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Dr. Md. Uzzal Hossain
The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Sustainable buildings
0 LifeCycle Assessment
0 Sustainability in a built environment
0 Sustainable construction materials and products
0 Industrial ecology and circular economy

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Journal article
Published: 12 August 2021 in Sustainability
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The inconsistency caused by different life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods is a long-term challenge for the life cycle assessment (LCA) community. It is necessary to systematically analyze the differences caused by LCIA methods and facilitate the fair comparison of LCA results. This study proposes an effective method of conversion factors (CFs) for converting the results of 8 LCIA methods for 14 impact categories and then demonstrates its application in the construction sector. Correlation analyses of the datasets of construction materials are conducted to develop CFs for the impact categories. A set of conversion cards are devised to present the CFs and the associated correlation information for the LCIA methods. It is revealed that the differences between LCIA methods are largely caused by the characterization methods, rather than due to the metrics. A comparison based only on the same metrics but ignoring the underlying LCIA mechanisms is misleading. High correlations are observed for the impact categories of climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and resource depletion. The developed CFs and conversion cards can greatly help LCA practitioners in the fair comparison of LCA results from different LCIA methods. Case studies are conducted, and verify that by applying the CFs the seemingly incomparable results from different LCIA methods become comparable. The CF method addresses the inconsistency problem of LCIA methods in a practical manner and helps improve the comparability and reliability of LCA studies in the construction sector. Suggestions are provided for the further development of LCIA conversion factors.

ACS Style

Yahong Dong; Uzzal Hossain; Hongyang Li; Peng Liu. Developing Conversion Factors of LCIA Methods for Comparison of LCA Results in the Construction Sector. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9016 .

AMA Style

Yahong Dong, Uzzal Hossain, Hongyang Li, Peng Liu. Developing Conversion Factors of LCIA Methods for Comparison of LCA Results in the Construction Sector. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):9016.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yahong Dong; Uzzal Hossain; Hongyang Li; Peng Liu. 2021. "Developing Conversion Factors of LCIA Methods for Comparison of LCA Results in the Construction Sector." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 9016.

Journal article
Published: 27 July 2021 in Journal of Building Engineering
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As considerable amount of waste materials and by-products are generated from the urban and industrial production systems, efforts to utilize such materials resourcefully have received increasing attention in order to increase the use of recycled materials and reduce landfill disposal. In addition, construction products often induce significant environmental burden due to the use of emission-intensive materials. Therefore, continuous scientific efforts have been devoted in resource-efficient design with the incorporation of such secondary materials to help save the primary resources and reduce the environmental impacts. In this study, cement-free partition wall block is developed through a number of strategies, whereby emission-intensive Ordinary Portland cement is completely substituted by waste materials and supplementary cementitious materials, and this together with the use of recycled aggregates can make the blocks produced entirely based on secondary materials. The required mechanical performance of the blocks produced under different strategies is verified through laboratory tests. The carbon reduction potentials for such strategies are evaluated through the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique. The LCA results show that partition wall blocks produced with concrete slurry waste (CSW), fly ash and fine recycled concrete aggregates can reduce up to 82% of the total carbon emissions than other strategies. On the other hand, the reuse of CSW in the production of partition wall blocks can potentially save 80,000 m3 of landfill space and US$4 million of costs associated with landfill disposal in Hong Kong annually. To maximize the advantages of such secondary resources in partition wall blocks production, it is imperative to establish industrial symbiosis networks with relevant supply chain and to adopt the developed partition wall blocks widely in practice.

ACS Style

Uzzal Hossain; Dongxing Xuan; S. Thomas Ng; Ben Amor. Designing sustainable partition wall blocks using secondary materials: A life cycle assessment approach. Journal of Building Engineering 2021, 43, 103035 .

AMA Style

Uzzal Hossain, Dongxing Xuan, S. Thomas Ng, Ben Amor. Designing sustainable partition wall blocks using secondary materials: A life cycle assessment approach. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021; 43 ():103035.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Uzzal Hossain; Dongxing Xuan; S. Thomas Ng; Ben Amor. 2021. "Designing sustainable partition wall blocks using secondary materials: A life cycle assessment approach." Journal of Building Engineering 43, no. : 103035.

Review
Published: 28 March 2021 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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The circular economy (CE) concept has gained popularity among scholars and practitioners as the best way to circumvent the effects of the linear economy and create an effective platform to attain sustainable development within industries including the construction industry. However, understanding parameters of the knowledge body and key issues which needs to be harnessed to enhance the application of concept to the construction industry has been a challenge. In this study, a scientometric analysis was employed to analyze 486 bibliometrics-searched filtered articles of CE in the construction industry to provide a critical understanding of current research trends and applications. Content analysis of selected articles were provided to elucidate key findings, challenges, and proposed strategies, and a SWOT analysis was conducted to appraise the incidental results of applying various circularity strategies to the construction industry. The study has found that key influential areas such as circular product design, end-of-life consideration including the quality, economics, and modular integrated construction were narrowly covered in existing studies. Moreover, there is still a lack of practical CE approach which can integrate the holistic performance assessment tool with the circular business model for the construction industry. Based on the circularity gaps identified through the content analysis, a research framework which consists of eight different research themes including the circular design; manufacture and supply; strategies for CE adoption; consideration of end-of-life principle; CE outcomes/consequences; information exchanges; construction process; and waste management strategies is developed. In addition, a compressive methodological framework is proposed for the effective CE implementation and evaluation. The circularity gaps, key influential areas, research themes, and CE approach highlighted in this study can be used as a guide for future scholarly work and practical adoption of CE in the construction industry.

ACS Style

Prince Antwi-Afari; S. Thomas Ng; Uzzal Hossain. A review of the circularity gap in the construction industry through scientometric analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 298, 126870 .

AMA Style

Prince Antwi-Afari, S. Thomas Ng, Uzzal Hossain. A review of the circularity gap in the construction industry through scientometric analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021; 298 ():126870.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Prince Antwi-Afari; S. Thomas Ng; Uzzal Hossain. 2021. "A review of the circularity gap in the construction industry through scientometric analysis." Journal of Cleaner Production 298, no. : 126870.

Review
Published: 27 January 2021 in Sustainability
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Sustainable construction is widely regarded as one of the best decisions to reduce the environmental impact of the buildings. Numerous scientific efforts have been devoted to promoting sustainability by adopting different techniques such as life cycle assessment (LCA) and building information modeling (BIM). The recent circular economy (CE) agenda is prioritizing in different sectors including construction due to increasing concern on the materials efficiency and resources consumption. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the implications, considerations, contributions and challenges of BIM integrated LCA and the CE adoption in the industry by critically analyzing the recent literature. A scientometric analysis was applied to the selected studies to show the knowledge among BIM, LCA and CE relationships. With a comprehensive analysis of major challenges and opportunities of LCA and BIM for construction sustainability, key drivers for sustainable building design were identified and analyzed. A prospective integrated framework for CE adoption into BIM-based LCA of buildings and an evaluation method are proposed by analyzing the contemporary issues. It is believed that the analyzed critical issues, identified future research direction and proposed frameworks and this methodology should contribute to effective implementation of CE into the building for promoting sustainable construction.

ACS Style

Kai Xue; Uzzal Hossain; Meng Liu; Mingjun Ma; Yizhi Zhang; Mengqiang Hu; Xiaoyi Chen; Guangyu Cao. BIM Integrated LCA for Promoting Circular Economy towards Sustainable Construction: An Analytical Review. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1310 .

AMA Style

Kai Xue, Uzzal Hossain, Meng Liu, Mingjun Ma, Yizhi Zhang, Mengqiang Hu, Xiaoyi Chen, Guangyu Cao. BIM Integrated LCA for Promoting Circular Economy towards Sustainable Construction: An Analytical Review. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (3):1310.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kai Xue; Uzzal Hossain; Meng Liu; Mingjun Ma; Yizhi Zhang; Mengqiang Hu; Xiaoyi Chen; Guangyu Cao. 2021. "BIM Integrated LCA for Promoting Circular Economy towards Sustainable Construction: An Analytical Review." Sustainability 13, no. 3: 1310.

Review
Published: 17 September 2020 in Sustainable Cities and Society
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The integration of food-energy-water (FEW) sectors is essential for addressing the co-evolution of urban infrastructure systems during urban growth. But how these evolutionary pathways can affect an urban growth model is unclear. This review paper offers a synthesis of the current philosophy of a FEW nexus in connection with the realm of urban growth models (UGMs) to signify the paradigm collision and shift with interdisciplinary sustainability insights. Findings indicate that urban metabolism and urban ecology in relation to FEW sectors can be incorporated into UGMs with scales via multicriteria decision analysis as FEW technology hub integration can play a critical role in UGMs via a common cellular automata (CA) architecture for both model construction and solution procedure. Synergies between FEW sectors and CA-based UGMs as well as tradeoffs across FEW technology hub integration are highlighted to reflect the cascade effects and higher order impact on urban metabolism and urban ecology. This concept was confirmed with a case study in Miami, Florida, the United States for demonstration. Such synergistic framework is helpful for fostering more sustainable, green, smart, forward-looking, environmentally-sound, socially equitable, risk-informed, resilient, and cost-effective urban growth simulations. It is anticipated that the proposed hybrid FEW-CA-based UGMs can fully account for interactions of context- and culture-driven issues for multi-scale and multiagent urban planning and design in different countries.

ACS Style

Ni-Bin Chang; Uzzal Hossain; Andrea Valencia; Jiangxiao Qiu; Naim Kapucu. The role of food-energy-water nexus analyses in urban growth models for urban sustainability: A review of synergistic framework. Sustainable Cities and Society 2020, 63, 102486 .

AMA Style

Ni-Bin Chang, Uzzal Hossain, Andrea Valencia, Jiangxiao Qiu, Naim Kapucu. The role of food-energy-water nexus analyses in urban growth models for urban sustainability: A review of synergistic framework. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2020; 63 ():102486.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ni-Bin Chang; Uzzal Hossain; Andrea Valencia; Jiangxiao Qiu; Naim Kapucu. 2020. "The role of food-energy-water nexus analyses in urban growth models for urban sustainability: A review of synergistic framework." Sustainable Cities and Society 63, no. : 102486.

Journal article
Published: 20 July 2020 in Sustainability
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This study aimed to develop a deterministic decision-making mechanism for finding the optimum set of retrofit solutions of existing high-rise residential buildings in two different climatic zones of China. The retrofit solutions were critically examined with different energy saving targets based on the local climatic conditions, building features, and retrofit costs in cold and severe cold zones comparatively. By making the extensive review and analyzing considerable statistics data and cost information, net present value (NPV) method was employed in the prototype building apartments to develop this deterministic model. The results demonstrated that the heating system is the most important factor in saving energy and obtaining the optimum revenue in these two regions. The highest optimal NPV can be obtained by achieving 60% energy saving in the cold zone, as energy saving is around 319 kWh/m2/year with the total retrofit costs of USD $3560, while it is 281 kWh/m2/year with the total retrofit costs of USD $3480 to achieve the 50% energy-saving target in the severe cold zone. Based on the analysis of energy savings and retrofit costs, the results can be effectively implemented for the purpose of creating sustainable retrofits in existing buildings, and the model can be adapted for selecting appropriate retrofit choices in other climatic zones.

ACS Style

Qiong He; Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng; Godfried L. Augenbroe. Retrofitting High-Rise Residential Building in Cold and Severe Cold Zones of China—A Deterministic Decision-Making Mechanism. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5831 .

AMA Style

Qiong He, Uzzal Hossain, S. Thomas Ng, Godfried L. Augenbroe. Retrofitting High-Rise Residential Building in Cold and Severe Cold Zones of China—A Deterministic Decision-Making Mechanism. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (14):5831.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Qiong He; Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng; Godfried L. Augenbroe. 2020. "Retrofitting High-Rise Residential Building in Cold and Severe Cold Zones of China—A Deterministic Decision-Making Mechanism." Sustainability 12, no. 14: 5831.

Review article
Published: 13 June 2020 in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
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The circular economy (CE) concept has received increasing attention among different parties on various levels recently. Due to the concern on significant resources consumption in the construction industry without concerning the physical limit resources, a paradigm shift of linear economy to CE model is inevitable for conserving the resources and promoting the efficient use of resources. Adopting CE into the construction industry can promote the successful transition to sustainable construction. Although early stage of development in the construction industry, the scientific contribution of CE agenda in the construction industry is significantly increasing. Therefore, this review aimed to identity the implications, considerations, contributions and challenges of CE in the construction industry by systematically analyzing the recent literature. In addition to existing trends and considerations, this study highlighted the numerous challenges under design, materials selection, supply chain, business model, uncertainty and risk, collaborations among actions, knowledge of understanding, relevant policy, integration of urban metabolism, and methodology for CE evaluation. The study found that CE implementation into the case-specific building with full scale evaluation is yet to be conducted, and a comprehensive CE integration and methodology framework is yet to be developed. A prospective integrated framework for CE adoption and evaluation method is proposed by analyzing the contemporary issues. It is believed that the analyzed critical issues for CE adoption, identified future research direction, and proposed frameworks and methodology should help further development of CE research and contribution to effective implementation of CE into the industry for promoting sustainable construction.

ACS Style

Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng; Prince Antwi-Afari; Ben Amor. Circular economy and the construction industry: Existing trends, challenges and prospective framework for sustainable construction. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2020, 130, 109948 .

AMA Style

Uzzal Hossain, S. Thomas Ng, Prince Antwi-Afari, Ben Amor. Circular economy and the construction industry: Existing trends, challenges and prospective framework for sustainable construction. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2020; 130 ():109948.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng; Prince Antwi-Afari; Ben Amor. 2020. "Circular economy and the construction industry: Existing trends, challenges and prospective framework for sustainable construction." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 130, no. : 109948.

Journal article
Published: 09 June 2020 in Sustainability
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This study presents a data-driven retrofitting approach by systematically analyzing the energy performance of existing high-rise residential buildings using a normative calculation logic-based simulation method. To demonstrate the practicality of the approach, typical existing buildings in five climate zones of China are analyzed based on the local building characteristics and climatic conditions. The results show that the total energy consumption is 544 kWh/m2/year in the severe cold zone, which is slightly higher than that in the cold zone (519 kWh/m2/year), but double that in the hot summer and cold winter zone, three times higher than that in the warm zone, and five times above that in the temperate zone. The dominant energy needs in different climatic zones are distinctive. The identified potentially suitable retrofitting measures are important in reducing large-scale energy consumption and can be used in supporting sustainable retrofit decisions for existing high-rise residential buildings in different climatic zones.

ACS Style

Qiong He; S. Thomas Ng; Uzzal Hossain; Godfried L. Augenbroe. A Data-driven Approach for Sustainable Building Retrofit—A Case Study of Different Climate Zones in China. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4726 .

AMA Style

Qiong He, S. Thomas Ng, Uzzal Hossain, Godfried L. Augenbroe. A Data-driven Approach for Sustainable Building Retrofit—A Case Study of Different Climate Zones in China. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (11):4726.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Qiong He; S. Thomas Ng; Uzzal Hossain; Godfried L. Augenbroe. 2020. "A Data-driven Approach for Sustainable Building Retrofit—A Case Study of Different Climate Zones in China." Sustainability 12, no. 11: 4726.

Articles
Published: 12 May 2020 in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology
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The Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus for urban sustainability needs to be analyzed via an integrative rather than a sectoral or silo approach, reflecting the ongoing transition from separate infrastructure systems to an integrated social-ecological-infrastructure system. As technology hubs can provide food, energy, water resources via decentralized and/or centralized facilities, there is an acute need to optimize FEW infrastructures by considering cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs with respect to multiple sustainability indicators. This paper identifies, categorizes, and analyzes global trends with respect to contemporary FEW technology metrics that highlights the possible optimal integration of a broad spectrum of technology hubs for possible cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs. The challenges related to multiscale and multiagent modeling processes for the simulation of urban FEW systems were discussed with respect to the aspects of scaling-up, optimization process, and risk assessment. Our review reveals that this field is growing at a rapid pace and the previous selection of analytical methodologies, nexus criteria, and sustainability indicators largely depended on individual FEW nexus conditions disparately, and full-scale cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs were very rare. Therefore, the potential full-scale technology integration in three ongoing cases of urban FEW systems in Miami (the United States), Marseille (France), and Amsterdam (the Netherlands) were demonstrated in due purpose finally.

ACS Style

Ni-Bin Chang; Uzzal Hossain; Andrea Valencia; Jiangxiao Qiu; Qipeng P. Zheng; Lixing Gu; Mengnan Chen; Jia-Wei Lu; Ana Pires; Chelsea Kaandorp; Edo Abraham; Marie-Claire Ten Veldhuis; Nick van de Giesen; Bruno Molle; Severine Tomas; Nassim Ait-Mouheb; Deborah Dotta; Rémi Declercq; Martin Perrin; Léon Conradi; Geoffrey Molle. Integrative technology hubs for urban food-energy-water nexuses and cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs (II): Design strategies for urban sustainability. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 2020, 51, 1533 -1583.

AMA Style

Ni-Bin Chang, Uzzal Hossain, Andrea Valencia, Jiangxiao Qiu, Qipeng P. Zheng, Lixing Gu, Mengnan Chen, Jia-Wei Lu, Ana Pires, Chelsea Kaandorp, Edo Abraham, Marie-Claire Ten Veldhuis, Nick van de Giesen, Bruno Molle, Severine Tomas, Nassim Ait-Mouheb, Deborah Dotta, Rémi Declercq, Martin Perrin, Léon Conradi, Geoffrey Molle. Integrative technology hubs for urban food-energy-water nexuses and cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs (II): Design strategies for urban sustainability. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2020; 51 (14):1533-1583.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ni-Bin Chang; Uzzal Hossain; Andrea Valencia; Jiangxiao Qiu; Qipeng P. Zheng; Lixing Gu; Mengnan Chen; Jia-Wei Lu; Ana Pires; Chelsea Kaandorp; Edo Abraham; Marie-Claire Ten Veldhuis; Nick van de Giesen; Bruno Molle; Severine Tomas; Nassim Ait-Mouheb; Deborah Dotta; Rémi Declercq; Martin Perrin; Léon Conradi; Geoffrey Molle. 2020. "Integrative technology hubs for urban food-energy-water nexuses and cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs (II): Design strategies for urban sustainability." Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 51, no. 14: 1533-1583.

Articles
Published: 06 May 2020 in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology
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The Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus for urban sustainability needs to be analyzed via an integrative rather than a sectoral or silo approach, reflecting the ongoing transition from separate infrastructure systems to an integrated social-ecological-infrastructure system. As technology hubs can provide food, energy, water resources via decentralized and/or centralized facilities, there is an acute need to optimize FEW infrastructures by considering cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs with respect to multiple sustainability indicators. This paper identifies, categorizes, and analyzes global trends with respect to contemporary FEW technology metrics that highlights the possible optimal integration of a broad spectrum of technology hubs for possible cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs. The challenges related to multiscale and multiagent modeling processes for the simulation of urban FEW systems were discussed with respect to the aspects of scaling-up, optimization process, and risk assessment. Our review reveals that this field is growing at a rapid pace and the previous selection of analytical methodologies, nexus criteria, and sustainability indicators largely depended on individual FEW nexus conditions disparately, and full-scale cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs were very rare. Therefore, the potential full-scale technology integration in three ongoing cases of urban FEW systems in Miami (the United States), Marseille (France), and Amsterdam (the Netherlands) were demonstrated in due purpose finally.

ACS Style

Ni-Bin Chang; Uzzal Hossain; Andrea Valencia; Jiangxiao Qiu; Qipeng P. Zheng; Lixing Gu; Mengnan Chen; Jia-Wei Lu; Ana Pires; Chelsea Kaandorp; Edo Abraham; Marie-Claire Ten Veldhuis; Nick van de Giesen; Bruno Molle; Severine Tomas; Nassim Ait-Mouheb; Deborah Dotta; Rémi Declercq; Martin Perrin; Léon Conradi; Geoffrey Molle. Integrative technology hubs for urban food-energy-water nexuses and cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs (I): Global trend and technology metrics. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 2020, 51, 1397 -1442.

AMA Style

Ni-Bin Chang, Uzzal Hossain, Andrea Valencia, Jiangxiao Qiu, Qipeng P. Zheng, Lixing Gu, Mengnan Chen, Jia-Wei Lu, Ana Pires, Chelsea Kaandorp, Edo Abraham, Marie-Claire Ten Veldhuis, Nick van de Giesen, Bruno Molle, Severine Tomas, Nassim Ait-Mouheb, Deborah Dotta, Rémi Declercq, Martin Perrin, Léon Conradi, Geoffrey Molle. Integrative technology hubs for urban food-energy-water nexuses and cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs (I): Global trend and technology metrics. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2020; 51 (13):1397-1442.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ni-Bin Chang; Uzzal Hossain; Andrea Valencia; Jiangxiao Qiu; Qipeng P. Zheng; Lixing Gu; Mengnan Chen; Jia-Wei Lu; Ana Pires; Chelsea Kaandorp; Edo Abraham; Marie-Claire Ten Veldhuis; Nick van de Giesen; Bruno Molle; Severine Tomas; Nassim Ait-Mouheb; Deborah Dotta; Rémi Declercq; Martin Perrin; Léon Conradi; Geoffrey Molle. 2020. "Integrative technology hubs for urban food-energy-water nexuses and cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs (I): Global trend and technology metrics." Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 51, no. 13: 1397-1442.

Journal article
Published: 02 March 2020 in Journal of Environmental Management
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In recent years, considerable efforts have been devoted to minimizing the environmental consequences from building industry globally, as the industry is notorious for its significant resource consumption and environmental emissions. However, due to a lack of data representativeness in many parts of the world, considerable variations were observed among studies, and thus makes life cycle assessment (LCA) results difficult for the decision-making purpose. In addition, the selection of low impact materials and the management of end-of-life building waste are the most important concern. By considering several strategies including data representativeness, low carbon material, and end-of-life building waste management, this study aimed to enhance the accuracy of such assessment and sustainability performance of building. An integrated LCA framework is proposed for implementing those strategies through a case specific high-rise residential building in Hong Kong. Based on case-specific/regional data, carbon emission of building was evaluated with a cradle-to-construction system boundary with the functional unit of 1 m2 of gross floor area using the IMPACT 2002+ method, and then compared to that of selecting generic databases under different scenarios. The results demonstrate that the application of case-specific and generic data would significantly influence the outcomes of the case study, as the deviations of certain magnitudes were mostly derived from different building materials that it can lead to an underestimation of carbon emissions of up to 28%. Along with using alternative materials, the adoption of the proposed materials cycling and resource recovery approach at the end-of-life building could lead to a reduction of 14% of the total emissions (i.e. excluding the use and renovation of building). The results would support data selection for accuracy of evaluation which can be used as benchmark where recognized database is not available and promote sustainability performance of buildings locally, while the proposed framework could be adopted for comprehensive evaluation globally.

ACS Style

Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng. Strategies for enhancing the accuracy of evaluation and sustainability performance of building. Journal of Environmental Management 2020, 261, 110230 .

AMA Style

Uzzal Hossain, S. Thomas Ng. Strategies for enhancing the accuracy of evaluation and sustainability performance of building. Journal of Environmental Management. 2020; 261 ():110230.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng. 2020. "Strategies for enhancing the accuracy of evaluation and sustainability performance of building." Journal of Environmental Management 261, no. : 110230.

Journal article
Published: 17 November 2019 in Sustainability
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The building envelope plays a significant role in the energy performance of buildings and windows are a key element in transmitting heating and cooling between the indoor and outdoor environment, and hence an adequate window system is one of the most important retrofit strategies of existing buildings for energy conservation. Therefore, this study presents a method with a theoretical case study to examine the improvement of energy efficiency in a typical high-rise residential building through window retrofitting. A building energy design model in Designbuilder along with a building information modeling (BIM) model in Revit are developed, with 20 common potential glazing alternatives being analyzed to predict the potential energy savings in the same case building with identical orientation located in a variety of climate zones in China. Based on different parameters and considerations, the results demonstrated that the currently relatively expensive low-e window glazing has the best energy performance in all climate zones, but is sufficiently close to conventionally glazed windows in its energy efficiency to discourage its adoption at present, and that, instead, a single dark conventional glazed window is preferred in a hot summer/warm winter climate, double dark traditional glazing in a hot summer/cold winter climate, and a double clear conventional window in a cold climate. Based on the simulated results, an indicative suggestion was provided to select an adequate window system for residential building retrofitting in the studied climates or similar climatic regions.

ACS Style

Qiong He; S. Thomas Ng; Uzzal Hossain; Martin Skitmore. Energy-Efficient Window Retrofit for High-Rise Residential Buildings in Different Climatic Zones of China. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6473 .

AMA Style

Qiong He, S. Thomas Ng, Uzzal Hossain, Martin Skitmore. Energy-Efficient Window Retrofit for High-Rise Residential Buildings in Different Climatic Zones of China. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (22):6473.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Qiong He; S. Thomas Ng; Uzzal Hossain; Martin Skitmore. 2019. "Energy-Efficient Window Retrofit for High-Rise Residential Buildings in Different Climatic Zones of China." Sustainability 11, no. 22: 6473.

Journal article
Published: 15 May 2019 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Turning waste-to-resources is one of the key scientific interests in recent years, especially within industrial symbiosis networks in order to reduce the waste management problem and associated environmental consequences, improve materials efficiency and conserve natural resources. Considering global concern over fossil fuel burning and CO2 emission, engineered fuels are increasingly used in cement production. The techno-environmental feasibility of using post-consumer wood derived fuel (WDF) in practical application is rarely reported. This study comprehensively evaluated the process feasibility and environmental compliances of utilizing WDF as an alternative fuel in the co-combustion process. The results revealed that physical parameters of WDF met the required fuel standards, and the air emissions by continuous emission measurements also met the specified limits and comparable to the baseline. The stack emission parameters monitored including particulates, dioxin, mercury, cadmium and thallium, and other heavy metals were about 60%, 2%, 21%, 6% and 7% of the specified limits. In addition to significantly reducing CO2 emission (16% for using 20% WDF as co-fuel), the characteristics, of the flue gas as monitored by continuous emission monitoring and periodic stack emission at the cement plant, and the produced clinker quality were also not affected by the use of WDF. These have demonstrated the suitability of WDF as co-fuel for cement production.

ACS Style

Uzzal Hossain; Chi Sun Poon; Michael Yue Kwong Wong; Aung Khine. Techno-environmental feasibility of wood waste derived fuel for cement production. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 230, 663 -671.

AMA Style

Uzzal Hossain, Chi Sun Poon, Michael Yue Kwong Wong, Aung Khine. Techno-environmental feasibility of wood waste derived fuel for cement production. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 230 ():663-671.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Uzzal Hossain; Chi Sun Poon; Michael Yue Kwong Wong; Aung Khine. 2019. "Techno-environmental feasibility of wood waste derived fuel for cement production." Journal of Cleaner Production 230, no. : 663-671.

Journal article
Published: 04 March 2019 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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While the assessment of environmental impacts of different construction materials is widely studied globally, the development of robust mechanisms for material sourcing as an integral step to transit into a sustainable supply chain is still sparse. Integrating environmental performance into an industry level supply chain is indeed a challenging task due to the absence of standardized methodology. This paper presents a methodological approach for sustainable construction material sourcing by highlighting the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The proposed approach is then adopted to 12 case construction materials and products which are commonly used in to Hong Kong, and the hotspots for existing sourcing of the selected materials and products are identified while the GHG emissions are assessed based on their sourcing locations. Alternative scenarios for sourcing are identified based on a decision matrix developed according to this methodological approach. The results demonstrate that sustainable sourcing of the 12 selected materials and products by adopting the alternative scenarios can reduce 28% of the total GHG emissions compared to the base scenarios. As the scope of emission reduction for resource-scarce high-density city like Hong Kong is limited, sustainable sourcing of materials may significantly influence the emission reduction target of the construction industry. The proposed approach can help underpin sustainable sourcing of materials which can be effectively adopted in other regions to enhance the sustainability performance of the industry.

ACS Style

Uzzal Hossain; Ammar Sohail; S. Thomas Ng. Developing a GHG-based methodological approach to support the sourcing of sustainable construction materials and products. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2019, 145, 160 -169.

AMA Style

Uzzal Hossain, Ammar Sohail, S. Thomas Ng. Developing a GHG-based methodological approach to support the sourcing of sustainable construction materials and products. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2019; 145 ():160-169.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Uzzal Hossain; Ammar Sohail; S. Thomas Ng. 2019. "Developing a GHG-based methodological approach to support the sourcing of sustainable construction materials and products." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 145, no. : 160-169.

Journal article
Published: 22 November 2018 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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Buildings are responsible for a significant natural resources diminution and emissions to the environment. Thus, the building industry has become a global target for reducing environmental impacts and curbing resource depletion. Concerning the rapidly growth of buildings, life cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly used for assessing and mitigating the associated environmental impacts from material selection to the whole building systems. However, many of the previous studies have focused on the impacts assessment from buildings within a restricted system boundary, especially lack of consideration of several critical factors when assessing the whole building, such as wastage level of raw materials during building construction and the disposal impacts, renovation and replacement of components of building and their treatment, and waste treatments during building demolition. As the industry is shifting from linear to circular, the consideration of those factors are essential for ensuring waste reduction, resources recovery and resource-efficient construction, not to mention about increasing the accuracy of such assessment. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess the environmental impacts of the mentioned aspects at different life cycles of building by LCA. The results were then critically discussed after identifying the contribution of waste materials at different stages of building to the total impacts. The potential sustainable strategies for waste treatments during the construction, operation and end-of-life stages of building were then highlighted to help lay important foundation for adopting circular economy principle in the building industry and establishing benchmark for future reduction.

ACS Style

Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng. Influence of waste materials on buildings’ life cycle environmental impacts: Adopting resource recovery principle. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2018, 142, 10 -23.

AMA Style

Uzzal Hossain, S. Thomas Ng. Influence of waste materials on buildings’ life cycle environmental impacts: Adopting resource recovery principle. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2018; 142 ():10-23.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng. 2018. "Influence of waste materials on buildings’ life cycle environmental impacts: Adopting resource recovery principle." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 142, no. : 10-23.

Conference paper
Published: 08 November 2018 in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering
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This study aims to evaluate the carbon footprint of concrete blocks prepared with local recycled waste materials derived from Changsha using life cycle assessment (LCA) technique. The local life cycle inventory was developed for conducting case-specific assessment of concrete blocks prepared with recycled aggregates (RA) sourced from a local construction and demolition (C&D) waste. The result is also compared with concrete blocks made by natural aggregates (NA). The results show that greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions related to the production of RA were 3 kg CO2 eq., which is 57% lower than the production of NA. However, the adoption of RA in concrete blocks production induced higher GHGs emissions than NA concrete blocks due to higher amount of cement was needed to achieve a same required mechanical strength. Guidelines to further design and develop sustainable green concrete blocks prepared with RA to meet the mechanical requirements based on the current situation in Changsha city has also been highlighted.

ACS Style

Yi Liu; Uzzal Hossain; Tung-Chai Ling. Carbon footprint of block prepared with recycled aggregate: a case study in China. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 2018, 431, 032009 .

AMA Style

Yi Liu, Uzzal Hossain, Tung-Chai Ling. Carbon footprint of block prepared with recycled aggregate: a case study in China. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. 2018; 431 (3):032009.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yi Liu; Uzzal Hossain; Tung-Chai Ling. 2018. "Carbon footprint of block prepared with recycled aggregate: a case study in China." IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 431, no. 3: 032009.

Journal article
Published: 02 November 2018 in Carbon Management
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ACS Style

Yuan Chen; S. Thomas Ng; Uzzal Hossain. Approach to establish carbon emission benchmarking for construction materials. Carbon Management 2018, 9, 587 -604.

AMA Style

Yuan Chen, S. Thomas Ng, Uzzal Hossain. Approach to establish carbon emission benchmarking for construction materials. Carbon Management. 2018; 9 (6):587-604.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yuan Chen; S. Thomas Ng; Uzzal Hossain. 2018. "Approach to establish carbon emission benchmarking for construction materials." Carbon Management 9, no. 6: 587-604.

Journal article
Published: 23 October 2018 in Buildings
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Despite the fact that many novel initiatives have been put forward to reduce the carbon emissions of buildings, there is still a lack of comprehensive investigation in analyzing a buildings’ life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially in high-density cities. In addition, no studies have made attempt to evaluate GHG emissions by considering the whole life cycle of buildings in Hong Kong. Knowledge of localized emission at different stages is critical, as the emission varies greatly in different regions. Without a reliable emission level of buildings, it is difficult to determine which aspects can reduce the life cycle GHG emissions. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the life cycle GHG emissions of buildings by considering “cradle-to-grave” system boundary, with a case-specific high-rise residential housing block as a representative public housing development in Hong Kong. The results demonstrated that the life cycle GHG emission of the case residential building was 4980 kg CO2e/m2. The analysis showed that the majority (over 86%) of the emission resulted from the use phase of the building including renovation. The results and analysis presented in this study can help the relevant parties in designing low carbon and sustainable residential development in the future.

ACS Style

Stephen Y. C. Yim; S. Thomas Ng; M. U. Hossain; James M. W. Wong. Comprehensive Evaluation of Carbon Emissions for the Development of High-Rise Residential Building. Buildings 2018, 8, 147 .

AMA Style

Stephen Y. C. Yim, S. Thomas Ng, M. U. Hossain, James M. W. Wong. Comprehensive Evaluation of Carbon Emissions for the Development of High-Rise Residential Building. Buildings. 2018; 8 (11):147.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stephen Y. C. Yim; S. Thomas Ng; M. U. Hossain; James M. W. Wong. 2018. "Comprehensive Evaluation of Carbon Emissions for the Development of High-Rise Residential Building." Buildings 8, no. 11: 147.

Review article
Published: 03 October 2018 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Waste timber formwork from construction sites was used as fibre to prepare wood-magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) board. The effect of wood fibre content, pulverized fly ash (PFA) and incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA) on the mechanical and durability properties of wood-MOC board was investigated. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission, one of the representative and most globally concerned environmental impacts, for the production of different types of composite boards was assessed and compared by using lifecycle assessment (LCA) technique. The ‘cradle-to-gate’ system boundary with 1 kg of board production was considered as the functional unit in this assessment. The result showed that the wood-MOC composites prepared with a higher content of wood fibre had a lower thermal conductivity, higher flexural strength, higher residual flexural strength after exposure to high temperatures and water immersion, and better noise reduction effect. Even though the water absorption was increased with the increase of wood fibre content, it can still be considered to be low. The wood -MOC composites incorporating ISSA showed higher flexural strength, better high temperature resistance and better water resistance than other composites. In addition, the production of the wood MOC board induces lower GHGs emission than plywood and lower human toxicity than conventional resin-based particleboard.

ACS Style

Pingping He; Uzzal Hossain; Chi Sun Poon; Dan Tsang. Mechanical, durability and environmental aspects of magnesium oxychloride cement boards incorporating waste wood. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 207, 391 -399.

AMA Style

Pingping He, Uzzal Hossain, Chi Sun Poon, Dan Tsang. Mechanical, durability and environmental aspects of magnesium oxychloride cement boards incorporating waste wood. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 207 ():391-399.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pingping He; Uzzal Hossain; Chi Sun Poon; Dan Tsang. 2018. "Mechanical, durability and environmental aspects of magnesium oxychloride cement boards incorporating waste wood." Journal of Cleaner Production 207, no. : 391-399.

Journal article
Published: 18 September 2018 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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A rapid development of building environmental research from the globe is witnessed in recent years to deal with the environmental issues, especially in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions, due to the substantial environmental burdens associated with the building industry. Thus, numerous scientific efforts have been devoted to buildings through environmental assessment like a life cycle assessment (LCA) and a methodological framework development. Concerning the rapid growth of buildings, LCA is increasingly used for assessing and mitigating the associated environmental impacts from material selection to the whole building systems. This study aims to comprehensively review the LCA implication on buildings by discussing the contemporary issues related to the development of this research field. The study considers a wide range of literature including case studies, reviews and surveys, and these articles are critically examined according to the predefined criteria developed. An in-depth analysis is also conducted on selected studies to unveil the criticality of the assessments and results under different considerations. In addition to demonstrating the research gaps for comprehensive assessment of buildings, the adoption of a circular economy (CE) concept is highlighted by providing a comprehensive framework. The findings show that resource recovery and resource-efficient building construction are seldom considered in prevailing studies. As a result, the framework proposed in this paper should help support a paradigm shift towards a comprehensive research for increasing the accuracy and practicability by introducing the CE principle to the building industry for enhancing its sustainability performance.

ACS Style

Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng. Critical consideration of buildings' environmental impact assessment towards adoption of circular economy: An analytical review. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 205, 763 -780.

AMA Style

Uzzal Hossain, S. Thomas Ng. Critical consideration of buildings' environmental impact assessment towards adoption of circular economy: An analytical review. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 205 ():763-780.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Uzzal Hossain; S. Thomas Ng. 2018. "Critical consideration of buildings' environmental impact assessment towards adoption of circular economy: An analytical review." Journal of Cleaner Production 205, no. : 763-780.