Influence of life span prediction on building component's LCA performance

The life span of a building product is a key Parameter when it comes to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performance. Nevertheless, many uncertainties affect this parameter due to a lack of long-term performance data. The sensitivity of the LCA outcomes to this parameter has been studied within the framework of the FP7 project H-House (Healthier Life with Eco-innovative Components for Housing Constructions) funded by the European Commission. The paper Features two comparative studies conducted within the scope of this project: one for new construction and another for renovation. An innovative precast sandwich panel made of Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) and Foamed Concrete (FC), used for external walls in new construction, is compared with a steel reinforced concrete (SRC) wall of the same thermal resistance. For renovation, a novel halfsandwich panel made of Ultra-High-Performance-Concrete (UHPC) and Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) is compared with cladding having the same thermal performance. The Evaluation was conducted using a multi-criteria basis according to the LCA methodology (ISO 14040- 44). In each case, an identical life span for both scenarios leads to the fact that H-House components have a better environmental performance. The ISO 15686 and ist relevant parts have been considered for the estimation of the service life span. The sensitivity analysis shows the link between the impact savings of the innovative walls and the life span of the walls and their components. In particular, it was found that since both scenarios need to fulfil the same service during an identical reference period, and since some maintenance and replacement of materials are necessary over time for standard Solutions compared to the innovative ones, the chosen life span of the components plays a role of utmost importance. The sensitivity analysis discloses the effect of the assumptions on these aspects.