The building with LCA. Lessons on method and application after 20+ years of experience

Other conference contribution, 2012

Life cycle assessment is a method for comprehensive environmental assessment of product systems. The first LCAs were carried out around the late 1960s/early 1970s, but the methodology did not become documented and formalized until the 1990s. The building sector has been identified as one of society's major sources of environmental impact, and is sometimes called the 40% sector, indicating its environmental significance. It is therefore not surprising that the building sector displays a wide range of LCA applications on all scales. Examples of LCA work in the building industry, ranging from studies on building materials to studies on urban metabolism, will be presented. Although LCA is often put forward as a tool for decision support, it is in practice a great tool for learning. The exploration of LCA applications is intended to contribute to a discussion on remaining issues for research.