Environmental impacts assessment for conversion of an old mill building into a modern apartment building through reconstruction

Abstract

We select an old mill building to illustrate the significance of its reconstruction into a residential building underline the architecture of the reconstructed building while retaining the original characters and to analyze its life cycle. Located in Humenné, east of Slovakia, the old mill was denoted as a brownfield. The reconstruction of the old building and the surrounding area is a major cause contributing to decrease in environmental impacts. The environmental effects of the building reconstruction are determined through the standard method of life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis for the system boundary of cradle-to-gate with options. Environmental impact categories, including global warming potential, ozone depletion potential, acidification potential, and some other categories are expressed in the equivalent amounts of emissions and release of carbon dioxide (CO2), trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11), sulfur dioxide (SO2), phosphate ((PO4)3–), ethylene (C2H4), element antimony (Sb), and energy consumption. Analysis of LCA is performed using a computer software. The observations show that the reconstruction of old buildings is usually preferable to construction of new ones after demolition of the old building. This research work confirms new rational regarding the revitalization of territories in connection with the improvement of quality of life, increase in the value of the given locality and creation of new economic opportunities.