Abstract
Understanding the structure and behavior of emissions in building systems is the first step toward improving the reliability of the environmental impact assessment of buildings. The shortcomings of current building lifecycle assessment (LCA) research is the lack of understanding of embodied emissions and static analysis. This study presents a methodology for the dynamic LCA of buildings, combined with the system dynamics technique. Dynamic factors related to recurrent embodied emissions are explored through a literature review. Applying the dynamic factors based on the review, a causal map and stock-flow diagram are invented. Collecting the field data and establishing the assumptions based on the literature, a case study is performed for the proposed model. As a result, through dynamic analysis, it was found that recurrent embodied emissions have a considerably different behavior from static ones during their whole life. Additionally, it was found that the environmental impacts changed by more than 10%, according to the variation of the users’ required performance level in sensitivity analysis. This result thoroughly addressed the necessity and appropriateness of dynamic LCA. The dynamic LCA model developed in this study can contribute to the long-term behavioral understanding of the embodied environmental impacts of building LCA.
Highlights
Buildings are key factors in energy consumption and global warming, consuming as much as 40% of the resources entering the global economy [1]
embodied carbon (EC) refers to carbon dioxide emitted during the manufacture, transport, and construction of building materials, compared to operational carbon (OC), which means carbon dioxide emitted from the use of buildings, including heating, cooling, and lighting
While this study focuses on the usage phase during the whole building life, the systematic process of the Life cycle assessment (LCA) principle is used for the equivalent calculation of embodied carbon dioxide in building systems
Summary
Buildings are key factors in energy consumption and global warming, consuming as much as 40% of the resources entering the global economy [1]. Considering the growing M&R proportion in the contemporary construction industry, embracing recurrent EC caused by M&R intervention activities in building lifecycle must not be overlooked Another limitation of LCA is that its analytical method is static. Overcoming the present limitations, this study developed the DLCA model, covering dynamic factors in recurrent embodied impacts in the usage stage and applying the system dynamics. The DLCA model for recurrent embodied impacts in the usage stage is developed using system dynamics. Sensitivity analysis for embodied recurrent impacts is performed, Sustainability 2019, 11, 3724 varying according to the change of the dynamic factors. This result can address the necessity and appropriateness of DLCA
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