Lu Aye, Bamford, N, Charters, WWS & Robinson, J 2002, 'The carbon footprint of a new commercial building', Environmental & Economic Sustainability – Cost Engineering Down Under, 3rd World Congress on Cost Engineering, Project Management and Quantity Surveying, ICEC Melbourne 2002, 14-18 April 2002, Grand Hyatt Melbourne, pp. 1-12.

Abstract

Commercial buildings are significant users of energy. The resultant greenhouse gas emissions in carbon dioxide equivalent is quantified in order to assess how it may be absorbed by forest creation, the chosen method of the Australian Government in addressing its Greenhouse protocol targets. With the aim of neutral greenhouse gas emission to the upper atmosphere, a ratio of built floor area to forest acreage is established. It was found that considerable areas of forest would be required to achieve a neutral balance in construction of a typical new commercial building.

Keywords: Greenhouse gas, carbon footprint, commercial building, energy, forest