European Research Center for Social Development

Tag: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

  • Simulation Optimisation Towards Energy Efficient Green Buildings: Current Status and Future Trends

    Simulation Optimisation Towards Energy Efficient Green Buildings: Current Status and Future Trends

    While computer simulation has long been used to predict building energy use, this research highlights an evolution toward integrated optimization.

    By critically reviewing existing studies, the authors identify a growing trend of using machine learning and parametric modeling to automate the search for sustainable design solutions. These tools allow for a holistic “Life Cycle” approach, ensuring that carbon emissions are minimized from material production through to a building’s end-of-life.

    The study explicitly states that the future of green building design lies in “socio-technical” solutions. This means that environmental sustainability must be balanced with human wellbeing and occupant behavior.

    For the engineering and architectural communities, the findings suggest that the next generation of building optimization will not just be about better materials, but about creating an automated, multidisciplinary design process that prioritizes both the planet and the people inhabiting it.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120012

    Reference

    Gan, V. J. L., Lo, I. M. C., Ma, J., Tse, K. T., Cheng, J. C. P., & Chan, C. M. (2020). Simulation optimisation towards energy efficient green buildings: Current status and future trends. Journal of Cleaner Production, 254, 120012

  • Comparison of Environmental Assessment Methods when Reusing Building Components: A Case Study

    Comparison of Environmental Assessment Methods when Reusing Building Components: A Case Study

    This research explores the lack of standardized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools capable of measuring the environmental benefits of reusing building components from demolition sites. By testings six recognized carbon-accounting methodologies (including the Cut-off, End-of-life, and Environmental Footprint methods) on a Swiss case study (Kopfabu Halle 118), the authors demonstrate that current quantification tools produce highly inconsistent results.

    These discrepancies stem from how different methods allocate carbon “burdens” and “credits” across a component’s first, intermediate, and final lifecycles.

    The study explicitly states that existing frameworks are too limited in scope to address the complexities of reuse. They fail to quantify critical circular characteristics such as dis/re- mountability, versatility, design complexity, and the impact of storage and transformation.

    The findings conclude that until theses specific features are integrated into standardized equations, LCA tools will remain inadequate for accurately demonstrating the climate benefits of reuse in the built environment.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102322

    Reference

    De Wolf, C., Hoxha, E., & Fivet, C. (2020). Comparison of environmental assessment methods when reusing building components: A case study. Sustainable Cities and Society, 61, 102322.