Life Cycle Assesment

Level_HowLevel_DetailedScale_HousingFoundation_AdaptationFoundation_MitigationTopic_Circularity & LCA
Written By Ioannis Lykouras

MATERIALS

Recorded by Urszula Kominska, images by Essi Nisonen and Veera Saastamoinen

KEY READINGS 

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INSPIRATIONAL BUILT EXAMPLES

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LIFE CYCLE ASSESMENT

Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts of buildings, products, and materials at all stages of their lifecycle. It looks into resource use, pollution, waste, toxicity to air, water, land, humans and ecology, energy and carbon used for extraction, transportation, and manufacturing, and maintenance, demolition, recycling, and waste disposal. Lifecycle Costing (LCC) is a method to assess the financial impacts of buildings, products and materials at all stages of their lifecycle, including the cost of extraction, transportation, production and construction, maintenance, and replacement. In Denmark, from 2023, LCA will be obligatory for all new buildings with more than 1000 square meters. LCC and Whole Life Costing (WCC) are important to consider the long-term costs and benefits of design decisions, and to take into account the resale value of dismantled building elements for reuse in the future. LCA and LCC are useful to understand and evaluate the impacts of material choices, and make more informed decisions.

Ioannis Lykouras
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Whole Life Carbon Approaches
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Sustainable Sources of Materials