The built environment currently consumes significant
energy resources and permanently affects the
planet’s environment. The largest energy consumer
throughout a building’s life is its operational energy,
not its embodied energy (EE) (Holtzhausen, 2007).
Throughout the building’s lifespan, EE is used in
the extraction, production and transportation of
goods used in construction. Embodied carbon
(EC) emissions, which comprise about 10% of all
CO2 emissions worldwide, are the associated CO2
emissions. EC emissions, in contrast to operational
carbon emissions, are challenging to monitor,
quantify and control (Sudhakar, 2022). Urban centers
are both “a cause of and a solution to” climate change
and are well-positioned to reduce future emissions
(Renard et al., 2019). In Indian cities, redevelopment
has become a popular trend for residential buildings
in the core areas. One reason for redevelopment
is that buildings are dilapidated or uneconomical
to repair, or tenants need more usable floor area
(Vanvari & Mhaske, 2018). Urban renewal schemes
aim to revitalise urban areas by renovating existing
buildings or constructing new ones. However, the
construction and renovation of buildings also have
environmental impacts, including the consumption
of energy and resources. This project aims to evaluate
the EE energy of building construction under urban
renewal schemes in cities, with Pune as a case.