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Built Religious Heritage, Circular Economy, and Life-Cycle Assessment: A Case Study of a Convent Property in the Province of Quebec, Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Étienne Berthold

    (Department of Geography, Laval University, Pavillon Abitibi-Price, 2405 Rue de la Terrasse, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada)

  • Kim Pawliw

    (Department of Geography, Laval University, Pavillon Abitibi-Price, 2405 Rue de la Terrasse, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada)

  • Sarah Righi

    (Écobâtiment, 870 Avenue de Salaberry, Office 224, Québec, QC G1R 2T9, Canada)

Abstract

When it comes to the circular economy, studies devoted to religious built heritage focus mainly on the interest of the adaptive reuse of buildings, e.g., recycling a building for new contemporary uses. The present study proposes to go a step further by deploying, for the first time in the literature, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) to a monastery-type religious building located in the province of Quebec, Canada. To this end, this study takes into account the embodied and operational energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the building’s entire life cycle, from its construction, in 1907, to the rehabilitation scenario currently under analysis. It also compares this scenario to a new building to determine the best option from an environmental point of view. The article concludes with the importance of using LCA in the context of religious buildings. It also calls for qualitative factors to be taken into account, which could enhance the results of the LCA by better integrating the precepts of the circular economy, in particular the attitudes and coping strategies of occupants with regard to operational energy consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Étienne Berthold & Kim Pawliw & Sarah Righi, 2025. "Built Religious Heritage, Circular Economy, and Life-Cycle Assessment: A Case Study of a Convent Property in the Province of Quebec, Canada," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-30, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:10:p:2512-:d:1654742
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alessandro Lo Faro & Alessia Miceli, 2021. "New Life for Disused Religious Heritage: A Sustainable Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-24, July.
    2. Étienne Berthold & Kim Pawliw & Mathieu St-Pierre & Francis Pronovost & Léa Méthé, 2024. "Operational Energy in Historic Religious Buildings: A Qualitative Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-21, October.
    3. Juana Camacho-Otero & Casper Boks & Ida Nilstad Pettersen, 2018. "Consumption in the Circular Economy: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-25, August.
    4. Bin, Guoshu & Parker, Paul, 2012. "Measuring buildings for sustainability: Comparing the initial and retrofit ecological footprint of a century home – The REEP House," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 24-32.
    5. Elena Rudan, 2023. "Circular Economy of Cultural Heritage—Possibility to Create a New Tourism Product through Adaptive Reuse," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-12, March.
    6. Gaballo Marika & Mecca Beatrice & Abastante Francesca, 2021. "Adaptive Reuse and Sustainability Protocols in Italy: Relationship with Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-15, July.
    7. Marta Dell’Ovo & Federico Dell’Anna & Raffaella Simonelli & Leopoldo Sdino, 2021. "Enhancing the Cultural Heritage through Adaptive Reuse. A Multicriteria Approach to Evaluate the Castello Visconteo in Cusago (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-29, April.
    8. Pisello, Anna Laura & Petrozzi, Alessandro & Castaldo, Veronica Lucia & Cotana, Franco, 2016. "On an innovative integrated technique for energy refurbishment of historical buildings: Thermal-energy, economic and environmental analysis of a case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1313-1322.
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