Work

Life-Cycle Assessment and the Environmental Impact of Buildings: A Review

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of various management tools for evaluating environmental concerns. This paper reviews LCA from a buildings perspective. It highlights the need for its use within the building sector, and the importance of LCA as a decision making support tool. It discusses LCA methodologies and applications within the building sector, reviewing some of the life-cycle studies applied to buildings or building materials and component combinations within the last fifteen years in Europe and the United States. It highlights the problems of a lack of an internationally comparable and agreed data inventory and assessment methodology which hinder the application of LCA within the building industry. It identifies key areas for future research as (i) the whole process of construction, (ii) the relative weighting of different environmental impacts and (iii) applications in developing countries.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su1030674

Authors: Mohamad Monkiz Khasreen, Phillip F. G. Banfill, Gillian F. Menzies

Institution: Heriot-Watt University

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Impact and Sustainability

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Climate action, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896