Sustainability evaluation of buildings in pre-use phase using figure of merit as a new tool

Built Environment has significant impact on natural environment and construction industry plays a vital role in sustainability assessment. Assessing the overall energy impact during pre-use phases of a building has been neglected at large. Three critical attributes namely; Construction materials, embodied energy and global warming interact with each other resulting in a complex interaction phenomena. This phenomenon can be simplified as:I1-Interaction between Construction Materials and Embodied Energy; I2-Embodied Energy and Global Warming; I3- Global warming and Construction materials. The three interactions result in the net outcome of a Sustainability Development Index (SDI). A new SDI is presented using the concept of Figure of Merit (FoM). This is an exclusive non dimensional parameter, accounting for two engineering properties viz., modulus of elasticity and density, and two construction industry cost stimulants. The proposed SDI model is a comprehensive energy assessment model that integrates FoM with other energy indicators and allows expressing sustainability level of a building in percentage. SDI model discussed here is a preventive approach rather than curative approach and can be applied to all building typologies. Case Study Project (CSP) undertaken is found to have a sustainability level of 56.25% compared to a benchmark project whose low energy values are considered as base values. The investigation also indicates that SDI percentage is conservative by about 10% as compared to sustainability level computed using embodied energy analysis. Prior knowledge about building's sustainability level during pre-use stage helps in adopting strategies to reduce global warming using alternative materials and technologies.