Life cycle assessment of villas made by Fiskarhedenvillan, comparison between wood and brick facade

• Main Author: Almsalati, Hussam
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Högskolan Dalarna, Energiteknik 2018
• Subjects: Energy Engineering; Energiteknik
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-28672

Awareness of climate change has resulted in enormous challenges for developed and developing countries. The frightening truth about our environmental situation has led to investigations of the causes of these changes and to obstruct these sources gradually but quickly. The alarming increase of average temperature of the earth has caused much worry around the world. Gas emissions in the atmosphere greatly affect the environment, where CO 2 emissions is one of the most serious factors contributing to the global warming potential. As the building sector emits 40% of global energy use and one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, engineers must be educated to choose the best materials that lead to reducing CO 2 emissions. This means selecting materials that have less negative impact on the environment and are more “environmentally friendly”. This study shows how much CO 2e emissions are released into the atmosphere from a wooden structure villa that consists of two stories, a storage and a garage, with a total area of 229.6m2. The results of this case will be compared to a second case, where the external wooden siding is replaced with brick veneer. This result of this comparison provides us with a guideline in for how the selected materials impact the environment, illuminating the importance in choosing the right materials according to their CO 2e emission levels. In this way, the building sector can actively work to reduce the environmental impact. To achieve these goals, this study performed via life cycle assessment LCA methodology by using the One-Click LCA program. LCA is identified as a technique to assess the environmental impact and resources used through a product’s life cycle. This study utilized the LCA methodology (cradle to grave), which means starting from the extraction of raw materials, to product production, manufacturing, product usage and its end of life. The study lifespan was estimated to be 50 years. The results of the study verify that the wooden villa is more environmentally friendly than the villa made of brick, where carbon dioxide equivalent emission can be reduced to more than half by utilizing wood. Implementing the life cycle assessment study to any building aids in making the decision to choose the right materials for building according to CO 2e emission. And in this way, the environmental impact caused by the building sector will be greatly reduced.