Building Life Cycle Assessment — LCA
We will carry out an analysis of the LCA of the building allowing to assess the impact of the property on the natural environment from the erection of the building, through its use until the demolition.
LCA analysis of your property
Our lives are mostly in buildings. We live and work there. It is therefore not surprising that the environmental impact of real estate is really significant, about 40% of the energy consumed in the European Union is used precisely in buildings (Eurostat, EEA, 2023).
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) identifies these impacts throughout the life cycle of a building. The assessment is carried out in different categories, including carbon footprint. In the context of buildings, the detailed procedure for applying the LCA method is described in EN 15978. The LCA analysis provides the basis for the identification, hierarchy and determination of ways of upgrading facilities for environmental protection. In the context of buildings and construction products, the most relevant standards are: PN-EN 1597851 related to the method of environmental assessment of buildings and PN-EN 1580450 related to the method of environmental assessment of construction products.
Life cycle assessment is a technique that studies environmental aspects and the impact of a product throughout its life, which reflects the risks arising from improper management of the processes of production, construction and operation of construction facilities. The LCA methodology takes into account all ecosystems and their elements, so that it is possible to fully assess the environmental impact of the product, as well as the consumption of individual environmental resources. The analysis is carried out from the moment of obtaining the raw material, through the stage of production and use, until the end of its life.
The entire life cycle of a building consists of 15 modules assigned to three main stages of the cycle:
- A — input embedded carbon footprint (product phase and erection phase),
- B — built-in and operational carbon footprint (use phase),
- C — built-in carbon footprint (end of life phase).
The production phase includes modules A1 (extraction of raw materials), A2 (their transport to the production plant) and A3 (production of products). Further modules strictly related to the construction process are A4 (transport of products to the construction site) and A5 (construction process). Within the use phase, life cycle modules related to the permanent building components such as B1 (use), B2 (maintenance), B3 (repairs), B4 (replacements), B5 (renovations) and modules related to the media supplied to the building, i.e. B6 (energy consumption) and B7 (water consumption) were defined. The four modules associated with the end of life phase are C1 (demolition/demolition), C2 (debris and waste transport), C3 (waste processing) and C4 (waste disposal or disposal).
The analysis may also include Stage D, which takes into account any greenhouse gas emissions (or reductions thereof) that occur outside the life cycle of the facility in question and which may be linked to the re-use or recycling of building components in the new facility.
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Do you have any questions? We have the answers!
When do I need to calculate the carbon footprint of a building?
The EPBD Directive imposes an obligation to calculate the carbon footprint of a building from 1 January 2028 for newly constructed buildings (above 1000 m2), and from 1 January 2030 for all new buildings.
Jakie są najważniejsze korzyści z wykonania analizy LCA budynku?
Analiza LCA budynku jest podstawą do planowania działań dążących do redukcji śladu węglowego budynku. Dzięki badaniu możliwe jest podejmowanie trafnych decyzji dotyczących modernizacji, wyboru materiałów oraz zmian w użytkowaniu obiektu. Ponadto analiza precyzyjne określa, w jaki sposób budynek wpływa na otaczające środowisko. Analiza LCA pokazuje najważniejsze źródła emisji CO2 oraz wskazuje ścieżki związane ze zmniejszeniem śladu węglowego budynku. Audyt LCA budynku umożliwia także uzyskanie dodatkowych punktów w systemach certyfikacji budynków takich jak LEED i BREEAM, co wpływa na całkowitą ocenę budynku i poprawia jego konkurencyjność na rynku.
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