Publication detail
Evaluating novel building products through a building design-oriented LCA approach: Example of VIPs in terrace applications
BOŽIČEK, D. KOŠIR, M. ZACH, J. NOVÁK, V. PETERKOVÁ, J. BUBENÍK, J. LEŠEK, A. JORDAN, S. MALOVRH REBEC, K.
Original Title
Evaluating novel building products through a building design-oriented LCA approach: Example of VIPs in terrace applications
Type
conference paper
Language
English
Original Abstract
The construction industry is considered conservative in adopting new products/technologies, and environmental characteristics are one of the most important features of novel solutions. In this context, our study aims to present a building design-oriented assessment of a novel building product by extending the functional unit scope and involving multiple realistic building design scenarios. The task will be performed using the example of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs), a superinsulation product that can be used in various building applications. The study will focus on terrace insulation applications, where VIPs are an attractive solution for building designers due to the possibility of barrier-free floor design. However, they lack environmental evaluation. METHOD: A life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis is performed on two hypothetical buildings located in Ljubljana (Slovenia) for the cradle-to-gate and operational energy life cycle stages (A1-A3 + B6 according to EN 15978). A whole-year dynamic thermal response simulation was executed using the Design Builder software. Five barrier-free terrace design scenarios that influence the embodied and operational carbon footprint (while maintaining the functional and architectural integrity of the building design) were examined. RESULTS: The study showed that although EPS insulation showed a smaller embodied carbon footprint on the product level, the building level analysis showed that using VIPs in terrace applications leads to favourable or comparable environmental impact. CONCLUSIONS: Building products can be evaluated on three functional unit levels: product, application and building. By extending the boundaries from the product/application level to the entire building level, the study provides an example of a building design-oriented approach to LCA. The complexity increases by upgrading the functional unit scope to the building level, while the results become more case-specific and less general. Ideally, a novel building product should show environmental superiority on all three levels. However, as there are almost countless design possibilities in buildings, environmental superiority (or inferiority) on the product level does not necessarily indicate superiority (or inferiority) on the building level.
Keywords
vacuum insulation panel, LCA, buildings
Authors
BOŽIČEK, D.; KOŠIR, M.; ZACH, J.; NOVÁK, V.; PETERKOVÁ, J.; BUBENÍK, J.; LEŠEK, A.; JORDAN, S.; MALOVRH REBEC, K.
Released
12. 6. 2024
Publisher
IOP Publishing Ltd
Location
Bristol
ISBN
1755-1315
Periodical
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
Year of study
1363
Number
1
State
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Pages from
1
Pages to
18
Pages count
18
Full text in the Digital Library
BibTex
@inproceedings{BUT193858,
author="David {Božiček} and Mitja {Košir} and Jiří {Zach} and Vítězslav {Novák} and Jitka {Peterková} and Jan {Bubeník} and Anja {Lešek} and Sabina {Jordan} and Katja {Malovrh Rebec}",
title="Evaluating novel building products through a building design-oriented LCA approach: Example of VIPs in terrace applications",
booktitle="IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science",
year="2024",
journal="IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science",
volume="1363",
number="1",
pages="1--18",
publisher="IOP Publishing Ltd",
address="Bristol",
doi="10.1088/1755-1315/1363/1/012067",
issn="1755-1315"
}