Summary

Buildings contribute significantly to carbon emissions over their life cycle. Hong Kong has the highest population density in the world, with high-rise residential blocks the norm. The Hong Kong government has adopted a prefabrication strategy involving the use of two-dimensional (2D) panelized systems for all public housing developments, and recently began promoting three-dimensional (3D) modular integrated construction (MiC) to enhance productivity and competitiveness. However, there is a lack of systematic understanding of modular buildings’ embodied carbon. The aims of the proposed project are to examine the extent to which the use of innovative 3D MiC can reduce the embodied carbon emissions of high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong compared with the traditional 2D panelized system and to optimize the modular method to achieve maximum embodied carbon emission reduction.