Making sense of LCA results when evaluating multiple building designs – comparison of interpretation concepts

Božiček, David (author), Almezeraani, Youssef (author), Košir, Mitja (author)

Identifying environmental hotspots and comparing design options are the most common goals in building life cycle assessment (LCA). Our paper focuses on the latter by identifying and evaluating various concepts for interpreting LCA results that can be applied when comparing multiple design options. The term LCA interpretation concept is introduced. Eight approaches were analysed and classified into three groups; (i) raw LCA data, (ii) benchmarking and (iii) single score indicator interpretation concepts. Features and attributes for making sense of LCA data were defined and used to evaluate how the investigated LCA interpretation concepts support decision-making. Finally, the results were compared and evaluated whether the applied LCA interpretation concepts could influence the designer's perception of environmental superiority. The outcomes show substantial differences in the ability of LCA interpretation concepts to support the decision-making process. Benchmarking, weighting and normalization are essential to making environmental decisions when comparing multiple design options coupled with multiple environmental indicators. Otherwise, the risk of decision-making dilemmas due to data overflow is high. Our case study with 21 design options showed that the perception of environmental superiority and inferiority may be conditioned by the selection of the LCA interpretation concept.

• Language: English
• Keywords: life cycle assessment, LCA results interpretation, building sustainability, building design, LCA interpretation concept, environmental assessment
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 129–147
• Numbering: Vol. 52, no. 1/2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-151734
• UDC: 502.131.1:69.059.4
• ISSN on article: 0961-3218
• DOI: 10.1080/09613218.2023.2236254
• COBISS.SI-ID: 160258563
• Publication date in RUL: 18.10.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Building research and information
• Shortened title: Build. res. inf.
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis, International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction
• ISSN: 0961-3218
• COBISS.SI-ID: 947989

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ocenjevanje življenjskega cikla, LCA, interpretacija LCA rezultatov, trajnostne stavbe, načrtovanje stavb, koncept LCA interpretacije, vrednotenje okoljskega vpliva

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: N2-0258
• Name: Študija toplotnih lastnosti in zmanjšanja vseživljenjskega vpliva alternativnih hibridnih ekonanomaterialov v okolju z nizkim tlakom

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0158
• Name: Gradbene konstrukcije in gradbena fizika