Abstract
The environmental performance assessment of the building and construction sector has been in discussion due to the increasing demand of facilities and its impact on the environment. The life cycle studies carried out over the last decade have mostly used an approximate life span of a building without considering the building component replacement requirements and their service life. This limitation results in unreliable outcomes and a huge volume of materials going to landfill. This study was performed to develop a relationship between the service life of a building and building components, and their impact on environmental performance. Twelve building combinations were modelled by considering two types of roof frames, two types of wall and three types of footings. A reference building of a 50-year service life was used in comparisons. Firstly, the service life of the building and building components and the replacement intervals of building components during active service life were estimated. The environmental life cycle assessment (ELCA) was carried out for all the buildings and results are presented on a yearly basis in order to study the impact of service life. The region-specific impact categories of cumulative energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and land use are used to assess the environmental performance of buildings. The analysis shows that the environmental performance of buildings is affected by the service life of a building and the replacement intervals of building components.
Highlights
A building is a complex product of different components of variable materials, structural importance, functional life, exposure constraints, and damage mechanisms
The analysis shows that the environmental performance of buildings is affected by the service life of a building and the replacement intervals of building components
In buildings 7–9, the roof system has a high estimated service life (ESL) value compared to the wall and footing systems
Summary
A building is a complex product of different components of variable materials, structural importance, functional life, exposure constraints, and damage mechanisms. The real picture is quite contradictory to these assumptions as the service life of buildings varies with materials, operation and maintenance and the surrounding environment [1,2]. This discrepancy may lead to inaccuracy of LCA analyses, and material and energy balance. Any building needs regular maintenance and replacement of its non-structural components to keep the building in performing conditions. The maintenance and replacement intervals of existing buildings need to be optimized to achieve environmental, social and economic benefits. The integration of knowledge of building component durability and its structural and functional performance into building LCA could
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