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Soust-Verdaguer, B.; Llatas, C.; Moya, L.; (2020). Comparative BIM-based Life Cycle Assessment of Uruguayan timber and concrete-masonry single-family houses in design stage
REVISTA: Journal of Cleaner Production, 227 (121958)
IMPACTO: JCR (2019): 7.246. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, Q1 (21/328)
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121958
ABSTRACT:
The use of wood and engineered wood products is today considered an opportunity for the mitigation of negative building environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions. However, the literature provides evidence that the quantification and generalization of the environmental benefits of wood during the whole building life cycle can be difficult. This paper presents a quantitative method based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare, during their design stages, the environmental impacts produced by a timber-frame single-family house versus those of a concrete-masonry-based house built in Uruguay. The method, conceived as a decision-oriented tool, integrates Building Information Modelling (BIM) and LCA to quantify and compare the environmental impacts of one of the most common dwelling typologies in Uruguay. The results of the cradle-to-grave assessment show that the timber-frame building produced the lowest impacts in Global Warming Potential, Human Toxicity, Acidification Potential, Ozone Deple- tion Potential, and Freshwater Ecotoxicity, but yielded the highest impacts in Eutrophication Potential. The findings also show that the method developed herein facilitated the comparison and contrast between the pros and cons of both design options during their design stages.
Highlights:
-The study proposes an BIM-LCA based method to compare a timber and concrete-masonry single-family houses.
-The method could help designers regarding the complexity of the assessment of wood alternatives for construction.
-The approach permits designers to identify the highest and the lowest material contributors to environmental impacts.
-Results show that the timber-frame house has a better environmnetal performance than the concrete-masonry single-family houses.
