An mass ratio of permanent loads to variable loads of reinforced concrete buildings

Environmental and resource crises necessitate sustainable development, yet construction lags in material conservation and carbon mitigation. Extensive use of reinforced concrete results in excessive permanent loads and larger building self-weight, elevating material use and energy consumption. A concept of mass ratio of permanent loads and variable loads (${R_m}$) is established for reinforced concrete buildings, and its reduction measures are outlined. Through statistical and regression analysis of 60 residential and 45 public buildings, ${R_m}$ have been validated as an indicator of structural value and design rationality, and its importance for material conservation and cost-effectiveness is underscored. Results shows that most reinforced concrete residential buildings have ${R_m}$ above 10, public buildings exceeding 7, indicating excessive structural self-weight. It requires lowering ${R_m}$ in structural and material innovations and optimized engineering design, to enhance material conservation. The innovation of this paper lies in three aspects: firstly, the concept modeling of ${R_m}$ addresses the quantitative assessment criteria in areas such as architectural materials and engineering design; secondly, the calculation of ${R_m}$ directly utilizes raw data from engineering design, providing a scientific and feasible approach for statistical analysis; thirdly, the inherent deficiencies in reinforced concrete buildings are intuitively indicated from the perspective of ${R_m}$.