ESG FACTOR
What is LCA (life-cycle assessment) for buildings?
Let's talk about the Life Cycle Assessment of Building Materials (LCA) process and the integration of this process with the assessment of international eco-standards for buildings.
LCA assesses the environmental impact of building materials, from extraction of raw materials for production to disposal at the end of life. The transportation process is also an important element of the assessment - on average, 80% of the environmental impact comes from the supply chain.
Every element of a building and every object of everyday life has an ecological footprint. The LCA (life cycle assessment) process quantifies and summarizes its impact over the life cycle of the material.
LCA assesses the environmental impact of building materials, from extraction of raw materials for production to disposal at the end of life. The transportation process is also an important element of the assessment - on average 80% of the environmental impact comes from the supply chain.
The main categories of LCA assessment according to ISO 14040:
✔️ global warming potential,
✔️ the amount of carbon emitted (kg eq CO2) for building elements,
✔️ depletion of the ozone layer,
✔️ eutrophication (harmful algae growth in water bodies),
✔️ depletion of non-renewable energy sources (oil, gas, coal).
The LCA assessment is an important part of defining a green building. Proven energy efficiency and structural reliability do not always indicate that an asset is green.
For example, a well-insulated building with a low thermal conductivity coefficient may include an increased amount of insulation, which uses more energy to produce than is saved during the operational phase.
In BREEAM the LCA assessment is dedicated to the Mat 01 criterion - carrying out a study allows you to earn up to 7 points. BRE Global approved software - such as One Click LCA - must be used in the assessment. After downloading the project data, each material is correlated to the corresponding one from the software database, which contains information about its life cycle. The database also contains information on the existence of an EPD declaration, which is a document that calculates environmental emissions and resource consumption throughout the construction product chain.
LCA is also performed by our experts outside of the certification process, allowing you to be more conscious in your choice of building components and reducing the environmental impact of the building in the future.
We would be happy to perform an LCA assessment for your building!
#breeam #lca #lifecycleassessment
LCA assesses the environmental impact of building materials, from extraction of raw materials for production to disposal at the end of life. The transportation process is also an important element of the assessment - on average 80% of the environmental impact comes from the supply chain.
The main categories of LCA assessment according to ISO 14040:
✔️ global warming potential,
✔️ the amount of carbon emitted (kg eq CO2) for building elements,
✔️ depletion of the ozone layer,
✔️ eutrophication (harmful algae growth in water bodies),
✔️ depletion of non-renewable energy sources (oil, gas, coal).
The LCA assessment is an important part of defining a green building. Proven energy efficiency and structural reliability do not always indicate that an asset is green.
For example, a well-insulated building with a low thermal conductivity coefficient may include an increased amount of insulation, which uses more energy to produce than is saved during the operational phase.
In BREEAM the LCA assessment is dedicated to the Mat 01 criterion - carrying out a study allows you to earn up to 7 points. BRE Global approved software - such as One Click LCA - must be used in the assessment. After downloading the project data, each material is correlated to the corresponding one from the software database, which contains information about its life cycle. The database also contains information on the existence of an EPD declaration, which is a document that calculates environmental emissions and resource consumption throughout the construction product chain.
LCA is also performed by our experts outside of the certification process, allowing you to be more conscious in your choice of building components and reducing the environmental impact of the building in the future.
We would be happy to perform an LCA assessment for your building!
#breeam #lca #lifecycleassessment
OUR SERVICES
Reliable team of professionals, with experience of certifying
more than 5 000 000 sqm BREEAM / LEED projects globally
more than 5 000 000 sqm BREEAM / LEED projects globally
- Preliminary assessment and strategy
- BREEAM AP services
- BREEAM International New construction
- BREEAM In-Use
- BREEAM Refurbishment & Fit-Out
- LEED
Innovative certification method.
For new construction and buildings in operation
For new construction and buildings in operation
- Preliminary assessment
- WELL / FITWEL certification
Engineering systems' test-drive before the construction start!
Scientific approach to design.
Scientific approach to design.
- Energy efficiency modeling
- Thermal comfort modeling
- Natural lighting simulation
- Environmental policies
- Building user manuals and transport plans
- Life cycle costing (LCC)
- Life cycle assessment (LCA)
- Acoustic comfort measurement
- Flood & Hazard risk assessment
- Site ecology assessment
- Lighting efficiency measurements
- Air quality assessment
If you work with the building during the certification process, we are always ready to support you!
- BREEAM / LEED / WELL workshops for the team - online or in your office
- Consultations on standarts' requirements implementation to the design documentation
- Reviews of the existing building documentation
- Preparing of the ESG strategy for the buildings portfolio
- Support of participation in the GRESB rating
- Consultation on obtaining the ESG-ratings
