Abstract
A whole building life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed on a Living Building, focusing on impacts from green building materials, a decentralized water system, a net-positive use phase, and the end-of-life of structural materials. The material processes used in this LCA were adjusted from standard to green by removing the use of toxic chemicals; results show carcinogenic impacts decreased by up to 96%. The septic system used for wastewater treatment contributes to 41% of the global warming potential [GWP, kg CO2eq (carbon dioxide equivalent)] over the building's assumed 100-year lifespan due to methane emissions. The on-site solar panels generate more electricity than the site demands, allowing for 44,000 kWh of green energy to be returned to the grid based on 1 year of performance. Lastly, an exploratory scenario analysis performed on multiple waste streams for structural materials shows that the GWP impacts for the end-of-life could vary from +14,000 to −10,500 kg CO2eq depending on the waste stream. The results of this LCA indicate that the case study building is net-zero energy and water, but not net-zero carbon.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, including takeoff quantities, Red List adjustment quantities, and additional life cycle inventory assessment data.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the University of Pittsburgh's Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation for their support. Additionally, the author would like to thank the Pittsburgh Park's Conservancy for their continuous cooperation and participation. This research was also supported by the National Science Foundation under 1038139, 1323190, and 1934824.
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 2, 2019
Accepted: Jul 13, 2020
Published online: Sep 14, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Feb 14, 2021
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