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 in buildings (Eurostat, EEA, 2023) .Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) involves identifying this impact throughout the life cycle of a building.
The detailed procedure for applying the LCA method for buildings is described in EN 15978. The LCA analysis provides the basis for identifying, hierarchizing and determining how to modernize facilities to reduce their carbon footprint. 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 the environmental aspects and impact of a building 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 manufacturing phase includes modules:
- A1 — extraction of raw materials,
- A2 — transport of raw materials to the production plant,
- A3 — production of products.
The following modules are strictly related to the construction process:
- A4 — transport of products to the construction site,
- A5 — the construction process.
Within the use phase, the life cycle modules related to the permanent components of the building are defined:
- B1 — use,
- B2 — maintenance,
- B3 — repairs,
- B4 — exchanges,
- B5 — renovations
and modules related to the media brought into the building:
- B6 — energy consumption
B7 — water consumption.
The four modules associated with the end of life phase are:
- C1 — demolition/demolition,
- C2 — transport of debris and waste,
- C3 — waste treatment,
- C4 — disposal or disposal of waste.
The analysis may also include stage D. It shall take into account any greenhouse gas emissions (or reductions thereof) that occur outside the life cycle of the facility under consideration. They can be linked to the possibility of reusing building components in a new facility or recycling them.
Our realizations
Paweł Dek
Master engineer with several years of experience in the energy efficiency of commercial properties and the industrial industry, as well as in the measurement of the quality of the internal environment. He is the author or co-author of several dozen audits of energy and cost optimization of buildings, energy audits of enterprises, as well as CRREM decarbonization analyses. He graduated from the Faculty of Production Engineering of SGGW, majoring in Renewable Energy Technologies.
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.
What are the most important benefits of building LCA analysis?
Building LCA analysis is the basis for planning actions aimed at reducing the building's carbon footprint. Thanks to the study, it is possible to make the right decisions regarding modernization, selection of materials and changes in the use of the facility. In addition, precision analysis determines how the building affects the surrounding environment. The LCA analysis shows the most important sources of CO2 emissions and identifies pathways related to reducing the building's carbon footprint. The LCA audit of the building also allows you to obtain additional points in building certification systems such as LEED and BREEAM, which affects the overall assessment of the building and improves its competitiveness in the market.
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