Use cases for the Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings #
Life cycle assessment of buildings plays an essential role in various areas of construction, especially in terms of sustainability, environmental impact and resource efficiency. Here are some key areas where life cycle assessment of buildings plays an important role:
Sustainability Certification Systems #
DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council): A German certification system that is also used internationally. The DGNB system takes into account comprehensive criteria of ecological sustainability (including life cycle assessment), economic sustainability and social sustainability. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design): A certification procedure developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) with 8 sustainability topics that is used worldwide.
- BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method)](https://breeam.com/):** A building certification system developed in 1990 by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in the UK, which has since established itself as an internationally recognized standard for sustainable construction.
Planning, optimization, reporting #
Project development: Developers and investors use life cycle assessment to evaluate and communicate the sustainability and environmental friendliness of real estate projects. Valuation and marketing: Sustainable buildings with a good life cycle assessment can achieve higher market values and are more attractive to environmentally conscious buyers and tenants.
BNB (Assessment System for Sustainable Building)(): The BNB was developed by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR). Objective: The BNB aims to enable a comprehensive assessment of the sustainability of buildings over their entire life cycle. It takes into account ecological, economic and socio-cultural aspects as well as technical and procedural quality. Application: It is primarily used for public buildings, but can also be applied to other types of buildings. The BNB system forms the basis for the Quality Seal for Sustainable Buildings (QNG).
ESG reporting: Life cycle assessments play an important role in ESG reporting by providing quantitative data on the environmental impact of a company or construction project. This data is critical to the disclosure of environmental performance and helps investors and other stakeholders evaluate a company’s sustainability strategy.
Level(s) Reporting: Level(s) is a European framework for assessing the sustainability of buildings. It is based on life cycle assessment and includes indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy and water consumption and material efficiency. Life cycle assessments provide the data basis for these indicators and help to document the sustainability performance of a building in accordance with the Level(s) requirements.
Funding: Funding and incentives for sustainable building are often based on the results of the LCA. For example, QNG certification is often a prerequisite for receiving funding under the Federal Subsidy for Efficient Buildings (BEG).
Education and research: #
Academic programs: Universities and research institutions are integrating LCA into their curricula and research projects to train future professionals in sustainable building. Innovations: LCA research drives the development of new, environmentally friendly materials and technologies. Life cycle assessment of buildings is therefore an integral part of modern construction.