Environmental Impact of Buildings─What Matters?
Open accessAbstract
The goal of this study was to identify drivers of environmental impact and quantify their influence on the environmental performance of wooden and massive residential and office buildings. We performed a life cycle assessment and used thermal simulation to quantify operational energy demand and to account for differences in thermal inertia of building mass. Twenty-eight input parameters, affecting operation, design, material, and exogenic building properties were sampled in a Monte Carlo analysis. To determine sensitivity, we calculated the correlation between each parameter and the resulting life cycle inventory and impact assessment scores. Parameters affecting operational energy demand and energy conversion are the most influential for the building’s total environmental performance. For climate change, electricity mix, ventilation rate, heating system, and construction material rank the highest. Thermal inertia results in an average 2–6% difference in heat demand. Nonrenewable cumulative energy demand of wooden buildings is 18% lower, compared to a massive variant. Total cumulative energy demand is comparable. The median climate change impact is 25% lower, including end-of-life material credits and 22% lower, when credits are excluded. The findings are valid for small offices and residential buildings in Switzerland and regions with similar building culture, construction material production, and climate.
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Heeren et al show that there is a slightly higher energy consumption in the shoulder season related to the loss of thermal mass when using wood instead of concrete or stone masonry buildings.
“Heeren et al [78] show that there is a slightly higher energy consumption in the shoulder season related to the loss of thermal mass when using wood instead of concrete or stone masonry buildings.”
From Material efficiency strategies to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings, vehicles, and electronics—a review (2019) · cites this paper as [78]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Heeren, N., Mutel, C. L., Steubing, B., Ostermeyer, Y., Wallbaum, H., & Hellweg, S.
- Affiliations
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- Paul Scherrer Institute (CH)
- Chalmers University of Technology (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Heeren, Niko
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2015-07-15
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 16
- Pages
- 9832-9841
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W933885099
- Cited by
- 128
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 6
- FWCI
- 6.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DORA PSI (Paul Scherrer Institute) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion)
- Chalmers Research (Chalmers University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- ETH Zürich Research Collection
- Funders
- Schweizerische Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (136612)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Building Energy and Comfort Optimization
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Building Design and Assessment
- Keywords
- environmental impact of buildings, wooden buildings, residential buildings, office buildings, thermal inertia, climate change impacts, cumulative energy demand, electricity mix, ventilation rate, heating systems, building materials production, sensitivity analysis, life cycle assessment
- MeSH terms
- Construction Materials, Environment, Housing, Models, Theoretical, Switzerland, Thermodynamics, Wood
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