Impact of building service life models on life cycle assessment
Abstract
Life cycle assessments (LCAs) of buildings often use an operational lifetime of approximately 50 years, and have simplified descriptions of building operations and maintenance. The typical service life period is inappropriate for some materials given their exposure and use, and the simplified descriptions do not fully represent maintenance, repair and replacement cycles. Building service life prediction modelling is examined to improve the representation of service life in LCA and the evaluation of environmental impacts. A process is developed that incorporates service life, operational energy and LCA modelling which provides a means of examining the effects of materials and systems in building operation, maintenance, repair and replacement. This process advances the field of building LCA by representing a more complete and accurate building life cycle, and by highlighting the impact of building service life models on the LCA methodological assumptions. Nine building envelope combinations are modelled. Cumulative life cycle impact and life cycle impact per year are shown to be primarily dependent on predicted material longevity (i.e. the frequency of major replacement of the envelope systems, as well as the differences in the frequency and intensity of prescribed maintenance) and the environmental indicators analysed. Les analyses du cycle de vie (ACV) des bâtiments utilisent souvent une durée de vie opérationnelle d'environ 50 ans, et offrent une description simplifiée du fonctionnement et de la maintenance des bâtiments. La durée de vie utile type n'est pas adaptée à certains matériaux, compte tenu de leur exposition et de leur utilisation, et les descriptions simplifiées ne reflètent pas pleinement les cycles de maintenance, de réparation et de remplacement. La modélisation de la prévision de la durée de vie utile des bâtiments est examinée afin d'améliorer la prise en compte de la durée de vie utile dans l'analyse du cycle de vie et l'évaluation des incidences sur l'environnement. Il est élaboré un processus qui intègre la durée de vie utile, l'énergie opérationnelle et la modélisation de l'analyse du cycle de vie, et qui fournit un moyen d'examiner les effets des matériaux et des systèmes sur le fonctionnement, la maintenance, la réparation et le remplacement des bâtiments. Ce processus fait progresser le domaine des ACV des bâtiments en décrivant un cycle de vie des bâtiments plus complet et plus exact, et en mettant en évidence l'impact des modèles de durée de vie utile des bâtiments sur les hypothèses méthodologiques des ACV. Neuf combinaisons d'enveloppes de bâtiment sont modélisées. Il est montré que les impacts cumulatifs du cycle de vie et les impacts du cycle de vie par année dépendent essentiellement de la longévité prévue des matériaux (à savoir, de la fréquence des principaux remplacements des systèmes de l'enveloppe, ainsi que des différences quant à la fréquence et à l'intensité de la maintenance prévue) et des indicateurs environnementaux analysés. Mots clés: bâtiments, durabilité, analyse du cycle de vie (ACV), longévité, maintenance, prévision de la durée de vie utile, durée
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Grant and Ries show that longer building lifetimes increase operational energy use when older buildings are designed to poorer standards.
“Grant and Ries [116] show that longer building lifetimes increase operational energy use when older buildings are designed to poorer standards.”
From Material efficiency strategies to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings, vehicles, and electronics—a review (2019) · cites this paper as [116]
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- Authors
- Grant, A., & Ries, R.
- Affiliations
- University of West Florida (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- Corresponding author
- Grant, Aneurin
- Venue
- Building Research & Information
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2012-10-29
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 168-186
- ISSN
- 0961-3218 (ISSN-L)
- 1466-4321
- OpenAlex
- W2084228578
- Cited by
- 103
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 2.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Building Research & Information (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Accounting › Life Cycle Costing Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Building Design and Assessment
- Keywords
- building service life, building life cycle assessment, building envelope, building maintenance, material substitution, operational energy, life cycle impacts, environmental impact of buildings, building materials, building operation and maintenance, building services
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