Strategic Environmental Assessment of Concrete Tunnel Form Building in Iran: A Multi-Criteria Analysis Approach

Concrete tunnel form building (CTFB) is a construction method that has several advantages over conventional methods, such as faster construction, lower cost, higher quality, and better seismic performance. However, CTFB also has some environmental impacts, such as high energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation. Therefore, it is important to assess the environmental sustainability of CTFB as a strategic construction method. This study aims to fill the gap in the literature by conducting a strategic environmental assessment (SEAs) of CTFB in Iran, using a multi-criteria analysis approach. The study involves data collection, criteria and indicators selection, multi- criteria analysis, and sensitivity analysis. The results show that CTFB is the most environmentally sustainable construction method, followed by steel frame, reinforced concrete frame, and brick masonry. CTFB is also the most robust and reliable construction method, and the ranking results are not sensitive to the changes in the weights of the criteria and indicators. The results are mostly consistent with the existing literature but also provide some new insights and contributions to the knowledge and practice of SEA of CTFB. The study also provides some recommendations for policy makers, practitioners, and researchers on how to apply and improve SEA of CTFB.

Keywords:

CTFB , SEAs , Multi-criteria analysis , sustainability , Construction method