Integrating life-cycle environmental impact and costs into geotechnical design

Abstract

Construction and infrastructure projects account for a large share of global greenhouse gas emissions. Included in these projects are geotechnical engineering works, which cause environmental impact and costs throughout their life cycle. In the geotechnical design process, the geotechnical engineer often has design choices where different methods and materials can be used. If assessments of environmental impact and costs were to be integrated into the geotechnical design process, the geotechnical work could be made more sustainable. As a result of this, there is a need for research on integrating the assessments of environmental impact and costs in the geotechnical design process. This paper, therefore, presents a methodology showing how life-cycle assessment and life-cycle cost analysis could be integrated into the geotechnical design process. The presented methodology is then illustrated in a practical example for assessing the climate impact and costs of high-speed railway embankment fill methods.