TY - JOUR
T1 - The convergence of life cycle assessment and nearly zero-energy buildings
T2 - The case of Germany
AU - Weißenberger, Markus
AU - Jensch, Werner
AU - Lang, Werner
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the German Bavarian State Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts for their financial support for the cooperation between the Technical University Munich and the Munich University of Applied Sciences at the Cooperative Graduate Center “Building Services Engineering & Energy Efficiency”.
PY - 2014/6
Y1 - 2014/6
N2 - This paper presents the historical development and background of life cycle assessment (LCA) and nearly zero-energy buildings in Germany. In order to plan and build responsibly for the future, it is necessary to have an overview of the topic at hand. Final energy demand during the operational phase of buildings has fallen steadily. According to European Union guidelines (2010/31/EU), starting in 2021 new buildings must achieve the nearly zero-energy standards. These buildings will have very low operational energy demand. As a consequence of this requirement, the relative impact of construction and disposal increases in terms of the entire life cycle. This is also the case currently for buildings with low operational energy demand. The research - based on a literature analysis and review - shows that LCA has existed since the 1970s as a tool to judge potential environmental impacts. Moreover, the energy building standards in Germany have developed continuously since 1977. This process will continue in the new German Energy Saving Ordinance in 2014, which will be tightened even further in 2016. As LCA is well established and sustainable buildings are becoming increasingly common, the next indispensable step is to consider the life cycle view of nearly zero-energy buildings.
AB - This paper presents the historical development and background of life cycle assessment (LCA) and nearly zero-energy buildings in Germany. In order to plan and build responsibly for the future, it is necessary to have an overview of the topic at hand. Final energy demand during the operational phase of buildings has fallen steadily. According to European Union guidelines (2010/31/EU), starting in 2021 new buildings must achieve the nearly zero-energy standards. These buildings will have very low operational energy demand. As a consequence of this requirement, the relative impact of construction and disposal increases in terms of the entire life cycle. This is also the case currently for buildings with low operational energy demand. The research - based on a literature analysis and review - shows that LCA has existed since the 1970s as a tool to judge potential environmental impacts. Moreover, the energy building standards in Germany have developed continuously since 1977. This process will continue in the new German Energy Saving Ordinance in 2014, which will be tightened even further in 2016. As LCA is well established and sustainable buildings are becoming increasingly common, the next indispensable step is to consider the life cycle view of nearly zero-energy buildings.
KW - Historical development
KW - LCA
KW - Life cycle assessment
KW - Life cycle view
KW - Nearly zero-energy buildings
KW - Overview
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84898480516&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.03.028
DO - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.03.028
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84898480516
SN - 0378-7788
VL - 76
SP - 551
EP - 557
JO - Energy and Buildings
JF - Energy and Buildings
ER -