A Low Embodied Carbon Approach of Kaohsiung House Project

To achieve the 2050 net-zero goal in Taiwan, the Kaohsiung City government has committed to achieve a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The Kaohsiung House Project was initiated in 2014 to enhance the sustainability and living quality of private residential buildings across the Kaohsiung city. The project offered incentives such as additional floor area for incorporating green building features, including vertical greenery, renewable energy systems, and universal design elements. However, the scope was limited to operational carbon reduction (i.e., energy conservation), and the embodied carbon reduction was not included in the Kaohsiung House Project. As a result, the structure system design plays the most important role in reducing embodied carbon, and the LEBR rating can rise from 1 to 3 levels via material changes. Changing the interior floor from ceramic tile to stone and changing the concrete framework from wood to metal will increase the construction cost. Using low-carbon concrete and changing interior walls didn’t show a significant difference in construction cost. Changing the exterior finishing from ceramic tile to painting will reduce the cost and embodied carbon.