The effect of material selection on life cycle energy balance: A case study on a hypothetical building model in Finland

A building is a complex system consisting of many different materials. The material selection, therefore, has a significant role in sustainable building design. This study has demonstrated the influence of material selection on the life cycle energy balance of a building based on current building codes and common building service systems in Finland. The influences of the selection were investigated on a relative basis using a hypothetical building model and in the three building component categories (structural frame, surface components and inner components).The results showed that, in general, the differences between the alternative materials are rather visible in the production stage of the building and the energy benefit from material recycling. But it was also revealed that the influences of the selection appear differently in each life cycle stage of the building depending on the building component categories. The selection of the structural materials has larger effect than the other two component categories and a combination of different structural frame materials seems to be effective in some cases. The material selection for sheathing, exterior cladding and thermal insulation has a relatively greater influence than the others in the surface and inner components categories. The energy recovery benefits of wood and plastic products have a great influence on the life cycle energy balance of the building.