Quantifying the embodied‐carbon premium of
RC
transfer beams via automated design
Enrico Pinelli, David M. Ruggiero Abstract
Transfer structures in reinforced concrete (RC) buildings enable architectural flexibility but often increase material use and embodied carbon. This study introduces an automated framework to quantify the embodied‐carbon premium associated with such systems. For each parametric configuration, two equivalent RC frames—one regular and one with a transfer beam—are designed through iterative finite‐element analysis, genetic‐algorithm optimization, and Eurocode‐based verification. Embodied carbon is evaluated on a cradle‐to‐gate basis using ICE v4.0 material factors. Across 3744 configurations, transfer systems consistently increased embodied carbon. At the frame level, the embodied‐carbon premium averaged 41.7% and ranged from 14.9% to 157.5%, with the highest values observed in end‐supported transfer configurations. The premium is governed primarily by geometric parameters, especially transfer span and building height, whereas material parameters have limited influence on relative impact. A transfer effort metric is proposed to predict the environmental penalty from geometric parameters alone. The results underline the need to integrate embodied‐carbon considerations into conceptual design to ensure more sustainable use of transfer structures.