Dynamic Lifecycle Assessment in Building Construction Projects: Focusing on Embodied Emissions

Goune Kang, Hunhee Cho and Dongyoun Lee
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Goune Kang: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyang-daero, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi 10223, Korea
Hunhee Cho: School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea
Dongyoun Lee: School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 13, 1-16

Abstract: Understanding the structure and behavior of emissions in building systems is the first step toward improving the reliability of the environmental impact assessment of buildings. The shortcomings of current building lifecycle assessment (LCA) research is the lack of understanding of embodied emissions and static analysis. This study presents a methodology for the dynamic LCA of buildings, combined with the system dynamics technique. Dynamic factors related to recurrent embodied emissions are explored through a literature review. Applying the dynamic factors based on the review, a causal map and stock-flow diagram are invented. Collecting the field data and establishing the assumptions based on the literature, a case study is performed for the proposed model. As a result, through dynamic analysis, it was found that recurrent embodied emissions have a considerably different behavior from static ones during their whole life. Additionally, it was found that the environmental impacts changed by more than 10%, according to the variation of the users’ required performance level in sensitivity analysis. This result thoroughly addressed the necessity and appropriateness of dynamic LCA. The dynamic LCA model developed in this study can contribute to the long-term behavioral understanding of the embodied environmental impacts of building LCA.

Keywords: lifecycle assessment; recurrent embodied carbon; system dynamics; buildings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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