Sustainable Building Technical Manual - Etn-presco.net

Much has been written and a great deal of excellent work performed in the developmentof LCA principles and methodologies (see the “Resources” section below). It is not theintent here to review this work, but to briefly explore how these principles might beapplied in the context of a building.Green Building PrinciplesViewed from a life-cycle approach, the fundamental principles and objectives of greenbuilding are to:■ Minimize natural resource consumption (materials and energy) throughout the totalbuilding life cycle;■ Minimize pollution and environmental releases throughout the total building life cycle;■ Protect the ecological (natural) environment;■ Create a healthy, comfortable, nonhazardous space;■ Incorporate quality, function, and performance consistent with the objective of thebuilding; and■ Balance environmental performance with cost and economic performance.Potential Benefits of a Green BuildingA green building project must have clear and measurable benefits for the variety of stakeholdersinvolved. Protecting the environment is certainly one of the primary benefits.More and more evidence demonstrates that other benefits are possible and that these canprovide additional incentives for “building green,” such as:■ Reduced life-cycle costs, including:– First costs;– Operating costs (energy, maintenance, repair); and– Renovation, demolition, disposal costs.■ Reduced risk and liability (avoided costs).■ A better building offering, including:– Energy efficiency;– Improved lighting;– Improved comfort; and– Healthier indoor environment.■ Improved occupant productivity.■ Increased stakeholder understanding and awareness of environmental issues and considerationsas a result of the experience.■ Potential identification of opportunities for new products, designs, and approaches.The LCA ConceptThe fundamental concepts of LCA are surprisingly simple. The application of the conceptsto buildings and building materials is also reasonably straightforward. However,actually conducting a complete LCA for a “real building” can be another story. Whendealing with the intricate relationships among many materials and components as well astheir origins, uses, and fates, the practitioner is led to invoke numerous assumptions,approximations, and qualitative judgments. Factors that can make a complete LCA difficultand costly include the lack or inadequacy of data and information, questions aboutthe quality of the data, problems of allocation, the incompleteness of the science ofimpact assessment, the difficulties in adequately conveying the thoroughness of thestudy, and many other concerns.