In this study, the material-based energy use and carbon emission over the life cycle of a bamboo-structure residential building prototype with innovative insulation technologies are analyzed. In comparison with a typical brick-concrete building, the bamboo-structure building requires less energy and emits less carbon dioxide to meet the identical functional requirements, i.e., envelope insulation and structure supporting. In order to systematically assess the energy use and carbon emission, several scenarios are designed based on the LEED standard and the technical potentials. The results indicate that there is a potential to reduce 11.0% (18.5%) of the embodied energy (carbon) for the use of recycled-content building materials and 51.3% (69.2%) for the recycling of construction and demolition waste, respectively. However, the practical effect of the potentials varies significantly depending on project management levels and available technologies in the current market. The analysis provides an insight into the assessment of the material-based energy use and carbon emission over the life cycle of a building. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.