| 1. |
- Assefa, Getachew, et al.
(author)
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Environmental assessment of building properties — Where natural and social sciences meet : the case of EcoEffect
- 2007
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In: Building and Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-1323 .- 1873-684X. ; 42:3, s. 1458-1464
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The EcoEffect method of assessing external and internal impacts of building properties is briefly described. The external impacts of manufacturing and transport of the building materials, the generation of power and heat consumed during the operation phase are assessed using life-cycle methodology. Emissions and waste; natural resource depletion and toxic substances in building materials are accounted for. Here methodologies from natural sciences are employed. The internal impacts involve the assessment of the risk for discomfort and ill-being due to features and properties of both the indoor environment and outdoor environment within the boundary of the building properties. This risk is calculated based on data and information from questionnaires; measurements and inspection where methodologies mainly from social sciences are used. Life-cycle costs covering investment and utilities costs as well as maintenance costs summed up over the lifetime of the building are also calculated.The result presentation offers extensive layers of diagrams and data tables ranging from an aggregated diagram of environmental efficiency to quantitative indicators of different aspects and factors. Environmental efficiency provides a relative measure of the internal quality of a building property in relation to its external impact vis-à-vis its performance relative to other building properties.
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| 2. |
- Assefa, Getachew, et al.
(author)
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Quality versus impact : Comparing the environmental efficiency of building properties using the EcoEffect tool
- 2010
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In: Building and Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-1323 .- 1873-684X. ; 45:5, s. 1095-1103
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There are tools that are developed for the assessment of the environmental impact of buildings (e.g. ATHENA). Other tools dealing with the indoor and outdoor environmental quality of building properties (referred to as real estates in other literature) are also available (e.g. GBTool). A platform where both the aspects of quality and impact are presented in an integrated fashion are few. The aim of this contribution is to present how the performance of different building properties can be assessed and compared using the concept of environmental efficiency in a Swedish assessment tool called EcoEffect. It presents the quality dimension in the form of users' satisfaction covering indoor and outdoor performance features against the weighted environmental impact covering global and local impacts. The indoor and outdoor values are collected using questionnaires combined with inspection and some measurements. Life cycle methodology is behind the calculation of the weighted external environmental impact. A case study is presented to show the application of EcoEffect using a comparative assessment of Lindas and a Reference property. The results show that Lindas block is better in internal environment quality than the Reference property. It performs slightly worse than the Reference property in the external environmental impact due to emissions and waste from energy and material use. The approach of integrated presentation of quality and impact as in EcoEffect provides with the opportunity of uncovering issues problem shifting and sub-optimisation. This avoids undesirable situations where the indoor quality is improved through measures that result in higher external environmental impact.
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| 3. |
- Barjot, Zoé, et al.
(author)
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Limit values in LCA-based regulations for buildings – System boundaries and implications on practice
- 2024
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In: Building and Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-1323 .- 1873-684X. ; 259
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rapidly reducing the climate impacts of the construction and use of buildings is acknowledged as a key lever to meet European and national climate goals. Life cycle-based regulations, in the form of mandatory declaration of the climate impact of new-build, are being introduced, often planned to be or already complemented with performance-based limit values. This development has increasingly raised questions on how different system boundaries for similar limit values applied in various countries might lead to diverging implications in practice. A sample of 50 real-life case buildings of different typologies, representative of contemporary Swedish construction, is used to compare implications of two different system boundaries for embodied GHGe assessment: SB1) life cycle modules A1-A5 i.e. initial, that is upfront GHGe and SB2) life cycle modules A1-A5 + B2–B4, i.e. adding recurring GHGe, according to the European EN 15978 standard. The results show that for the two system boundaries applied, no difference is seen concerning the sample buildings' ability to perform below a limit value as defined in current Swedish regulatory plans, nor would it lead to different design choices to ensure that a building performs below the limit value. The results of sensitivity analyses along with the relative nature of the results, suggest these conclusions are also relevant for other regulatory contexts. As a conclusion, this study shows that implementing LCA-based regulations focusing on initial embodied GHGe is an important step to rapidly and effectively address GHGe associated with new-build.
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| 4. |
- Berglund, Daniel, et al.
(author)
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Comparative life-cycle assessment for renovation methods of waste water sewerage systems for apartment buildings
- 2018
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In: Journal of Building Engineering. - : Elsevier. - 2352-7102. ; 19, s. 98-108
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This comparative life-cycle assessment highlights three main alternatives for renovation of waste water sewerage: pipe replacement, cured- in- place pipe (CIPP) lining (also called sliplining) and renovation by coatings. The functional unit of this study is a six-story block house that was built in 1960 and has 29 apartments. The characterized results of environmental impacts display an advantage for CIPP-lining over pipe replacement in 14 of the 18 studied impact categories. Regarding those categories in which impacts were comparatively large, when looking at the average impact from a European citizen according to the ReCiPe methodology for life cycle inventory list, pipe replacement has greater impacts than CIPP-lining. In general, the impacts of pipe replacement are related to new tiles, expanded polyester cement, the screed, and the material for waterproofing, as well as the electricity needed for drying the structure. The CIPP-lining method displays higher impacts than pipe replacement in just four categories. These impacts are, to a large extent, caused by the use of consumables such as gloves and cotton cloths. From an LCA-perspective, the study shows that the CIPP and coatings relining methods have advantages over pipe replacement under the condition that the technical lifetime is the same for these methods. Still, the uncertainty of service life, as well as Bisphenol A (BPA) emissions, remain as issues of concern for further study. There are also other differences among the alternatives that ultimately influence a property owner's choice of method, such as costs, inconvenience for the residents, renewal of bathroom interiors, and the way in which the property owner values the alternative technologies.
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| 5. |
- Berglund, Daniel, et al.
(author)
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Relining eller rörbyte - en jämförelse med LCA
- 2018
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Reports (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Denna jämförande livscykelbedömning belyser tre huvudalternativ för renovering av avloppsrör; rörbyte, relining med rörfoder (strumpmetoden, CIPP-lining) som även kallas sliplining och renovering icke-bärande plastbeläggningar. Den funktionella enheten i denna studie är ett sex våningar högt punkthus som byggdes 1960 och som har 29 lägenheter. De redovisade resultaten av miljöpåverkan visar att strumpmetoden har fördelar framför rörbyte i 14 av de 18 undersökta kategorierna. När det gäller de kategorier där påverkningarna var förhållandevis stora, jämfört med en genomsnittliga europeisk medborgares årliga miljöbelastning, enligt ReCiPe-metoden, så har renoveringmetoden rörbyte större påverkan än strumpmetoden. Påverkningarna av rörbyte är främst relaterade till nya klinkerplattor, EPS-cement, avjämningsmassor och materialet för tätskikt, och även den el som behövs för att torka byggnaden. Strumpmetoden visar högre påverkan än rörbyte i fyra kategorier. Dessa påverkningar orsakas till stor del av användningen av förbrukningsmaterial som handskar och bomullstrasor. Ur ett LCA-perspektiv visar studien att strumpmetoden och icke-bärande beläggningsreningsmetoder har fördelar framför rörbyte under förutsättning att den tekniska livslängden är densamma. Osäkerheten om livslängden och även frågan om utsläpp av Bisphenol A (BPA) är aspekter som behöver fortsatta studier. Det finns också andra faktorer som till sist påverkar vilken metod för stamrenovering som en fastighetsägare väljer; kostnader, besvär för de boende, behov av renovering av badrum till sist hur fastighetsägaren själv värderar de olika alternativen.
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| 6. |
- Birgisdottir, H., et al.
(author)
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IEA ESC annex 57 'evaluation of embodied energy and CO2eq for building construction'
- 2017
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In: Energy and Buildings. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA. - 0378-7788 .- 1872-6178. ; 154, s. 72-80
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The current regulations to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from buildings have focused on operational energy consumption. Thus legislation excludes measurement and reduction of the embodied energy and embodied GHG emissions over the building life cycle. Embodied impacts are a significant and growing proportion and it is increasingly recognised that the focus on reducing operational energy consumption needs to be accompanied by a parallel focus on reducing embodied impacts. Over the last six years the Annex 57 has 'addressed this issue, with researchers from 15 countries working together to develop a detailed understanding of the multiple calculation methods and the interpretation of their results. Based on an analysis of 80 case studies, Annex 57 showed various inconsistencies in current methodological approaches, which inhibit comparisons of results and difficult development of robust reduction strategies. Reinterpreting the studies through an understanding of the methodological differences enabled the cases to be used to demonstrate a number of important strategies for the reduction of embodied impacts. Annex 57 has also produced clear recommendations for uniform definitions and templates which improve the description of system boundaries, completeness of inventory and quality of data, and consequently the transparency of embodied impact assessments.
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| 7. |
- Bradley, Karin, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Därför är ekonomisk tillväxt en risk
- 2016
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In: Dagens samhälle. - : Dagens Samhälle AB. - 1652-6511.
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Research review (pop. science, debate, etc.)
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| 8. |
- Brismark, Johanna, et al.
(author)
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Climate Mitigation in the Swedish Single-Family Homes Industry and Potentials for LCA as Decision Support
- 2022
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI. - 2075-5309. ; 12:5, s. 588-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Decision support tools for incentivizing environmentally sound decisions in building design,such as LCA (life cycle assessment), have been highlighted as an essential feature for enhancingthe realization of more sustainable buildings. Nevertheless, the use of LCA to support decisions inbuilding design is still limited in practice. A better understanding of the social dynamics and detailedcontexts of the decisions leading up to a final building design is therefore critical for better integrationof LCA-based information in the decision-making processes. This paper reports a qualitative, semistructuredinterview study of single-family home producers in Sweden and their decision-making inrelation to climate mitigation, with a particular focus on embodied carbon mitigation. By studying aspecific branch of the building and construction sector, a more in-depth record can be obtained of theparticularities of implementation contexts and decision-making situations in which LCA may, or maynot, have a role in driving climate mitigation. Four primary decision contexts in which LCA mayhave an influential role to drive embodied carbon reduction include: (1) the development of buildingsystems, (2) development and offering of house models, (3) the selection of construction products forthe building system as well as for the offer of add-on products to customers, and (4) the dialoguesin the individual house-buyer projects. Decision-making that affects sustainable outcomes in thispart of the sector is very much dependent on a supporting regulatory context. Over the years, usingbuilding LCA in early design stages, for optimization towards low-impact final buildings, has been arepeatedly promoted recommendation both in academia and practice. This study, however, revealsthat such a conclusion is too simplistic. The different overarching decision contexts identified for thisparticular branch display the variety of needs for life cycle-based information.
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| 9. |
- Brown, Nils, et al.
(author)
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Owner organizations' value-creation strategies through environmental certification of buildings
- 2016
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In: Building Research & Information. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0961-3218 .- 1466-4321. ; 44:8, s. 863-874
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The existing literature (mostly referencing heuristics of the valuation profession) provides little evidence on how property owners and managers themselves perceive value creation from environmental certification (EC) of buildings. To address this issue, questionnaire and interview data from non-residential EC building owners in Sweden are gathered and related in a strategy map' that explains their perceived value creation from EC. The mapping process also considers the four standard perspectives of the balanced scorecard, prompting researchers and owners to evaluate EC in terms of its contribution to long-term strategy, measuring it according to financial and non-financial metrics of organizational performance. The study confirmed that tenant demand is an important EC driver for property owners (particularly for large organizations) and therefore that increased EC awareness amongst tenants is important for EC and for further value creation. It was found that tool developers, property owners and valuers could all benefit from more closely aligning valuers' documentation requirements with those for accreditation with EC tools. Energy efficiency contributes significantly to value creation, but owners use energy management programs in addition to EC, possibly as a result of the performance gap phenomenon.
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| 10. |
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