Retrofit of Building Façade Using Precast Sandwich Panel: An Integrated Thermal and Environmental Assessment on BIM-Based LCA

Abstract

The study conducts a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of precast sandwich panels by integrating operational and embodied phases detailing thermal efficiency and environmental impacts. The analytical regression model is developed for climatic diversity and design variables using the energy rating tool FirstRate5 to compare with a conventional brick veneer construction. LCA is performed on the building information modeling (BIM) platform to connect operational energy and express the relative embodied impacts of insulation constituents, compressive strength, reinforcement, and mix design. Monte Carlo simulation shows significant advantages of concrete sandwich panels in reducing operational H/C loads over building service life. LCA reveals a 100 mm thick external precast concrete wall with 50% fly ash reduces CO2 emission and energy demand by 54.7% and 75.9% consecutively against the benchmark. Moreover, it comprises 84.31% of the total building mass, accountable for only 53.27% of total CO2 emission and 27.25% of energy demand, which is comparatively lower than other materials. In the case of selecting lining insulation, a broader benefit is identified for extruded polystyrene (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) boards due to their relative weight, thickness, and environmental impacts. Representative equations of energy efficiency and impact assessment will assist in adopting sandwich panels for new construction and refurbishment with relative dimensions.