Life cycle assessment of energy efficient buildings

Life Cycle Assessment for Buildings

The work presents the results of some case studies oriented toward the investigation of the potential of Life Cycle Assessment evaluations in the area of environmental impacts related to the life cycle of buildings. In particular, the aspects connected with the performance behavior of building components (and of the entire building organisms) are dealt, in relation to users’ needs which are cha...

Environmental life cycle assessment and optimization of buildings

The work aims to present initial efforts to the development of an integrated user friendly (architect-oriented) tool for the environmental assessment and optimization of buildings. The tool will focus on the preliminary design phase, where improvements, having a major influence on the building lifecycle, are still possible. A software tool for dynamic simulation of the building lifecycle will b...

Carbon and Energy Footprints of Prefabricated Industrial Buildings: A Systematic Life Cycle Assessment Analysis

A systematic analysis of green-house gases emission (carbon footprint) and primary energy consumption (energy footprint) of prefabricated industrial buildings during their entire life cycle is presented. The life cycle assessment (LCA) study was performed in a cradle-to grave approach: site-specific data from an Italian company, directly involved in all the phases from raw material manufacturin...

Energy Life‐cycle Assessment of Soybean Biodiesel Revisited

The first comprehensive life‐cycle assessment (LCA) for soybean biodiesel produced in the U.S. was completed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 1998, and the energy inventory for this analysis was updated in 2009 using 2002 data. The continual adoption of new technologies in farming, soybean processing, and for biodiesel conversion affects the life‐cycle energy use over time,...

Optimal Control of Energy Efficient Buildings