Life Cycle Analysis of Single Family Houses and Effects of Green Technologies on Environment

Iveta Selecká,Andrea Moňoková,Silvia Vilčeková

doi:10.3390/proceedings2019016019

Iveta Selecká, Andrea Moňoková + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019016019

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Publication Date: Jun 13, 2019
Citations: 4	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Technical University of Košice

Abstract

Construction and using of buildings for many years produce long-lasting impacts on human health and the environment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the rapidly evolving science of clarifying these impacts in terms of their quality, severity, and duration. LCA of three selected new family houses located in Eastern Slovakia is performed with the aim to compare them in terms of built-in materials as well as used technologies. The main goal of the analysis is to investigate and underline the foreseeable reduction rate of environmental impacts resulting from applied green materials and green technologies. LCA impact categories of global warming potential (GWP), ozone depletion potential (ODP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), and photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) are selected for this analysis. Investigated family houses are built from conventional materials, such as aerated concrete blocks, reinforced concrete, thermal insulation of silicate mineral slabs, and roofing mineral wool, as well as natural materials, such as clay, straw, wood, cellulose, and vegetation roofs. Product phase contributes greatly to the GWP for houses built of conventional materials. AP, EP, ODP, and POCP impact categories are considerable also in the product phase. Even an operational energy phase contributes a large share of the negative impact on the environment. Adoption of green design and technology in buildings, which can mitigate negative impacts on the environment, has been recognized as a key step towards global sustainable development. The main goal of this article is to make the case that green buildings are important for reducing negative effects on the environment and resources, while simultaneously enhancing positive effects throughout the building life cycle.

Highlights

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool that allows architects and other building professionals to understand the energy use and other environmental impacts associated with all life cycle phases of the building: procurement, construction, operation, and decommissioning.The LCA methodology dates back to the 1960s, when concerns over the limited availability of raw materials and energy resources led to new ways to account for energy use and the consequences of these uses [1]
Environmental impact categories including global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP), and ozone depletion potential (ODP) expressed as kg CO2eq, SO2eq, PO43-eq, ethylene, and CFC-11eq, respectively, are considered within the “cradle to gate with options” boundary
Results of the LCA assessment for considered lifespan phases depict that the family house built of natural materials is characterized by bigger negative emissions of CO2eq in the product phase

Summary

Introduction

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool that allows architects and other building professionals to understand the energy use and other environmental impacts associated with all life cycle phases of the building: procurement, construction, operation, and decommissioning.The LCA methodology dates back to the 1960s, when concerns over the limited availability of raw materials and energy resources led to new ways to account for energy use and the consequences of these uses [1]. Ts application broadened in the present decade to include building materials, construction, chemicals, automobiles, and electronics. This was primarily because of the formalization of LCA standards in the ISO 14000 series (1997 through 2002) and the launch of the Life Cycle Initiative, a combined effort by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Society of Environmental. The principles provided by ISO standards and SETAC are well structured for industrial processes. The use life of a building is typically much longer than for industrial products. The unique character of every building project differs from the thousands of identical products in industrial systems. It is difficult to characterize the functional unit or boundary of analysis for a building, as compared as to an industrial product

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