LCA: LCA for Buildings

Phase and Process Model for Life Cycle

Phase model

Phases are defined in a chronological way and have temporal system limits:

• - building construction phase (from the beginning of the planning process by the client to the end of commissioning)
• - building use phase (beginning of occupation by the user to the beginning of final demolition)
• - building disposal (beginning of the final demolition to the beginning of reuse, recycling, or end of deposit .

  Process model

  Process are defined as logical successions with spatial attributes:

• - energy transformation process (standard preparation of energy like electrical end energy from European Mix at building site or standard transformation process like average industrial coal combustion > 1MW). System limits are the nature (input) and the delivery of final energy or the transformation of final energy at the place of use (output).
• - Material production process (building materials and components which are produced off site). The system limits are the extraction of raw materials or the site of the production factory for inputs from other industries and the site of production or the whole sale stock as output)
• - construction process (all construction process on site as well as transport process from whole sale stock to the building site and from the building site to the collection site for reuse, recycling or disposal). System limits are therefore the material whole sale and the construction site (input) and the collection sites for reuse, recycling or disposal (outputs)
• - use process (all building operation and general building use process which they take place at the building site). The system limits are limits of private and public property; Some transport process related to use can have other system limits.
• - disposal process (they transform building parts/waste into other products, energy or they give them back into nature in various form.) The system limits are the collection sites as input and other uses or nature a outputs)

  
  > References

  REGENER - (Regional planning for the development of renewable energies).first interim report, June 1995, Ecole des Mines - Paris

  Kohler N. (1994) et al : Energie- und Stofflussbilanzen von Gebäuden während ihrer Lebensdauer. Schlussbericht des Forschungsprojektes des Bundesamt für Energiewirtschaft. Lausanne/Karlsruhe 1994.