TY - JOUR
T1 - A multidisciplinary approach to sustainable building material selection
T2 - A case study in a Finnish context
AU - Takano, Atsushi
AU - Hughes, Mark
AU - Winter, Stefan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2014/12/1
Y1 - 2014/12/1
N2 - This study demonstrated the influence of building material selection on the environmental and economic parameters of a building in a Finnish context. The effects of the choice were studied for the three building component categories: structural frame, inner components (i.e. insulation and sheathing) and surface components (i.e. exterior cladding and flooring), in a comparative manner on a reference building. The aim was to illustrate the features of the building materials in a relative manner from several aspects in order to help multi-criteria decision-making for professionals associated with the construction industry.The results showed that the value of alternative materials varies depending on the aspects. It was also revealed that the environmental parameters need to be taken into account over economic aspect, since in many cases they vary much between the alternatives considered. The selection of the structural frame material has greater influence than the other two component categories, and the inner components need to be considered rather than the surface components, even though they are not visible when a building is completed. This paper indicates the importance of expressing and understanding the diversity of the materials. It would be important for sustainable building design to select suitable materials according to the purpose and their features on a case-by-case basis. In order to broaden the range of choice, the market system needs to be developed as well.
AB - This study demonstrated the influence of building material selection on the environmental and economic parameters of a building in a Finnish context. The effects of the choice were studied for the three building component categories: structural frame, inner components (i.e. insulation and sheathing) and surface components (i.e. exterior cladding and flooring), in a comparative manner on a reference building. The aim was to illustrate the features of the building materials in a relative manner from several aspects in order to help multi-criteria decision-making for professionals associated with the construction industry.The results showed that the value of alternative materials varies depending on the aspects. It was also revealed that the environmental parameters need to be taken into account over economic aspect, since in many cases they vary much between the alternatives considered. The selection of the structural frame material has greater influence than the other two component categories, and the inner components need to be considered rather than the surface components, even though they are not visible when a building is completed. This paper indicates the importance of expressing and understanding the diversity of the materials. It would be important for sustainable building design to select suitable materials according to the purpose and their features on a case-by-case basis. In order to broaden the range of choice, the market system needs to be developed as well.
KW - Costs
KW - Embodied energy
KW - Environmental impacts
KW - Life cycle assessment
KW - Material choice
KW - Sustainable building design
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84908122842&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.09.026
DO - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.09.026
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84908122842
SN - 0360-1323
VL - 82
SP - 526
EP - 535
JO - Building and Environment
JF - Building and Environment
ER -