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A Cradle to Handover Life Cycle Assessment of External Walls: Choice of Materials and Prognosis of Elements

Author

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  • Diana Carolina Gámez-García

    (Barcelona School of Architecture, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, 649 Diagonal Avenue, 08028 Barcelona, Spain)

  • José Manuel Gómez-Soberón

    (Barcelona School of Building Construction, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, 44-50 Doctor Marañón Avenue, 08028 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Ramón Corral-Higuera

    (Mochis Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, no number Fuente de Poseidón y Ángel Flores, 81210 Los Mochis, Mexico)

  • Héctor Saldaña-Márquez

    (Barcelona School of Architecture, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, 649 Diagonal Avenue, 08028 Barcelona, Spain)

  • María Consolación Gómez-Soberón

    (Civil Engineering School, Metropolitan Autonomous University. Av. San Pablo 180, 02200 Mexico City, Mexico)

  • Susana Paola Arredondo-Rea

    (Mochis Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, no number Fuente de Poseidón y Ángel Flores, 81210 Los Mochis, Mexico)

Abstract

This research focuses on a comparison of 20 external wall systems that are conventionally used in Spanish residential buildings, from a perspective based on the product and construction process stages of the life cycle assessment. The primary objective is to provide data that allow knowing the environmental behavior of walls built with materials and practices conventionally. This type of analysis will enable promoting the creation of regulations that encourage the use of combinations of materials that generate the most environmentally suitable result, and in turn, contribute to the strengthening of the embodied stages study of buildings and their elements. The results indicate that the greatest impact arises in the product stage (90.9%), followed by the transport stage (8.9%) and the construction process stage (<1%). Strategies (such as the use of large-format pieces and the controlled increase in thickness of the thermal insulation) can contribute to reducing the environmental impact; on the contrary, practices such as the use of small-format pieces and laminated plasterboard can increase the environmental burden. The prediction of the environmental behavior (simulation equation) allows these possible impacts to be studied in a fast and simplified way.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:8:p:2748-:d:161857
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    2. Diana Carolina Gámez-García & Héctor Saldaña-Márquez & José Manuel Gómez-Soberón & Susana Paola Arredondo-Rea & María Consolación Gómez-Soberón & Ramón Corral-Higuera, 2019. "Environmental Challenges in the Residential Sector: Life Cycle Assessment of Mexican Social Housing," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-24, July.
    3. Kailun Feng & Weizhuo Lu & Thomas Olofsson & Shiwei Chen & Hui Yan & Yaowu Wang, 2018. "A Predictive Environmental Assessment Method for Construction Operations: Application to a Northeast China Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-28, October.
    4. Marina Nikolić Topalović & Milenko Stanković & Goran Ćirović & Dragan Pamučar, 2018. "Comparison of the Applied Measures on the Simulated Scenarios for the Sustainable Building Construction through Carbon Footprint Emissions—Case Study of Building Construction in Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, December.
    5. Kailun Feng & Weizhuo Lu & Shiwei Chen & Yaowu Wang, 2018. "An Integrated Environment–Cost–Time Optimisation Method for Construction Contractors Considering Global Warming," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-23, November.
    6. Yovanna Elena Valencia-Barba & José Manuel Gómez-Soberón & María Consolación Gómez-Soberón & Fernando López-Gayarre, 2020. "An Epitome of Building Floor Systems by Means of LCA Criteria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-25, July.
    7. Henriette Fischer & Martin Aichholzer & Azra Korjenic, 2023. "Ecological Potential of Building Components in Multi-Storey Residential Construction: A Comparative Case Study between an Existing Concrete and a Timber Building in Austria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-18, April.
    8. Yuki Fuchigami & Keisuke Kojiro & Yuzo Furuta, 2020. "Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wood-Plastic Recycled Composite (WPRC) and Verification of the Effect of Reducing Emissions through Multiple Recycling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-13, March.
    9. Alberto Bezama & Jakob Hildebrandt & Daniela Thrän, 2021. "Integrating Regionalized Socioeconomic Considerations onto Life Cycle Assessment for Evaluating Bioeconomy Value Chains: A Case Study on Hybrid Wood–Concrete Ceiling Elements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, April.
    10. Keisuke Kojiro & Akane Kusumoto & Hiroaki Horiyama & Makoto Sumiyoshi & Masaaki Iwamoto & Koji Ishimoto & Yuzo Furuta, 2024. "Multiple Recycling of Wood–Plastic Recycled Composite (WPRC): Developing a Method to Evaluate the Degree of Degradation of Used WPRC," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-18, October.

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