scholarly journals A two family house built to passive house standard in the north of Sweden: environmental system performance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Jonasson ◽  
Itai Danielski ◽  
Michelle Svensson ◽  
Morgan Fröling
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Northern Sweden ◽  
Passive House

A life cycle assessment (LCA) of a low energy / passive house in northern Sweden, including building materials and energy use is reported. The case study building is semi detached house for two families situated in Östersund (lat. 63°N), Sweden. Each apartment having a floor space of 160 m2 divided on two floors. The building was constructed during 2010 with a design meeting the requirements for Swedish passive houses as defined by the Forum for energy efficiency buildings (FEBY) and the Swedish center for zero energy houses (SCNH). When it comes to more sustainable buildings, energy use in the build environment has been in focus for some time. The life cycle assessment in this study reveals that the building materials can contribute significantly to environmental burdens of a residential building in northern Sweden. Energy efficiency, efficient use of good building materials and issues of appropriate design need to be discussed in the same context to move toward a more sustainable built environment. For energy efficient buildings in a energy system with renewably based energy carriers, building materials might give rise to a significant or even dominating part of the life cycle impact of a building. This give rise to considerations regarding choices of building materials as well as design of buildings to minimize such impact; while not forgetting social aspects impacted by building design.

scholarly journals Comparative Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction Performance of Reinforced Concrete and Timber Stadiums—A Case Study in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Dong ◽  
Tongyu Qin ◽  
Siyuan Zhou ◽  
Lu Huang ◽  
Rui Bo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Rc Buildings ◽  
Carbon Reduction ◽  
The Government

Many stadiums will be built in China in the next few decades due to increasing public interest in physical exercise and the incentive policies issued by the government under its National Fitness Program. This paper investigates the energy saving and carbon reduction performance of timber stadiums in China in comparison with stadiums constructed using conventional building materials, based on both life cycle energy assessment (LCEA) and life cycle carbon assessment (LCCA). The authors select five representative cities in five climate zones in China as the simulation environment, simulate energy use in the operation phase of stadiums constructed from reinforced concrete (RC) and timber, and compare the RC and timber stadiums in terms of their life cycle energy consumption and carbon emissions. The LCEA results reveal that the energy saving potential afforded by timber stadiums is 11.05%, 12.14%, 8.15%, 4.61% and 4.62% lower than those of RC buildings in “severely cold,” “cold,” “hot summer, cold winter,” “hot summer, warm winter,” and “temperate” regions, respectively. The LCCA results demonstrate that the carbon emissions of timber stadiums are 15.85%, 15.86%, 18.88%, 19.22% and 22.47% lower than those of RC buildings for the regions above, respectively. This demonstrates that in China, timber stadiums have better energy conservation and carbon reduction potential than RC stadiums, based on life cycle assessment. Thus, policy makers are advised to encourage the promotion of timber stadiums in China to achieve the goal of sustainable energy development for public buildings.

Life Cycle Assessment of Ceramic Bricks

2012 ◽  
Vol 727-728 ◽  
pp. 815-820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerônimo Moraes Gomes ◽  
Ana Luiza Folchini Salgado ◽  
Dachamir Hotza
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Red Clay ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Input Material ◽  
Relevant Role

Ceramic bricks are one of the most widely used materials in both commercial and residential buildings. Ceramic bricks play a relevant role in the Brazilian economy. The basic input material for this industry is red clay. As environmental problems increase, the need for environment-friendly building design increases. To achieve this, architects and engineers need reliable data on the environmental impacts of various building materials, including ceramic bricks. In this paper a comparative Life Cycle Assessment between two ceramic brick production units in Santa Catarina State, Brazil, has been carried in a comparative approach. Key impact categories, including fossil fuel use, global warming, ozone depletion, ecotoxicity, and human toxicity were assessed. The analysis has shown a particular relevance of the respiratory effects in both systems and the critical point has been found in the fuel used in the furnace for firing the bricks which are responsible, during the ring process, for the relevant CO2 emissions.

scholarly journals Using BIM to calculate accurate building material quantities for early design phase Life Cycle Assessment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Brian Berg
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Building Material ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Building Information

<p>This research simplifies the calculation of the Initial Embodied Energy (iEE) for commercial office buildings. The result is the improved integration of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) assessments of building materials into the early stages of the building design process (sketch design). This maximises the effectiveness of implementing design solutions to lower a building’s environmental impact.  This thesis research proposes that building Information Models (BIM) will make calculating building material quantities easier, to simplify LCA calculations, all to improve their integration into existing sketch design phase practices, and building design decisions. This is achieved by developing a methodology for using BIM LCA tools to calculate highly detailed material quantities from a simple BIM model of sketch design phase building information. This is methodology is called an Initial Embodied Energy Building Information Model Life Cycle Assessment Building Performance Sketch (iEE BIM LCA BPS). Using this methodology calculates iEE results that are accurate, and represent a sufficient proportion (complete) of a building’s total iEE consumption, making them useful for iEE decision-making.  iEE is one example of a LCA-based indicator that was used to test, and prove the feasibility of the iEE BIM LCA BPS methodology. Proving this, the research method tests the accuracy that a BIM model can calculate case study building’s building material quantities. This included developing; a methodology for how to use the BIM tool Revit to calculate iEE; a functional definition of an iEE BIM LCA BPS based on the environmental impact, and sketch design decisions effecting building materials, and elements; and an EE simulation calibration accuracy assessment methodology, complete with a function definition of the accuracy required of an iEE simulation to ensure it’s useful for sketch design decision-making.  Two main tests were conducted as part of proving the iEE BIM LCA BPS’ feasibility. Test one assessed and proved that the iEE BIM LCA BPS model based on sketch design information does represent a sufficient proportion (complete) of a building’s total iEE consumption, so that are useful for iEE decision-making. This was tested by comparing the building material quantities from a SOQ (SOQ) produced to a sketch design level of detail (truth model 3), to an as-built level of detail, defined as current iEE best practices (truth model 1). Subsequent to proving that the iEE BIM LCA BPS is sufficiently complete, test two assessed if a BIM model and tool could calculate building material quantities accurately compared to truth model 3. The outcome was answering the research question of, how detailed does a BIM model need to be to calculate accurate building material quantities for a building material LCA (LCA) assessment?  The inference of this thesis research is a methodology for using BIM models to calculate the iEE of New Zealand commercial office buildings in the early phases of the design process. The outcome was that a building design team’s current level of sketch design phase information is sufficiently detailed for sketch design phase iEE assessment. This means, that iEE and other LCA-based assessment indicators can be integrated into a design team’s existing design process, practices, and decisions, with no restructuring required.</p>

scholarly journals Analysis of the Primary Building Materials in Support of G-SEED Life Cycle Assessment in South Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyojin Lim ◽  
Sungho Tae ◽  
Seungjun Roh
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Unit Value ◽  
Design Documents

In recent years, much research has been conducted internationally to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impact of buildings in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address associated environmental problems. With this in mind, the Green Standard for Energy and Environmental Design (G-SEED) in South Korea was revised in 2016. However, the various possible evaluation methods make it difficult to conduct building life cycle assessment. Moreover, compared to research on residential buildings, life cycle assessment research on non-residential buildings is scarce. Therefore, this study analyzes primary building materials for life cycle assessment of current non-residential buildings to support Korean G-SEED requirements. Design documents for various non-residential buildings are obtained, and the types and numbers of materials used in production are determined. Next, the primary building materials contributing high cumulative weight based on the ISO14040 series of standards are analyzed. We then review the most commonly-used building materials while considering non-residential building types and structures. In addition, construction material reliability is evaluated using the environmental impact unit value. With our results, by suggesting the primary building materials in non-residential buildings, efficient life cycle assessment of non-residential buildings is possible in terms of time and cost.

scholarly journals Using BIM to calculate accurate building material quantities for early design phase Life Cycle Assessment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Brian Berg
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Building Material ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Building Information

<p>This research simplifies the calculation of the Initial Embodied Energy (iEE) for commercial office buildings. The result is the improved integration of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) assessments of building materials into the early stages of the building design process (sketch design). This maximises the effectiveness of implementing design solutions to lower a building’s environmental impact.  This thesis research proposes that building Information Models (BIM) will make calculating building material quantities easier, to simplify LCA calculations, all to improve their integration into existing sketch design phase practices, and building design decisions. This is achieved by developing a methodology for using BIM LCA tools to calculate highly detailed material quantities from a simple BIM model of sketch design phase building information. This is methodology is called an Initial Embodied Energy Building Information Model Life Cycle Assessment Building Performance Sketch (iEE BIM LCA BPS). Using this methodology calculates iEE results that are accurate, and represent a sufficient proportion (complete) of a building’s total iEE consumption, making them useful for iEE decision-making.  iEE is one example of a LCA-based indicator that was used to test, and prove the feasibility of the iEE BIM LCA BPS methodology. Proving this, the research method tests the accuracy that a BIM model can calculate case study building’s building material quantities. This included developing; a methodology for how to use the BIM tool Revit to calculate iEE; a functional definition of an iEE BIM LCA BPS based on the environmental impact, and sketch design decisions effecting building materials, and elements; and an EE simulation calibration accuracy assessment methodology, complete with a function definition of the accuracy required of an iEE simulation to ensure it’s useful for sketch design decision-making.  Two main tests were conducted as part of proving the iEE BIM LCA BPS’ feasibility. Test one assessed and proved that the iEE BIM LCA BPS model based on sketch design information does represent a sufficient proportion (complete) of a building’s total iEE consumption, so that are useful for iEE decision-making. This was tested by comparing the building material quantities from a SOQ (SOQ) produced to a sketch design level of detail (truth model 3), to an as-built level of detail, defined as current iEE best practices (truth model 1). Subsequent to proving that the iEE BIM LCA BPS is sufficiently complete, test two assessed if a BIM model and tool could calculate building material quantities accurately compared to truth model 3. The outcome was answering the research question of, how detailed does a BIM model need to be to calculate accurate building material quantities for a building material LCA (LCA) assessment?  The inference of this thesis research is a methodology for using BIM models to calculate the iEE of New Zealand commercial office buildings in the early phases of the design process. The outcome was that a building design team’s current level of sketch design phase information is sufficiently detailed for sketch design phase iEE assessment. This means, that iEE and other LCA-based assessment indicators can be integrated into a design team’s existing design process, practices, and decisions, with no restructuring required.</p>

scholarly journals Assessment of the circularity and carbon neutrality of an office building: The case of’t Centrum in Westerlo, Belgium

2021 ◽  
Vol 855 (1) ◽  
pp. 012025
Author(s):  
M Al-Obaidy ◽  
M C Santos ◽  
M Baskar ◽  
S Attia
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Steel Structure ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Structural Systems ◽  
Iso 14040 ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Local Plant

Abstract Circular building design is a concept that is gaining great interest from architects, construction professionals, and their clients but is still rarely adopted in practice. One of the earliest design decisions architects and developers should make to design a circular building is to determine the building’s construction system. The choice of constructive and structural systems, such as columns, beams, and slabs, is crucial to upgrade the reuse cycles in the future. Flexible construction systems can make it easier to dismantle the structures and recover, upgrade, modify, or transform building materials. Therefore, this paper assesses the carbon emission impacts of two construction systems for an office building in Belgium using life cycle assessment (LCA) and circularity criteria. One-Click LCA software was used for the calculations. Parametric analysis took place for two construction systems scenarios involving a steel structure and a timber structure. Life Cycle Assessment and comparisons of the various construction systems are made based on ISO 14040, 14044, and CEN/TC 350 standards with a focus on carbon neutrality. The results show that using local plant-based materials such as wood can drastically reduce office buildings’ carbon footprint. Based on the sensitivity analysis results, the overall global warming potential impact is mostly sensitive to the construction material’s weight and reuse and dismantling ability. This paper provides a better understanding of building structural systems; to inform architects about the circularity potential of different construction systems.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Building Renovation Measures–Trade-off between Building Materials and Energy

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas ◽  
Ola Eriksson ◽  
Thomas Olofsson
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Building Stock

The scope of this study is to assess how different energy efficient renovation strategies affect the environmental impacts of a multi-family house in a Nordic climate within district heating systems. The European Union has set ambitious targets to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030. There is special attention on reducing the life cycle emissions in the buildings sector. However, the focus has often been on new buildings, although existing buildings represent great potential within the building stock in Europe. In this study, four different renovation scenarios were analyzed with the commercially available life cycle assessment software that follows the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) standard. This study covers all life cycle steps from the cradle to the grave for a residential building in Borlänge, Sweden, where renewable energy dominates. The four scenarios included reduced indoor temperature, improved thermal properties of building material components and heat recovery for the ventilation system. One finding is that changing installations gives an environmental impact comparable to renovations that include both ventilation and building facilities. In addition, the life cycle steps that have the greatest environmental impact in all scenarios are the operational energy use and the building and installation processes. Renovation measures had a major impact on energy use due to the cold climate and low solar irradiation in the heating season. An interesting aspect, however, is that the building materials and the construction processes gave a significant amount of environmental impact.

scholarly journals A scalable and spatiotemporally resolved agricultural life cycle assessment of California almonds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Marvinney ◽  
Alissa Kendall
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
San Joaquin Valley ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Freshwater Use ◽  
California's Central Valley

Abstract Purpose California’s Central Valley produces more than 75% of global commercial almond supply, making the life cycle performance of almond production in California of global interest. This article describes the life cycle assessment of California almond production using a Scalable, Process-based, Agronomically Responsive Cropping System Life Cycle Assessment (SPARCS-LCA) model that includes crop responses to orchard management and modeling of California’s water supply and biomass energy infrastructure. Methods A spatially and temporally resolved LCA model was developed to reflect the regional climate, resource, and agronomic conditions across California’s Central Valley by hydrologic subregion (San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley, and Tulare Lake regions). The model couples a LCA framework with region-specific data, including water supply infrastructure and economics, crop productivity response models, and dynamic co-product markets, to characterize the environmental performance of California almonds. Previous LCAs of California almond found that irrigation and management of co-products were most influential in determining life cycle CO2eq emissions and energy intensity of California almond production, and both have experienced extensive changes since previous studies due to drought and changing regulatory conditions, making them a focus of sensitivity and scenario analysis. Results and discussion Results using economic allocation show that 1 kg of hulled, brown-skin almond kernel at post-harvest facility gate causes 1.92 kg CO2eq (GWP100), 50.9 MJ energy use, and 4820 L freshwater use, with regional ranges of 2.0–2.69 kg CO2eq, 42.7–59.4 MJ, and 4540–5150 L, respectively. With a substitution approach for co-product allocation, 1 kg almond kernel results in 1.23 kg CO2eq, 18.05 MJ energy use, and 4804 L freshwater use, with regional ranges of 0.51–1.95 kg CO2eq, 3.68–36.5 MJ, and 4521–5140 L, respectively. Almond freshwater use is comparable with other nut crops in California and globally. Results showed significant variability across subregions. While the San Joaquin Valley performed best in most impact categories, the Tulare Lake region produced the lowest eutrophication impacts. Conclusion While CO2eq and energy intensity of almond production increased over previous estimates, so too did credits to the system for displacement of dairy feed. These changes result from a more comprehensive model scope and improved assumptions, as well as drought-related increases in groundwater depth and associated energy demand, and decreased utilization of biomass residues for energy recovery due to closure of bioenergy plants in California. The variation among different impact categories between subregions and over time highlight the need for spatially and temporally resolved agricultural LCA.

scholarly journals Application of Plastic Wastes in Construction Materials: A Review Using the Concept of Life-Cycle Assessment in the Context of Recent Research for Future Perspectives

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3549
Author(s):  
Tulane Rodrigues da Silva ◽  
Afonso Rangel Garcez de Azevedo ◽  
Daiane Cecchin ◽  
Markssuel Teixeira Marvila ◽  
Mugahed Amran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Plastic Wastes ◽  
Solid Waste Generation ◽  
Alternative Processes

The urbanization process contributes to the growth of solid waste generation and causes an increase in environmental impacts and failures in the management of solid waste. The number of dumps is a concern due to the limited implementation and safe disposal of this waste. The interest in sustainable techniques has been growing in relation to waste management, which is largely absorbed by the civil construction sector. This work aimed to review plastic waste, especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET), that can be incorporated with construction materials, such as concrete, mortars, asphalt mixtures, and paving. The use of life-cycle assessment (LCA) is related, as a tool that allows the sustainability of products and processes to be enhanced in the long term. After analyzing the recent literature, it was identified that studies related to plastic wastes in construction materials concentrate sustainability around the alternative destination of waste. Since the plastic waste from different production chains are obtained, it was possible to affirm the need for a broader assessment, such as the LCA, providing greater quantification of data making the alternative processes and products more sustainable. The study contributes to enhance sustainability in alternative building materials through LCA.

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