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p116-136. 21p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Modular+construction%22">Modular construction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Product+life+cycle+assessment%22">Product life cycle assessment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Industrialized+building%22">Industrialized building</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sustainable+construction%22">Sustainable construction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Greenhouse+gases%22">Greenhouse gases</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Construction+industry%22">Construction industry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ecological+impact%22">Ecological impact</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Housing%22">Housing</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The construction industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and waste generation. Modular construction (MC), which involves prefabricating building components off-site and assembling them on-site, has emerged as a promising strategy to reduce project time, cost, and environmental impacts. However, there is still limited comparative life cycle data available when measuring against traditional construction (TC). This study evaluates the environmental performance of MC versus TC in the United States through life cycle assessment (LCA). A mixed-methods approach combines a literature review with a comparative case study analyzed through BIM-integrated LCA tools. Results indicate that MC can achieve up to 54% lower embodied carbon per square foot and 45% lower emissions per kilogram of material, mainly due to efficient material use, prefabrication, and minimized on-site waste. Controlled factory-based production also enhances optimization and reduces environmental burdens during the construction process. These benefits, alongside faster project delivery, position MC as a viable pathway toward sustainable construction, particularly for affordable housing and post-disaster recovery. Key limitations include data variability and the restricted scope of current LCA datasets, highlighting the need for broader, multi-regional studies and diverse building typologies to strengthen future assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Environmental Engineering & Science is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 21 StartPage: 116 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Modular construction Type: general – SubjectFull: Product life cycle assessment Type: general – SubjectFull: Industrialized building Type: general – SubjectFull: Sustainable construction Type: general – SubjectFull: Greenhouse gases Type: general – SubjectFull: Construction industry Type: general – SubjectFull: Ecological impact Type: general – SubjectFull: Housing Type: general – SubjectFull: United States Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of modular construction: a US case study of a prototype housing unit. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Nguyen, Tran Duong – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Pishdad, Pardis IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Text: 2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 14962551 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 21 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Environmental Engineering & Science Type: main |
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