Discuss About Preparing Life-Cycle Assessment For A New Building That Is To Be Constructed
Question
Imagine you have been given a contract by the university to construct a real-size building. The university has requested you conduct a life-cycle assessment of the building to ensure sustainable and economically efficient use of materials.
Your specifications are:
- The building is to be 5 storeys tall and have a square footprint of 200m x 200m.
- The materials to be used are primarily steel and concrete.
Your report should contain the following sections:
- Goals and scope.
- Inventory analysis.
o Materials used,
o Embodied energy issues, and
o ‘Waste’ materials.
- Impact assessment.
o Describe upstream and downstream effects of all elements of the process.
- Interpretation/improvement assessment.
o As you progress with the assignment where appropriate, record and discuss potential improvements for both environmental and economic savings.
You are expected to demonstrate some understanding of the likely environmental, social and economic circumstances, and relate these back to core sustainability principles (especially the precautionary principle, and responsibilities to current communities and future generations).
Other considerations:
- The phrase, “Cradle to Grave” is often used. For this assignment also consider the concept of “Cradle to Cradle” LCA.
- Identify and describe any practical problems you encounter throughout the project.
Summary
The question belongs to Civil Engineering and it discusses about preparing life-cycle assessment for a new building that is to be constructed.
Total Word Count 1370