EMBODIED ENERGY AS A TOOL TO SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIC DECISIONS ON REFURBISHMENT

Author(s): Gaspar, P. L. and Santos, A. L.
Paper category: Conference
Book title: XIII International Conference on Durability of Building Materials and Components - XIII DBMC
Editor(s): Marco Quattrone, Vanderley M. John
Print ISBN: none
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-149-0
Publication year: 2015
Pages: 762-769
Total Pages: 8
Language: English

Abstract: Embodied energy on building materials is a concept that allows the measurement of environmental impact, considering energy expenditure associated to the extraction, transport, processing, in-site assembly and performance of materials, during their expected life cycle. From this point of view, longer service life periods of given materials correspond to more sustainable practices, as they reduce the impact of energy and resource consumption and the corresponding level of emissions.

In this paper, an assessment is made of the cost / benefit associated to two different strategies for intervention on a 40 year old detached single house project in Portugal: total demolition and reconstruction vs. refurbishment and alteration. Since the building cost of both strategies of intervention was estimated to be similar, environmental impact was considered as a decision criteria. Therefore, an analysis was made of the embodied energy of original materials, new materials and materials sent to landfill, for two different scenarios: (a) integral substitution of the existing structure by a new house, and (b) partial demolition and refurbishment of existing house. The original house was characterized to provide a benchmark for the comparison of both intervention strategies. In the end, data related to energy and mass were used to strategically sustain a decision regarding the recommended type of intervention.

Online publication: 2015
Publication Type: full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00