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Benchmarking the Life-Cycle Environmental Performance of Buildings

Author

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  • Helena Gervasio

    (ISISE, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
    European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Safety and Security of Buildings Unit, TP 480, Via E. Fermi 2749, Ispra, VA 21027, Italy)

  • Silvia Dimova

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Safety and Security of Buildings Unit, TP 480, Via E. Fermi 2749, Ispra, VA 21027, Italy)

  • Artur Pinto

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Safety and Security of Buildings Unit, TP 480, Via E. Fermi 2749, Ispra, VA 21027, Italy)

Abstract

The work presented in this paper is part of a research project aiming for the development of a performance-based approach for sustainable design, focusing on the efficient use of natural resources over the lifetime of buildings. The proposed approach requires the set of benchmarks to provide a consistent and transparent yardstick for the environmental performance of buildings and to strive towards an effective reduction in the use of resources and relative environmental impacts in the building sector. This paper focuses on the development of the framework for the quantification of the benchmarks. Additionally, a review of available benchmarks is provided, showing a huge diversity of values. One of the main factors contributing to such diversity is the lack of a reliable model for the quantification of the benchmarks. To overcome this problem, a consistent model for life-cycle assessment (LCA) is adopted, which is based on a standardized framework and enables comparability of results. Based on the proposed approach, a preliminary set of benchmarks for residential buildings is defined, leading to values in the range of 5–12 kg CO 2 /m 2 .yr and 68–186 MJ/m 2 .yr, for life-cycle global warming and total primary energy, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Helena Gervasio & Silvia Dimova & Artur Pinto, 2018. "Benchmarking the Life-Cycle Environmental Performance of Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-30, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:5:p:1454-:d:144954
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Maria De Fátima Castro & Ricardo Mateus & Francisco Serôdio & Luís Bragança, 2015. "Development of Benchmarks for Operating Costs and Resources Consumption to be Used in Healthcare Building Sustainability Assessment Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-27, September.
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    1. Paulo Cezar Vitorio Junior & Víctor Yepes & Moacir Kripka, 2022. "Comparison of Brazilian Social Interest Housing Projects Considering Sustainability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-21, May.
    2. Elisabetta Palumbo, 2021. "Effect of LCA Data Sources on GBRS Reference Values: The Envelope of an Italian Passive House," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, March.
    3. Elisa Di Giuseppe & Marco D’Orazio & Guangli Du & Claudio Favi & Sébastien Lasvaux & Gianluca Maracchini & Pierryves Padey, 2020. "A Stochastic Approach to LCA of Internal Insulation Solutions for Historic Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-35, February.
    4. Diana Carolina Gámez-García & José Manuel Gómez-Soberón & Ramón Corral-Higuera & Héctor Saldaña-Márquez & María Consolación Gómez-Soberón & Susana Paola Arredondo-Rea, 2018. "A Cradle to Handover Life Cycle Assessment of External Walls: Choice of Materials and Prognosis of Elements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-24, August.
    5. André Furtado & Hugo Rodrigues & Humberto Varum, 2023. "Simplified Guidelines for Retrofitting Scenarios in the European Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-30, March.
    6. Mona Abouhamad & Metwally Abu-Hamd, 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment Framework for Embodied Environmental Impacts of Building Construction Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-21, January.

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