Journal of Science, Technology and Society is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal dedicated to advancing research the field of science, technology, and society. The journal provides a rapid publication process to ensure wide dissemination of high-quality articles to scientists, professionals, and interested individuals worldwide. Our goal is to serve as an efficient, reliable, and trusted platform for scholars and readers, publishing cutting-edge research in the field.
Abstract: The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for early-stage building design is often limited by inconsistent material naming, manual classification, and time-consuming carbon calculations. Existing BIM-LCA approaches typically focus on structural components such as concrete and steel, while non-structural elements including partitions, finishes, and insulation remain underexplored despite their potential contribution to total embodied carbon. This study presents a semi-automated BIM-LCA workflow for whole-building embodied carbon assessment during cradle-to-gate (A1–A3) stages, developed in accordance with EN 15978:2011 and ISO 14040:2006. The workflow integrates automated material name cleaning, keyword-based classification with priority logic, and embedded density and emission factor assignment within a unified Excel-based framework using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). A five-story office building modelled in Autodesk Revit at Level of Development (LOD) 300 serves as the case study, with material quantities extracted from the BIM model and processed through the VBA-based classification system; density values were obtained from the Engineering ToolBox and emission factors from the ICE Database Version 3.0. The workflow reduces manual processing time from 74.8 minutes to 4.5 minutes (94% reduction) through rule-based material classification and automated emission factor assignment. Results indicate that metal-related materials contribute 82% of total embodied carbon, with metal stud framing alone accounting for 81.6% due to its extensive use in partition walls across all five floors. Pareto analysis further confirms this concentration, with the top five materials responsible for over 94% of total embodied carbon, demonstrating that a small number of materials can dominate a building's embodied carbon profile. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for non-structural elements, frequently overlooked in conventional BIM-LCA assessments. The proposed method enables early-stage low-carbon design decisions without requiring specialized LCA expertise, offering a transparent, non-proprietary alternative to commercial BIM-LCA tools adaptable to different building typologies through modification of the keyword-based classification system.Abstract: The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for early-stage building design is often limited by inconsistent material naming, manual classification, and time-consuming carbon calculations. Existing BIM-LCA approaches typically focus on structural components such as concrete and steel, while non-structural...Learn More
Abstract: This paper adopts non-human narrative theory as the primary research perspective, exploring how Ted Chiang's short story The Great Silence breaks through the traditional anthropocentric discourse model through non-human narration. In the story, the Puerto Rican parrot serves as the first-person narrator, placing the animal—originally an object of observation—at the center of the narrative. Firstly, the parrot functions as the narrative voice of the entire text, becoming the narrative subject. Secondly, as a non-human observer, it creates an effect of reversed perspective, transforming humans from observers into observed subjects, thereby revealing the limitations of human cognition in understanding others. Finally, the story juxtaposes the "silence" of the universe with the gradual disappearance of non-human voices on Earth through the parrot's endangered situation, making species extinction not only a biological loss but also the vanishing of a unique memory and culture. By incorporating "the voices of animals" into the text and making them the narrative subject through non-human narration, The Great Silence reflects on anthropocentrism and offers a new narrative perspective for human understanding of non-human life.
Abstract: This paper adopts non-human narrative theory as the primary research perspective, exploring how Ted Chiang's short story The Great Silence breaks through the traditional anthropocentric discourse model through non-human narration. In the story, the Puerto Rican parrot serves as the first-person narrator, placing the animal—originally an object of o...Learn More
