Bernardette Soust | Universidad de Sevilla (original) (raw)
Papers by Bernardette Soust
E3S Web of Conferences
The embodied impacts calculation is increasing attention in research, and the use of Life Cycle A... more The embodied impacts calculation is increasing attention in research, and the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most widely recognised method for that purpose. To support architects and engineers in the use of LCA and to overcome the complexity of calculations in design stage practice, different frameworks for assessing building sustainability propose to conduct simplified LCA methods. Nevertheless, LCA implementation in these frameworks is not completely harmonised, causing problems of inaccuracy and incomplete assessments that generate incomparability among case studies and even possible deviations to achieve carbonneutral scenarios. There, the system boundary definition is a key step. The present paper aimed to illustrate its implications, analysing the implementation of the LCA in a building envelope of a certified passive house located in Italy. Two building sustainability frameworks, DGNB and Level(s), are used to identify how the system boundary definition influences ...
E3S Web of Conferences
The existing environmental crisis demands increased efforts to design more sustainable buildings,... more The existing environmental crisis demands increased efforts to design more sustainable buildings, which means the simultaneous balance between environmental preservation, economic growth, and social well-being. This challenging objective requires holistic methods that enable a comprehensive, multi-dimension, and quantitative approach such as allows the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). In addition, the existing context of digital transformation in the construction and building sector is increasing the use of digital tools based on the BIM methodology to support the assessment process and integrating more dimensions to guide decision-making. The present work presents a workflow that enables the calculation of the LCSA including operational and embodied aspects. The workflow proposes the building elements that should be included in the BIM model to enable the exchange of information. The workflow is focused on the Spanish context and includes the use of Revit (as BIM modele...
Automation in Construction
Building and Environment, 2021
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is increasingly used for decision-making in the design process of bui... more Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is increasingly used for decision-making in the design process of buildings and neighbourhoods. Therefore, visualisation of LCA results to support interpretation and decision-making becomes more important. The number of building LCA tools and the published literature has increased substantially in recent years. Most of them include some type of visualisation. However, there are currently no clear guidelines and no harmonised way of presenting LCA results. In this paper, we review the current state of the art in visualising LCA results to provide a structured overview. Furthermore, we discuss recent and potential future developments. The review results show a great variety in visualisation options. By matching them with common LCA goals we provide a structured basis for future developments. Case studies combining different kinds of visualisations within the design environment, interactive dashboards, and immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, show a big potential for facilitating the interpretation of LCA results and collaborative design processes. The overview and recommendations presented in this paper provide a basis for future development of intuitive and design-integrated visualisation of LCA results to support decision-making.
Sustainability, 2020
The construction sector plays an important role in moving towards a low-carbon economy. Life cycl... more The construction sector plays an important role in moving towards a low-carbon economy. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is considered one of the most effective methods of analytically evaluating environmental profiles and an efficient tool for calculating the environmental impacts in building design-oriented methodologies, such as building information modelling (BIM). At early design stages, generic LCA databases are used to conduct the life cycle inventory (LCI), while detailed stages require more detailed data, such as environmental product declarations (EPDs), namely documents that provide accurate results and precise analyses based on LCA. Limitations are recognized when using EPDs in BIM elements at different levels of development (LOD) in the design stages, especially related to the data consistency and system boundaries of the LCA. This paper presents a method of achieving accurate LCA results, that helps with decision-making and provides support in the selection of building prod...
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2019
The IEA EBC Annex 72 focuses on the assessment of the primary energy demand, greenhouse gas emiss... more The IEA EBC Annex 72 focuses on the assessment of the primary energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts of buildings during production, construction, use (including repair and replacement) and end of life (dismantling), i.e. during the entire life cycle of buildings. In one of its activities, reference buildings (size, materialisation, operational energy demand, etc.) were defined on which the existing national assessment methods are applied using national (if available) databases and (national/regional) approaches. The “be2226” office building in Lustenau, Austria was selected as one of the reference buildings. TU Graz established a BIM model and quantified the amount of building elements as well as construction materials required and the operational energy demand. The building assessment was carried out using the same material and energy demand but applying the LCA approach used in the different countries represented by the participating Annex experts. The ...
Journal of Architectural Engineering, 2018
Energy and Buildings, 2017
Current environmental problems arising from the building sector require tools to help reduce reso... more Current environmental problems arising from the building sector require tools to help reduce resource consumption and environmental impact. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely used tool to quantify the environmental impacts of the building sector. The literature recognizes the need to simplify the method application, especially to reduce and optimize data acquisition. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is defined as a virtual 3D building model which integrates with a database of their building elements. Several studies recognize that the integration of BIM and LCA can simplify data acquisition of the building as well as provide both tools with feedback. This paper reviews recent studies centered on BIM-based LCA, and also carries out a methodological analysis of their integration, focusing on the way that BIM can contribute to simplifying data input, and optimize output data and results during the LCA application in buildings. The results show the viability to develop methods based on BIM models for organizing building information used to estimate environmental and energy consumption impacts based on LCA, including: templates and plug-ins for BIM software, and the integration of automated processes combining different data and software. Reviewed papers are simplified LCA applications, mostly focused on CO2 emission calculation during the early stages of design. Finally, methodological challenges and recommendations for BIM and LCA tools are proposed.
Building and Environment, 2016
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is globally recognized as one of the most complete methods for enviro... more Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is globally recognized as one of the most complete methods for environmental assessment of buildings. Literature assumes that its applications in the building sector are prejudiced regarding complexity and difficulty. However, simplification is necessary, since it can facilitate LCA application in buildings. Moreover, growing interest on reducing environmental impact in the building sector, as well as the relevance of single-family houses on CO2 emissions have become key points on the wide spread of LCA. Therefore, this paper presents a research study about simplification in LCA recent studies applied to singlefamily houses. The review focuses on 20 cases that were analyzed according to ISO 14040, ISO 14044, EN 15978, and EN 15804 standards. The main objective was to identify the simplification strategies assumed in each paper, to clarify and to help to promote further developments on LCA. This paper examines system boundary definition, data sources, life cycle phases included, and environmental impact indicator calculated in case studies. Results show the variety of simplifications identified. They affect physical model definition, life cycle scenario definition and communication of results. In most cases, the functional unit was the complete building, the life cycle scenario definition included production, use and demolition phases, and the most considered environmental impact indicator was GWP. Finally, new challenges and recommendations were defined in order to establish common criteria to develop simplification strategies that allow results comparability in LCA of single-family houses.
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2012
Purpose The main goal of the paper is to carry out the first implementation of sustainability ass... more Purpose The main goal of the paper is to carry out the first implementation of sustainability assessment of the assembly step of photovoltaic (PV) modules production by Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and the development of the Life Cycle Sustainability Dashboard (LCSD), in order to compare LCSA results of different PV modules. The applicability and practicability of the LCSD is reported thanks to a case study. The results show that LCSA can be considered a valuable tool to support decision-making processes that involve different stakeholders with different knowledge and background. Method The sustainability performance of the production step of Italian and German polycrystalline silicon modules is assessed using the LCSD. The LCSD is an application oriented to the presentation of an LCSA study. LCSA comprises life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing and social LCA (S-LCA). The primary data collected for the German module are related to two different years, and this led to the evaluation of three different scenarios: a German 2008 module, a German 2009 module, and an Italian 2008 module. Results and discussion According to the LCA results based on Ecoindicator 99, the German module for example has lower values of land use [1.77 potential disappeared fractions (PDF) m 2 /year] and acidification (3.61 PDF m 2 /year) than the Italian one (land use 1.99 PDF m 2 /year, acidification 3.83 PDF m 2 /year). However, the German module has higher global warming potential [4.5E-05 disabilityadjusted life years (DALY)] than the Italian one [3.00E−05 DALY]. The economic costs of the German module are lower than the Italian one, e.g. the cost of electricity per FU for the German module is 0.12 €/m 2 compared to the Italian 0.85 €/m 2. The S-LCA results show significant differences between German module 2008 and 2009 that represent respectively the best and the worst overall social performances of the three considered scenarios compared by LCSD. The aggregate LCSD results show that the German module 2008 has the best overall sustainability performance and a score of 665 points out of 1,000 (and a colour scale of light green). The Italian module 2008 has the worst overall sustainability performance with a score of 404 points, while the German module 2009 is in the middle with 524 points. Conclusions The LCSA and LCSD methodologies represent an applicable framework as a tool for supporting decision-making processes which consider sustainable production and consumption. However, there are still challenges for a meaningful application, particularly the questions of the selection of social LCA indicators and how to weigh sets for the LCSD.
Maderas. Ciencia y tecnología, 2022
Varias medidas se están llevando a cabo en Uruguay para reducir las emisiones de CO 2 a la atmósf... more Varias medidas se están llevando a cabo en Uruguay para reducir las emisiones de CO 2 a la atmósfera, entre las que destaca la modificación de la matriz energética. En estos últimos años más del 90% de la energía eléctrica que se produjo provino de fuentes renovables, tales como la eólica, la hidroenergía o la biomasa. A pesar de estos progresos, el sector de la edificación, la construcción y el transporte continúan siendo en gran parte responsables de los impactos ambientales que producen las actividades humanas en el país. Por otra parte, diversos estudios muestran el avance en el desarrollo de metodologías de cálculo y la definición de estrategias que permitan reducirlas. En ese sentido la metodología del Análisis del Ciclo de Vida (ACV) es considerada una de las más trasparentes y reconocidas por la comunidad científica internacional. Este estudio tiene por objetivo el desarrollo de una propuesta metodológica basada en el ACV, para calcular los impactos ambientales que producen los edificios residenciales en madera durante su ciclo de vida. La verificación experimental se desarrolla a través del caso de "La Casa Uruguaya", una vivienda social unifamiliar construida en madera. La metodología propuesta permite, a partir de la fase avanzada del diseño de la vivienda, obtener resultados de los impactos ambientales que se producen durante su ciclo de vida completo. Los resultados demuestran la relevancia de las etapas de uso (uso de energía, mantenimiento, reparación, rehabilitación y sustitución) y de producto (extracción de materias primas, fabricación y transporte) sobre el resto de las fases del ciclo de vida consideradas. Palabras clave: Análisis del ciclo de vida, construcción en madera, diseño, sostenibilidad, vivienda unifamiliar, Uruguay.
Current environmental problems arising from the building sector require tools to help reduce reso... more Current environmental problems arising from the building sector require tools to help reduce resource consumption and environmental impact. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely used tool to quantify the environmental impacts of the building sector. The literature recognizes the need to simplify the method application, especially to reduce and optimize data acquisition. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is defined as a virtual 3D building model which integrates with a database of their building elements. Several studies recognize that the integration of BIM and LCA can simplify data acquisition of the building as well as provide both tools with feedback. This paper reviews recent studies centered on BIM-based LCA, and also carries out a methodological analysis of their integration, focusing on the way that BIM can contribute to simplifying data input, and optimize output data and results during the LCA application in buildings. The results show the viability to develop methods b...
1 Implications of using systematic decomposition structures to organize building LCA information:... more 1 Implications of using systematic decomposition structures to organize building LCA information: A comparative analysis of national standards and guidelinesIEA EBC ANNEX 72 B Soust-Verdaguer, A García Martínez, C Llatas, J.C. Gómez de Cózar, K Allacker, D Trigaux, E Alsema, B Berg, D Dowdell, W Debacker; R Frischknecht, L Ramseier, J Veselka, M Volf, P Hajek, A Lupíšek, Z Malik, G Habert; A Hollberg, S Lasvaux, B Peuportier, F Pomponi, L Wastiel, V Gomes, O Zara, , M Gomes, A Gusson Baiocchi, L Pulgrossi, C OuelletPlamondon, A Moncaster, R di Bari, R Horn, K Lenz, , M Balouktsi, T Lützkendorf; M Röck, E Hoxha, A Passer 1 Universidad de Sevilla, Instituto de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Spain; 2 KU Leuven, Belgium; 3 W/E Consultants, Netherlands; 4 BRANZ , New Zealand; 5 EnergyVille / VITO, Belgium; 6 treeze Ltd., Switzerland 7 Czech Technical University in Prague University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings, Czech Republic; 8 ETH Chair of Sustainable Construction...
Sustainability applied to the built environment has been basically understood as a strategy to im... more Sustainability applied to the built environment has been basically understood as a strategy to improve the efficiency. The evolution into ecology closer visions is becoming more intense. The paradigm of regeneration is presented as a complementary alternative to sustainability, emphasizing the association with nature, adaptation, recovery and resilience. New design tools and performance evaluation of built environment incorporating this strategy, are necessary. In this sense, how could the concept of regereneration improve tools of design and environmental assessments performance? This paper, through a literature review defines the main limitations of environmental assessment tool in the built environment; moreover analyzes incorporating regeneration paradigm to their evolution and challenges.
The refurbishment of traditional vernacular architecture is currently of interest for the conserv... more The refurbishment of traditional vernacular architecture is currently of interest for the conservation of heritage, historic landscape and cultural landscape, as well as for its potential benefits in the field of environmental sustainability. The carefully selected materials and techniques used in the refurbishment of a traditional dwelling in Sesga (Valencia, Spain) maintain the local construction techniques while causing the least possible environmental impact, saving on transport and transformation and construction energy. This article uses LCA to showcase this contribution, examining three scenarios: the first option is the refurbishment of the case study using natural traditional materials and techniques; the second presents a hypothetical refurbishment using widely used industrial materials; and a third option looks at the demolition of the existing building and the addition of a new construction with widely used industrial materials. This comparison has shown where and why th...
Critical Thinking in the Sustainable Rehabilitation and Risk Management of the Built Environment
E3S Web of Conferences
The embodied impacts calculation is increasing attention in research, and the use of Life Cycle A... more The embodied impacts calculation is increasing attention in research, and the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most widely recognised method for that purpose. To support architects and engineers in the use of LCA and to overcome the complexity of calculations in design stage practice, different frameworks for assessing building sustainability propose to conduct simplified LCA methods. Nevertheless, LCA implementation in these frameworks is not completely harmonised, causing problems of inaccuracy and incomplete assessments that generate incomparability among case studies and even possible deviations to achieve carbonneutral scenarios. There, the system boundary definition is a key step. The present paper aimed to illustrate its implications, analysing the implementation of the LCA in a building envelope of a certified passive house located in Italy. Two building sustainability frameworks, DGNB and Level(s), are used to identify how the system boundary definition influences ...
E3S Web of Conferences
The existing environmental crisis demands increased efforts to design more sustainable buildings,... more The existing environmental crisis demands increased efforts to design more sustainable buildings, which means the simultaneous balance between environmental preservation, economic growth, and social well-being. This challenging objective requires holistic methods that enable a comprehensive, multi-dimension, and quantitative approach such as allows the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). In addition, the existing context of digital transformation in the construction and building sector is increasing the use of digital tools based on the BIM methodology to support the assessment process and integrating more dimensions to guide decision-making. The present work presents a workflow that enables the calculation of the LCSA including operational and embodied aspects. The workflow proposes the building elements that should be included in the BIM model to enable the exchange of information. The workflow is focused on the Spanish context and includes the use of Revit (as BIM modele...
Automation in Construction
Building and Environment, 2021
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is increasingly used for decision-making in the design process of bui... more Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is increasingly used for decision-making in the design process of buildings and neighbourhoods. Therefore, visualisation of LCA results to support interpretation and decision-making becomes more important. The number of building LCA tools and the published literature has increased substantially in recent years. Most of them include some type of visualisation. However, there are currently no clear guidelines and no harmonised way of presenting LCA results. In this paper, we review the current state of the art in visualising LCA results to provide a structured overview. Furthermore, we discuss recent and potential future developments. The review results show a great variety in visualisation options. By matching them with common LCA goals we provide a structured basis for future developments. Case studies combining different kinds of visualisations within the design environment, interactive dashboards, and immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, show a big potential for facilitating the interpretation of LCA results and collaborative design processes. The overview and recommendations presented in this paper provide a basis for future development of intuitive and design-integrated visualisation of LCA results to support decision-making.
Sustainability, 2020
The construction sector plays an important role in moving towards a low-carbon economy. Life cycl... more The construction sector plays an important role in moving towards a low-carbon economy. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is considered one of the most effective methods of analytically evaluating environmental profiles and an efficient tool for calculating the environmental impacts in building design-oriented methodologies, such as building information modelling (BIM). At early design stages, generic LCA databases are used to conduct the life cycle inventory (LCI), while detailed stages require more detailed data, such as environmental product declarations (EPDs), namely documents that provide accurate results and precise analyses based on LCA. Limitations are recognized when using EPDs in BIM elements at different levels of development (LOD) in the design stages, especially related to the data consistency and system boundaries of the LCA. This paper presents a method of achieving accurate LCA results, that helps with decision-making and provides support in the selection of building prod...
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2019
The IEA EBC Annex 72 focuses on the assessment of the primary energy demand, greenhouse gas emiss... more The IEA EBC Annex 72 focuses on the assessment of the primary energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts of buildings during production, construction, use (including repair and replacement) and end of life (dismantling), i.e. during the entire life cycle of buildings. In one of its activities, reference buildings (size, materialisation, operational energy demand, etc.) were defined on which the existing national assessment methods are applied using national (if available) databases and (national/regional) approaches. The “be2226” office building in Lustenau, Austria was selected as one of the reference buildings. TU Graz established a BIM model and quantified the amount of building elements as well as construction materials required and the operational energy demand. The building assessment was carried out using the same material and energy demand but applying the LCA approach used in the different countries represented by the participating Annex experts. The ...
Journal of Architectural Engineering, 2018
Energy and Buildings, 2017
Current environmental problems arising from the building sector require tools to help reduce reso... more Current environmental problems arising from the building sector require tools to help reduce resource consumption and environmental impact. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely used tool to quantify the environmental impacts of the building sector. The literature recognizes the need to simplify the method application, especially to reduce and optimize data acquisition. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is defined as a virtual 3D building model which integrates with a database of their building elements. Several studies recognize that the integration of BIM and LCA can simplify data acquisition of the building as well as provide both tools with feedback. This paper reviews recent studies centered on BIM-based LCA, and also carries out a methodological analysis of their integration, focusing on the way that BIM can contribute to simplifying data input, and optimize output data and results during the LCA application in buildings. The results show the viability to develop methods based on BIM models for organizing building information used to estimate environmental and energy consumption impacts based on LCA, including: templates and plug-ins for BIM software, and the integration of automated processes combining different data and software. Reviewed papers are simplified LCA applications, mostly focused on CO2 emission calculation during the early stages of design. Finally, methodological challenges and recommendations for BIM and LCA tools are proposed.
Building and Environment, 2016
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is globally recognized as one of the most complete methods for enviro... more Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is globally recognized as one of the most complete methods for environmental assessment of buildings. Literature assumes that its applications in the building sector are prejudiced regarding complexity and difficulty. However, simplification is necessary, since it can facilitate LCA application in buildings. Moreover, growing interest on reducing environmental impact in the building sector, as well as the relevance of single-family houses on CO2 emissions have become key points on the wide spread of LCA. Therefore, this paper presents a research study about simplification in LCA recent studies applied to singlefamily houses. The review focuses on 20 cases that were analyzed according to ISO 14040, ISO 14044, EN 15978, and EN 15804 standards. The main objective was to identify the simplification strategies assumed in each paper, to clarify and to help to promote further developments on LCA. This paper examines system boundary definition, data sources, life cycle phases included, and environmental impact indicator calculated in case studies. Results show the variety of simplifications identified. They affect physical model definition, life cycle scenario definition and communication of results. In most cases, the functional unit was the complete building, the life cycle scenario definition included production, use and demolition phases, and the most considered environmental impact indicator was GWP. Finally, new challenges and recommendations were defined in order to establish common criteria to develop simplification strategies that allow results comparability in LCA of single-family houses.
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2012
Purpose The main goal of the paper is to carry out the first implementation of sustainability ass... more Purpose The main goal of the paper is to carry out the first implementation of sustainability assessment of the assembly step of photovoltaic (PV) modules production by Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and the development of the Life Cycle Sustainability Dashboard (LCSD), in order to compare LCSA results of different PV modules. The applicability and practicability of the LCSD is reported thanks to a case study. The results show that LCSA can be considered a valuable tool to support decision-making processes that involve different stakeholders with different knowledge and background. Method The sustainability performance of the production step of Italian and German polycrystalline silicon modules is assessed using the LCSD. The LCSD is an application oriented to the presentation of an LCSA study. LCSA comprises life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing and social LCA (S-LCA). The primary data collected for the German module are related to two different years, and this led to the evaluation of three different scenarios: a German 2008 module, a German 2009 module, and an Italian 2008 module. Results and discussion According to the LCA results based on Ecoindicator 99, the German module for example has lower values of land use [1.77 potential disappeared fractions (PDF) m 2 /year] and acidification (3.61 PDF m 2 /year) than the Italian one (land use 1.99 PDF m 2 /year, acidification 3.83 PDF m 2 /year). However, the German module has higher global warming potential [4.5E-05 disabilityadjusted life years (DALY)] than the Italian one [3.00E−05 DALY]. The economic costs of the German module are lower than the Italian one, e.g. the cost of electricity per FU for the German module is 0.12 €/m 2 compared to the Italian 0.85 €/m 2. The S-LCA results show significant differences between German module 2008 and 2009 that represent respectively the best and the worst overall social performances of the three considered scenarios compared by LCSD. The aggregate LCSD results show that the German module 2008 has the best overall sustainability performance and a score of 665 points out of 1,000 (and a colour scale of light green). The Italian module 2008 has the worst overall sustainability performance with a score of 404 points, while the German module 2009 is in the middle with 524 points. Conclusions The LCSA and LCSD methodologies represent an applicable framework as a tool for supporting decision-making processes which consider sustainable production and consumption. However, there are still challenges for a meaningful application, particularly the questions of the selection of social LCA indicators and how to weigh sets for the LCSD.
Maderas. Ciencia y tecnología, 2022
Varias medidas se están llevando a cabo en Uruguay para reducir las emisiones de CO 2 a la atmósf... more Varias medidas se están llevando a cabo en Uruguay para reducir las emisiones de CO 2 a la atmósfera, entre las que destaca la modificación de la matriz energética. En estos últimos años más del 90% de la energía eléctrica que se produjo provino de fuentes renovables, tales como la eólica, la hidroenergía o la biomasa. A pesar de estos progresos, el sector de la edificación, la construcción y el transporte continúan siendo en gran parte responsables de los impactos ambientales que producen las actividades humanas en el país. Por otra parte, diversos estudios muestran el avance en el desarrollo de metodologías de cálculo y la definición de estrategias que permitan reducirlas. En ese sentido la metodología del Análisis del Ciclo de Vida (ACV) es considerada una de las más trasparentes y reconocidas por la comunidad científica internacional. Este estudio tiene por objetivo el desarrollo de una propuesta metodológica basada en el ACV, para calcular los impactos ambientales que producen los edificios residenciales en madera durante su ciclo de vida. La verificación experimental se desarrolla a través del caso de "La Casa Uruguaya", una vivienda social unifamiliar construida en madera. La metodología propuesta permite, a partir de la fase avanzada del diseño de la vivienda, obtener resultados de los impactos ambientales que se producen durante su ciclo de vida completo. Los resultados demuestran la relevancia de las etapas de uso (uso de energía, mantenimiento, reparación, rehabilitación y sustitución) y de producto (extracción de materias primas, fabricación y transporte) sobre el resto de las fases del ciclo de vida consideradas. Palabras clave: Análisis del ciclo de vida, construcción en madera, diseño, sostenibilidad, vivienda unifamiliar, Uruguay.
Current environmental problems arising from the building sector require tools to help reduce reso... more Current environmental problems arising from the building sector require tools to help reduce resource consumption and environmental impact. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely used tool to quantify the environmental impacts of the building sector. The literature recognizes the need to simplify the method application, especially to reduce and optimize data acquisition. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is defined as a virtual 3D building model which integrates with a database of their building elements. Several studies recognize that the integration of BIM and LCA can simplify data acquisition of the building as well as provide both tools with feedback. This paper reviews recent studies centered on BIM-based LCA, and also carries out a methodological analysis of their integration, focusing on the way that BIM can contribute to simplifying data input, and optimize output data and results during the LCA application in buildings. The results show the viability to develop methods b...
1 Implications of using systematic decomposition structures to organize building LCA information:... more 1 Implications of using systematic decomposition structures to organize building LCA information: A comparative analysis of national standards and guidelinesIEA EBC ANNEX 72 B Soust-Verdaguer, A García Martínez, C Llatas, J.C. Gómez de Cózar, K Allacker, D Trigaux, E Alsema, B Berg, D Dowdell, W Debacker; R Frischknecht, L Ramseier, J Veselka, M Volf, P Hajek, A Lupíšek, Z Malik, G Habert; A Hollberg, S Lasvaux, B Peuportier, F Pomponi, L Wastiel, V Gomes, O Zara, , M Gomes, A Gusson Baiocchi, L Pulgrossi, C OuelletPlamondon, A Moncaster, R di Bari, R Horn, K Lenz, , M Balouktsi, T Lützkendorf; M Röck, E Hoxha, A Passer 1 Universidad de Sevilla, Instituto de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Spain; 2 KU Leuven, Belgium; 3 W/E Consultants, Netherlands; 4 BRANZ , New Zealand; 5 EnergyVille / VITO, Belgium; 6 treeze Ltd., Switzerland 7 Czech Technical University in Prague University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings, Czech Republic; 8 ETH Chair of Sustainable Construction...
Sustainability applied to the built environment has been basically understood as a strategy to im... more Sustainability applied to the built environment has been basically understood as a strategy to improve the efficiency. The evolution into ecology closer visions is becoming more intense. The paradigm of regeneration is presented as a complementary alternative to sustainability, emphasizing the association with nature, adaptation, recovery and resilience. New design tools and performance evaluation of built environment incorporating this strategy, are necessary. In this sense, how could the concept of regereneration improve tools of design and environmental assessments performance? This paper, through a literature review defines the main limitations of environmental assessment tool in the built environment; moreover analyzes incorporating regeneration paradigm to their evolution and challenges.
The refurbishment of traditional vernacular architecture is currently of interest for the conserv... more The refurbishment of traditional vernacular architecture is currently of interest for the conservation of heritage, historic landscape and cultural landscape, as well as for its potential benefits in the field of environmental sustainability. The carefully selected materials and techniques used in the refurbishment of a traditional dwelling in Sesga (Valencia, Spain) maintain the local construction techniques while causing the least possible environmental impact, saving on transport and transformation and construction energy. This article uses LCA to showcase this contribution, examining three scenarios: the first option is the refurbishment of the case study using natural traditional materials and techniques; the second presents a hypothetical refurbishment using widely used industrial materials; and a third option looks at the demolition of the existing building and the addition of a new construction with widely used industrial materials. This comparison has shown where and why th...
Critical Thinking in the Sustainable Rehabilitation and Risk Management of the Built Environment