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The benefits of modern method of construction based on wood in the context of sustainability

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Abstract

The construction industry is a major consumer of material and energy resources. Global developments in construction give sustainability a crucial role in overall healthy functioning of society as well as the whole environment. Modern methods of construction represent a response to the sustainability trend, since they bring faster construction and better environmental, energy and economic parameters. The aim of this article is to analyse and evaluate the benefits of modern methods of construction in the form of prefabricated panel wood construction (PWC). With the aid of a case study, certain environmental and economic parameters of PWC on the one hand and traditional masonry construction from ceramic bricks on the other hand will be studied and compared. The environmental evaluation of building material composition was conducted by means of the ‘Cradle to Gate’ model within the LCA method. The parameters in question will be studied in terms of embodied energy, global warming potential and acidification potential. The economic parameters to be analysed include construction time, construction costs and particularly the environmental burden caused by transport of materials to the building site. The submitted experimental study and its results should help break barriers sustained by traditional technologies and point towards healthier and more environmentally friendly alternatives in construction processes.

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Acknowledgements

The article presents a partial research result of the VEGA project—1/0677/14 ‘Research on Construction Efficiency Improvement through MMC Technologies’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Construction Technology and Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, Vysokoskolska 4, 042 00, Kosice, Slovak Republic

    J. Švajlenka, M. Kozlovská & M. Spišáková

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  1. J. Švajlenka
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  2. M. Kozlovská
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  3. M. Spišáková
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Correspondence to J. Švajlenka.

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Editorial responsibility: T.Y. Wu.

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Švajlenka, J., Kozlovská, M. & Spišáková, M. The benefits of modern method of construction based on wood in the context of sustainability. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 14, 1591–1602 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1282-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1282-6

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