Operational Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction Benefits of Concrete MiC Building’s Envelope

Modular integrated Construction (MiC) is an off-site construction method of the highest level and has been fast developed to meet the demand for fast, low-cost and eco-friendly construction. As the construction industry is the main contributor to global energy consumption and carbon emissions, MiC has great potential to improve its thermal and energy performance through better envelope design. However, fewer existing papers study the environmental performance of MiC during the operational phase, especially for concrete MiC. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the environmental performance of MiC during the operation phase through a case study of a real project and a comparative LCA analysis. The simulation modeling was calibrated and validated with real-time measurement readings. The temporal and spatial variations of the indoor thermal environment were analyzed. Finally, the energy consumption was simulated and a whole-life-cycle assessment was conducted, to provide a holistic quantitative energy saving and carbon reduction analysis for MiC compared to normal prefabricated construction. This research can help to improve the envelope design guidance of MiC and the resulting environmental performance.