The global challenge of large scale climate change mitigation requires action also in the building and construction sector. From a life cycle perspective, and considering the mitigation timeframe, the issue of reducing embodied GHG emissions […]
A design integrated parametric tool for real-time Life Cycle Assessment – Bombyx project
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become a widely accepted method for environmental assessment of buildings, but is still not commonly applied in design practice. The biggest potential for optimization and reduction of GHG emissions lies […]
Energy and carbon footprint assessment of production of hemp hurds for application in buildings
Construction is considered as one of the most relevant sectors in terms of environmental impacts, due to the significant use of raw materials, fossil energy consumption and the consequent Greenhouse Gases emissions. The use of […]
Biological stabilisers in Earthen Construction: A mechanistic understanding of their response to water-ingress
Earthen construction is regaining popularity as an ecological and economical alternative to contemporary building materials. While building with earth offers several benefits, its performance due to water ingress is a concern for its widespread application. […]
Bamboo bio-concrete as an alternative for buildings’ climate change mitigation and adaptation
This study aims to present a framework to quantify the climate change impact during the buildings’ life cycle. The proposed framework is tested on a bamboo bio-concrete (BBC) building and compared with conventional constructive systems, […]
Assessment models and dynamic variables for dynamic life cycle assessment of buildings: a review
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used to quantify the environmental performance of buildings. Recently, the potential temporal variations in the lifetime of buildings and their influences on assessment results have attracted considerable attention. Dynamic […]
What could a climate neutral building look like?
The climate crisis is urging us to act fast. Buildings are a key leverage point to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but the embodied emissions related with their construction remain often the hidden challenge of […]
Regional circular economy of building materials: Environmental and economic assessment combining Material Flow Analysis, Input-Output Analyses, and Life Cycle Assessment
The construction industry is responsible for large quantities of construction and demolition waste and almost 50% of the worldwide annual resource consumption, putting the environment, its natural resources, and ecosystems under high pressure. Therefore, governments […]
Environmental impacts and decarbonization strategies in the cement and concrete industries
The use of cement and concrete, among the most widely used man-made materials, is under scrutiny. Owing to their large-scale use, production of cement and concrete results in substantial emission of greenhouse gases and places […]
The TERRAFIBRA awards – 2022, Paris
Earth is becoming increasingly popular in contemporary architecture. Hundreds of projects of high aesthetic and technical quality are emerging across five continents. This material, which has low embodied energy, is readily available and appropriate for […]