Life cycle carbon-footprint calculation methods for detachable wooden cabins in the western Sichuan pastoral regions
As a critical building typology in the fragile ecosystem of the western Sichuan pastoral regions, detachable buildings generate substantial carbon emissions throughout their life cycle, yet standardized assessment frameworks remain lacking. This study focuses on the widely utilized detachable wooden cabins in these areas, developing an innovative carbon emission model based on a life cycle assessment methodology tailored to detachable building structures. The model encompasses four phases: materialization, operation, circulation, and demolition and recycling. It reveals spatiotemporal distribution patterns of carbon emissions in detachable buildings and identifies the primary contributing phases. The results indicate that the life cycle carbon emissions of the modular wooden cabins amount to 172 tons of CO2eq. Due to the building’s service lifespan and the impact of biomass energy combustion on the plateau, the operational phase contributes a predominant 81.68% of total emissions. The materialization phase, influenced by cross-altitude material transportation, accounts for 10.28%, while the demolition and recycling phases represent 5.67%. Compared to conventional buildings, the lightweight yet high-strength detachable structure exhibits a unique transportation phase contribution of merely 2.38%, demonstrating no significant impact on overall life cycle carbon intensity. The detachable wooden cabins showcase substantial carbon reduction potential through lightweight design, modular configuration, and photovoltaic-enhanced energy systems, providing methodological references and practical insights for low-carbon design and assessment of detachable buildings in ecologically sensitive regions.
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