A model for life cycle assessment of building materials

A MODEL FOR LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF BUILDING MATERIALSGökçe TUNA TAYGUNArchitecture, Ph. D. ThesisEnvironment is the relations in life and all settings life is consist of. A building is an artificalenvironment designed and built to meet the user?s needs. These needs are fulfilled with theproperties of building products that form the building. Building products are directly orindirectly in interaction with environment during a cycle that includes processes like; rawmaterials extraction, production, application, usage and end of the life time, recycle ordisposal. Natural environment consequently living and nonliving environments are affectedby incorrect selection of technologies for building products, unconscious usage of naturalsources, wastes that are formed in production and incorrect usage. LCA (Life CycleAssessment); is the evaluation of the environmental effects of products during the life cycleprocess.In Chapther 3 this study life cycle assessment models are analyzed. These models are; LEED,Athena, BEES, BRE (BREEAM, EcoHomes, Envest, Environmental Profiles,SMARTWaste), Analytica, Pre (SimaPro, Eco-Indicator Impact Assessment, IVAMDatabase, Eco-Quantum, Ecoinvent Database), GaBi, TEAM, GB Tool, Woolley, Curwelland March.In Chapther 4 these models are evaluated by;• Cause: Product (building, building product or all products),• Process of effect: Life cycle processes (raw materials extraction, production, application,usage and end of the life time, recycle or disposal),• Effect: Groups of environment (living, nonliving, natural or artifical),• Result: Energy, sources, pollution (air, water, soil), wastes or other criterias (indoorenvironment quality, management, transportation, risk analysis, risk management, costassessment, management analysis, etc.)Cause, process of effect, effect and result are not together in all of these models. In this study,the intended goal of the model is to make an assessment that contains all of these elements.Consequently the content of the assessment is;• Cause: Building product,• Process of effect: All life cycle processes,• Effect: All groups of environment,• Result: Hazardous effects formed during processes.In this sense, the main steps of the model are suggested to be;• Definition of the building product,• Gathering the information of the effects of the building products on the environmentduring the life cycle processes,• Evaluation of the environmental effects of building products during life cycle processes,• Evaluation results of building products during life cycle processes,• Communication in life cycle assessment of building products.In Chapter 5, model is sampled in polyvinyl chloride window frame.The aims of the model for Life Cycle Assessment of Building Materials are;• To make the selection of building products easy and correctly for architects,• To reach the information for building products during their life cycle assessment,• To make architects, producers and users conscious of interaction of building products andenvironment during life cycle processes,• To develop obligations for the environmental affects of building products,• To change or to develop the production technologies of building products.Building product, environment, life cycle assessment, life cycle processes,Keywords:environmental affects of the building products, assessment of theenvironmental affects of the building products, eco-label, life cycle assessmentmodelsJURY:1. Doç. Dr. Ayşe BALANLI (Supervisor) Date: 08.12.20052. Prof. Güner YAVUZ Page: 2133. Prof. Müjgan ŞEREFHANOĞLU SÖZEN4. Doç. Dr. Bilge IŞIK5. Doç. Dr. Leyla TANAÇAN