Embodied and Operational CO₂ Emissions of the Elementary School Buildings in Different Climate Zones

Life cycle CO₂ emissions (LCCEs) including embodied and operational CO₂ emissions (ECEs and OCEs) should be comprehensively understood for establishing strategies for reducing CO₂ emissions of buildings. Meanwhile, as the climate has a huge impact on building energy consumption, ECEs and OCEs should be investigated considering the climate. This study investigated the relation between ECEs and OCEs of buildings in different climate zones by conducting life cycle assessment and statistical analysis of 39 elementary school buildings in South Korea. As a result, the climate zone was determined to be the significant influence factors. The mean values of ECEs, OCEs, and LCCEs in central region were 611, 2,81 7, and 3,428 kg-CO₂/m², respectively, and those in southern region were 620, 1,652, and 2,273 kg-CO₂/m². The OCEs in central region was significantly higher than that in southern region, but the ECEs was not. In particular, ECEs and OCEs had a significant inverse correlation in central region but not in southern region. The results indicate that different strategies should be established depending on the climate zone. For instance, the thermal insulation levels should be further strengthened to reduce OCEs in central region compared to those of southern region.