scholarly journals Preliminary Study on the GWP Benchmark of Office Buildings in Poland Using the LCA Approach

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3298
Author(s):  
Joanna Rucińska ◽  
Anna Komerska ◽  
Jerzy Kwiatkowski
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Lca Methodology ◽  
Building Research ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Building Life Cycle

The decarbonisation goal stated in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) regarding the building sector will be achieved only if the whole building life-cycle is considered. To fulfil this requirement, a benchmark based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) must be integrated into the early planning phase of buildings by designers. The estimation of such indicators requires the development of a database of building assessments. In this study, an LCA of 11 office buildings in Poland was used to set average values that can be used as a benchmark. The LCA methodology based on the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification was used. The analysis did not concentrate on one type of office building. The main objective was to investigate a possible range of total Global Warming Potential (GWP) index values normalized to the usable unit floor area. The importance of the GWP of individual life-cycle phases was also considered. The study shows that the used methodology is adequate for LCA benchmark estimation to set preliminary average values for office buildings in Poland.

scholarly journals Life Cycle GHG Emissions of Residential Buildings in Humid Subtropical and Tropical Climates: Systematic Review and Analysis

Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Daniel Satola ◽  
Martin Röck ◽  
Aoife Houlihan-Wiberg ◽  
Arild Gustavsen
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Cycle Performance ◽  
Tropical Climates ◽  
Building Life Cycle ◽  
Total Life

Improving the environmental life cycle performance of buildings by focusing on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along the building life cycle is considered a crucial step in achieving global climate targets. This paper provides a systematic review and analysis of 75 residential case studies in humid subtropical and tropical climates. The study investigates GHG emissions across the building life cycle, i.e., it analyses both embodied and operational GHG emissions. Furthermore, the influence of various parameters, such as building location, typology, construction materials and energy performance, as well as methodological aspects are investigated. Through comparative analysis, the study identifies promising design strategies for reducing life cycle-related GHG emissions of buildings operating in subtropical and tropical climate zones. The results show that life cycle GHG emissions in the analysed studies are mostly dominated by operational emissions and are the highest for energy-intensive multi-family buildings. Buildings following low or net-zero energy performance targets show potential reductions of 50–80% for total life cycle GHG emissions, compared to buildings with conventional energy performance. Implementation of on-site photovoltaic (PV) systems provides the highest reduction potential for both operational and total life cycle GHG emissions, with potential reductions of 92% to 100% and 48% to 66%, respectively. Strategies related to increased use of timber and other bio-based materials present the highest potential for reduction of embodied GHG emissions, with reductions of 9% to 73%.

scholarly journals The applicability of different energy performance calculation methods for building life cycle environmental optimization

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kiss ◽  
ZS. Szalay
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Calculation Methods ◽  
Apartment House ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
Time Accuracy ◽  
Building Life Cycle

Building life cycle assessment is getting more and more attention within the topic of environmental impact caused by the built environment. Although more and more research focus on the embodied impact of buildings, the investigation of the operational energy use still needs attention. The majority of the building stock still does not comply with the nearly zero energy requirements. Also, in case of retrofitting, when most of the embodied impact is already spent on the existing structures (and so immutable), the importance of the operational energy rises. There are several methods to calculate the energy performance of buildings covering the range from simplified seasonal methods to detailed hourly energy simulations. Not only the accuracy of the calculations, but the computational time can be significantly different within the methods. The latter is especially important in case of optimization, when there is limited time to perform one calculation. Our research shows that the use of different calculation techniques can lead to different optima for environmental impacts in case of retrofitting. In this paper we compare these calculation methods with focus on computational time, accuracy and applicability to environmental optimization of buildings. We present the results in a case study of the retrofitting of a middle-sized apartment house in Hungary.

scholarly journals Importance of building services in ecological building assessments

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 03061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Lambertz ◽  
Sebastian Theißen ◽  
Jannick Höper ◽  
Reinhard Wimmer
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Simplified Approach ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Building Life Cycle

The new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2018 and the GebäudeEnergieGesetz (GEG) tightened the requirements for energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources in buildings at EU and national levels. Environmental impacts from manufacturing, dismantling and recycling of buildings are not taken into account. Green Building Certification Systems, such as the DGNB or BNB systems, are therefore the only ones that (voluntarily) set holistic, ecological requirements for buildings. Based on a Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment, the entire building life cycle and its environmental effects are evaluated. While building services in this context are usually only included in such a simplified approach, the full scope of the produced environmental impacts are underestimated and misjudged for the reduction of emissions and other environmental impacts. This publication uses the results of a life cycle assessment of a typical office building (in Germany) to show the amount of influence building services have on environmental impacts of buildings. Furthermore the study shows an approach how the very high pro-curement and calculation effort of LCA can be reduced by linking the Building Information Modelling (BIM) Method and LCA models to enable a significantly more efficient and easier calculation process, es-pecially for building services.

scholarly journals The Discrepancy between As-Built and As-Designed in Energy Efficient Buildings: A Rapid Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6372
Author(s):  
Christine Eon ◽  
Jessica K. Breadsell ◽  
Joshua Byrne ◽  
Gregory M. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Performance Gap ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings ◽  
Building Life Cycle ◽  
Building Standards

Energy efficient buildings are viewed as one of the solutions to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment. However, studies worldwide indicate that there is a significant gap between building energy targets (as-designed) and the actual measured building energy consumption (as-built). Several underlying causes for the energy performance gap have been identified at all stages of the building life cycle. Focus is generally on the post-occupancy stage of the building life cycle. However, issues relating to the construction and commissioning stages of the building are a major concern, though not usually researched. There is uncertainty on how to address the as-designed versus as-built gap. The objective of this review article is to identify causes for the energy performance gap in buildings in relation to the post-design and pre-occupancy stages and review proposed solutions. The methodology applied in this research is the rapid review, which is a variant of the systematic literature review method. Findings suggest that causes for discrepancies between as-designed and as-built energy performance during the construction and commissioning stages relate to a lack of knowledge and skills, lack of communication between stakeholders and a lack of accountability for building performance post-occupancy. Recommendations to close this gap during this period include better training, improved communication standards, collaboration, energy evaluations based on post-occupancy performance, transparency of building performance, improved testing and verification and reviewed building standards.

scholarly journals A structured method to define goals when developing a building energy performance assessment method in a legislative framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 1203 (3) ◽  
pp. 032047
Author(s):  
Kjartan Van den Brande ◽  
Marc Delghust ◽  
Jelle Laverge ◽  
Arnold Jannsens
Keyword(s):  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Tree Structure ◽  
Building Energy Performance ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
Mixed Feelings ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Set Up

Abstract To boost the energy performance of buildings, the EU has established a legislative framework including the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Through this document, EU state members are incentivized to set up a Building Energy performance Assessment Method (BEAM), tailored to the specific needs of the country. There is no standard definition for the energy performance of a building. Since the options are numerous, it is important for the policymaker to define the goals of their specific BEAM first, before developing the BEAM itself. The definition of these goals is a subjective matter and can differ when asked to different organizations in the building sector. To comprehend the desires and perspectives from each different group, a structured overview of the goals that are important for the specific region is needed. For this paper, a method was developed to provide this structured overview and was tested on the legislative energy performance of buildings (EPB) framework of Flanders, Belgium. The Flemish framework was initiated in 2006 and is still in action today. The method consists of two steps. In the first step, a multi-level tree structure for goal mapping based on the Goal Breakdown Structure (GBS) was developed. The main goal, reducing global warming, is on top of the tree structure, which then subdivides into many sub-goals on different levels. An example of a goal on the lowest level of the structure could be the insulation level of the walls. In the second step, prominent stakeholders in the Flemish building industry, including policymakers, researchers, manufacturers, contractors and building owners, were surveyed to capture their expectations from a BEAM and to query whether the current BEAM corresponds with those expectations. The goal of this survey was to receive qualitative, not quantitative input from the stakeholders. In total, 33 respondents completed the survey. The survey results showed that, in general, the desired goals have not changed substantially compared to the pre-set goals in 2006. Trias Energetica is still the preferred guideline for the decision-making process of the building owner, although its absolute power has decreased slightly and seems to be more prone to the conditions. The current indicator for the overall energy needs (E level) is still strongly preferred, while the recently introduced S level (assessment of the envelope) attracts mixed feelings in terms of usefulness to the entire EPB framework. The overheating indicator receives the most critique for not being accurate enough due to the simplified, single zone BEAM

scholarly journals Occupant behavior: a “new” factor in energy performance of buildings. Methods for its detection in houses and in offices.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilena De Simone ◽  
Gianmarco Fajilla
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Occupant Behavior ◽  
Energy Usage ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
And Performance

The role that occupants have on energy consumption and performance of buildings is known, but still requires a great deal of research. In this paper, the most common techniques to detect occupancy and occupant behavior in buildings are categorized with their advantages and disadvantages. Being the buildings characterized by different energy usage, the presentation of the studies that applied surveys and monitoring campaigns is conducted with a differentiation between residential and office buildings.

scholarly journals How BIM Contributes to a Building’s Energy Efficiency throughout Its Whole Life Cycle: Systematic Mapping

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6680
Author(s):  
Tatjana Vilutienė ◽  
Rasa Džiugaitė-Tumėnienė ◽  
Diana Kalibatienė ◽  
Darius Kalibatas
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Systematic Mapping ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Building Life Cycle ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

This paper presents a systematic mapping (SM) study with the aim to determine how Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodologies and technologies contribute to energy-related analyses over the course of the entire building life cycle. The method adopted in the study is based on a set of seven research questions. We used a mixed technique combining co-citation analysis and bibliographic coupling in order to analyze the publications’ datasets for the period 2010–2020. The main advantage and novelty of this study are that the joint dataset from the Scopus and Web of Science databases was used to develop the keyword map. The main findings of this study indicate that many BIM-based applications can be used to analyze the building energy performance at all stages of the building life cycle. However, the applications of BIM in conjunction with other information technologies are limited and are still in the initial stage. In the future, the main improvements should be focused on process, model, system, tool, use and information modeling. The most promising long-term solution is an open BIM framework based on open standards, which allows the integration of BIM and energy simulation tools and satisfies specific data exchange requirements.

MULTI‐ATTRIBUTE ANALYSIS FOR THE ECO‐ENERGETIC ASSESSMENT OF THE BUILDING LIFE CYCLE

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 593-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sobotka ◽  
Zbigniew Rolak
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Attribute Analysis ◽  
Solution Selection ◽  
Optimum Solution ◽  
Building Life Cycle ◽  
Implementation Of Standards

In the recent years, attention has been attracted to the development of activities (developing and implementation of standards, directives, regulations, policies etc.) related to the environmental protection and implementation of the principles of sustainable development. Also in Poland, principles ofthat concept are put into practice. There is, however, a shortage of elaborations which the future investor or designer could, in an easy way, utilise for the selection of environment‐friendly materials, technologies, building utilities and so forth, i.e. to design a facility which causes the least harm possible to the environment, maintaining at the same time low energy demand during its life cycle. According to the philosophy of environmental protection, a building design should take into consideration its entire life cycle, and its structure and utilities should allow the supplies of energy needed for heating to be eliminated while using the building. The present paper aims to give multi‐attribute analysis for assessment of building variants, which utilises the Life Cycle Assessment method (LCA). The method defines a number of so‐called environmental impact categories, which include criteria to be considered while selecting a solution, which minimises such impacts. The most important of them and costs are taken into account in the multi‐criteria analysis for optimum solution selection. The results of eco‐energetic assessment of variants house are grounds to supporting decisions in programming, designing and performing houses, taking into consideration numerous others aspects (usable, technical, social etc.). Santrauka Pastaraisiais metais pasaulyje vis daugiau dėmesio skiriama aplinkosaugai ir darnaus vystymosi principų įgyvendinimui (politikos formavimui, standartų, direktyvų kūrimui ir įgyvendinimui). Lenkijoje taip pat bandoma įgyvendinti šiuos principus. Tačiau iki šiol stigo tipinių sprendimų, kuriuos investuotojas ar projektuotojas galėtų pritaikyti nekenksmingų aplinkai medžiagų, technologijų ir inžinerinių sistemų pasirinkimui, t. y. suprojektuoti pastatą, darantį mažiausiai žalos aplinkai, tuo pat metu sunaudojantį mažai energijos per visą savo gyvavimo ciklą. Pagal aplinkosaugos koncepciją pastatas turi būti suprojektuotas atsižvelgiant į visą jo gyvavimo ciklą, o jo konstrukcija ir inžinerinės sistemos turėtų užtikrinti minimalų poreikį šildyti eksploatuojamą pastatą. Straipsnyje pateikiama daugiakriterinė pastato variantų analizė atsižvelgiant į jo gyvavimo ciklą. Metodas įvertina rodikliais apibūdinamas poveikio aplinkai kategorijas, paskui priimamas sprendimas, užtikrinantis mažiausią poveikį aplinkai. Atliekant daugiakriterinę analizę ir priimant optimalų sprendimą vertinami svarbiausieji poveikiai ir kaina. Ekoenerginio pastato variantų vertinimo rezultatai yra pagrindas sprendimams priimti projektuojant ir eksploatuojant pastatus, taip pat vertinant kitus aspektus (eksploatacinius, socialinius).

scholarly journals S-LCA applications: a case studies analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 10009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria C. Lucchetti ◽  
Gabriella Arcese ◽  
Marzia Traverso ◽  
Chiara Montauti
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Lca Methodology ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Iso 14040 ◽  
Production Distribution

S-LCA is defined by the guidelines established by the 2009 UNEP/SETAC, as "a technique for assessing social (real or potential) impacts with the aim of evaluating the socio-economic aspects of the products and their potential impacts, positive and negative, along their life cycle, including the extraction and processing of raw materials, production, distribution, use, reuse, maintenance, recycling and final disposal"[1]. In addition, the S-LCA follows the same structure presented in the ISO 14040-14044 (2006) standards for the Life cycle assessment method[2][3]. The number of case studies that emerge from the literature show that this tool is a significant success among the scientific community and industrial sector. Based on a systematic review of the literature conducted on the case studies reported in the literature between 2013-2017 based on 48 case studies, we have been carried out and mapped some productive sectors such as the agri-food sector, automotive, metal and textile. This analysis has made it possible to highlight how, especially in the last 2 years, the application to the practical cases of the S-LCA methodology has been increased, as well as the number of integrated use of the two environmental LCA and S-LCA instruments, allowing so the application also to SMEs.

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