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Evaluation of Environmental Sustainability of Material Compositions of Building Structures
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1  Civil Engineering Faculty, Technical University of Košice

Published: 30 October 2012 by MDPI in The 2nd World Sustainability Forum session Environmental Sustainability
Abstract: The paper focuses on evaluation of material compositions of residential building structures in terms of environmental sustainability and influence on energy performance. We calculate the most preferred environmental indicators such as embodied energy from non-renewable resources, Global Warming Potential and Acidification Potential of materials by methodology Life Cycle Assessment within boundary Cradle to Gate. Study of the environmental and energetic effectiveness of designed structures points to importance of suitable choice of materials. By improving the energy performance of building through used higher amount of materials and components is reflected in higher embodied energy and associated emissions. Plant materials compared with other materials prove huge advantage in terms of stored carbon and used clean solar energy. The results of multi-criteria analysis of structure alternatives shows that passive house from traditional nature plant materials with minimal modification require much lower energy used in manufacturing and result in lower emissions from fossil fuel than passive house of other materials. The case study would provide a new optimization method for building envelope design in Slovak climatic conditions tends to the lowest environmental impacts of building during construction phase and occupation phase. Sustainable building is one of the most significant challenges we face. Our responses to environmental issue will influence the quality of life for future generations.
Keywords: building structures, environmental indicators, multi-criteria analysis
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