Comparing environmental impacts of four building envelope configurations using e-Tool LCA

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2013
Fazlı, Torkan
Environmental degradation and exhaustion of nonrenewable resources are the unavoidable results of the era we live in. Fortunately, awareness regarding these impacts has increased and so has actions aiming to reduce the related environmental impacts. Building construction industry is one of the important contributors and one of the major consumers of natural resources. Building material selection plays an important role in sustainable building design. Reducing environmental impacts of building materials especially in material production stage is one of the significant steps towards mitigating these impacts. This study focuses on evaluating four different building envelopes according to conventional construction techniques in Turkey on the basis of their environmental impacts. Erdoğan Akdağ Center for Research and Education as a case study is located in Yozgat, Turkey was selected and eTool LCA software was used to calculate the environmental impacts of four building envelopes according to six indicators, namely: global-warming-potential, fossil fuels consumption, fresh water consumption, ozone layer depletion and acidification. Furthermore, the information related to case study building and data required for three stages of LCA are used to quantify these environmental impacts. It was seen that AAC is the most environmentally friendly material in comparison to concrete and brick.

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Citation Formats
T. Fazlı, “Comparing environmental impacts of four building envelope configurations using e-Tool LCA,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2013.