Tag: Lifecycle stage: A5

6.4 Module A5 – Construction installation process

Written on 22. October 2012.

6.4 Module A5 – Construction installation process

A-06 Construction installation process impacts for screening LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-06 Construction installation process impacts for screening LCA
*Description*		Construction site impacts are driven mainly by the groundworks (fuel consumption), the transport of products, water and energy consumption (e.g. electricity), and the capital goods (such as crane, bungalow etc.), but also by the transport of construction workers. Under specific goal and scope, it might be interesting for a construction company or a building designer to assess the impacts of Module A5 by means of a default approach, without looking in detail at the different aspects, such as land preparation, water, energy and capital goods.
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*Relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The assessment of construction site impacts may be taken into account in screening LCA by means of a default approach using global default values for Module A5. The intended use of this methodology is to get an overview of the share of impact of Module A5 when considering the full building LCA. If the results are sensitive to Module A5, the practitioner should refer to a more detailed assessment.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 7.4.3 Boundaries of the construction process stage* 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4–A5)
*Guidance*	During the design of a building, it may be difficult to assess the information for land preparation, water and energy consumption, owing to the lack of data. However, information on the quantities of building products are information available upstream of a building project from the construction companies. One possibility is then to assess the construction site impacts from the building product impacts, for which the level of detail is comparatively higher. Such a rough estimation may be sufficient for some screening LCA studies of buildings. It is not necessary to define default values at the level of each impact source for Module A5, which considerably reduces the level of complexity in the first step of a building LCA study.The link between this information needs default values to be provided based on statistical studies for each building type or construction system. Figure 14 represents a theoretical example, for one environmental indicator and for one building type and construction system, of the share of impact between the building products and the four aspects of the construction site taken as examples in this guidance (energy, water, transport of workers, and capital goods). Figure 16: Breakdown of impacts for a given indicator for one building type The calculation steps required to derive the example results in Figure 14 might be as follows: 1) Calculate the impacts related to the building products (I_product). 2) Determine a ratio (default value) R_i, expressed as a percentage, for each aspect i of the construction site (energy, water, transport of freight, and capital goods). These default values can be derived from statistical studies of meter readings of representative construction sites, as well as for the building product impacts. It is then possible to assess the impact of aspect i of the construction site by means of the global impact of the building products and the ratio (default value): I_i = I_products × R_i. Such a methodology may be followed by the LCA practitioner, and adapted according to the goal and scope of the study. To obtain representative ratios (default values), the LCA practitioner or LCA tool developer would need to work closely with or contact the construction companies to make such default values available.

A-07 Land preparation and earthwork during the construction process – screening and simplified LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		*A-07 Land preparation and earthwork during the construction process – screening and simplified LCA*
*Description*		This aspect relates to the impact of site preparation, including the fuel consumption of, for example skid-steer loaders or bulldozers during the groundworks and landscaping. Under the specific goal and scope, this aspect might be interesting for, say, a construction company that needs to identify the hotspots of its construction site. Should the land preparation and earthwork during the construction process be considered in the context of a screening or simplified LCA?
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The land preparation and earthwork may be included in screening and simplified LCA if they are relevant to the goal and scope of the study (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer in this aspect).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 7.4.3 Boundaries of the construction process stage* 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4–A5)According to the rules from EN 15978, the system boundary for the construction process shall include the groundworks and landscaping
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use default values (e.g. ratios or generic data) for screening and simplified LCA, and also refer to cut-off rules. Ratios can be defined with stakeholders. This aspect can be neglected for most construction projects, as it is of minor relevance.

Back to 4.4. Module A5

A-08 Land preparation and earthwork during the construction process – complete LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-08 Land preparation and earthwork during the construction process – complete LCA
*Description*		This aspect relates to the impact of site preparation, including the fuel consumption of, for example skid-steer loaders or bulldozers during the groundworks and landscaping. Under the specific goal and scope, this aspect might be interesting for, say, a construction company that needs to identify the hotspots of its construction site. Should the land preparation and earthwork during the construction process be considered in the context of a complete LCA?
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*Relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The land preparation and earthwork should be included in complete LCA if they are relevant for the goal and scope of the study (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer in this aspect).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 7.4.3 Boundaries of the construction process stage* 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4–A5) According to the rules from EN 15978, the system boundary for the construction process shall include the groundworks and landscaping
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use detailed calculation (based on specific data) for complete LCA. The impact of land preparation and earthwork can be assessed using generic data accounting for the impact of the fuel consumption of construction machinery (e.g. skid-steer loaders or bulldozers).This aspect can be neglected for most construction projects, as it is of minor relevance.

A-09 Product storage on site before installation – screening and simplified LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A- 09 Product storage on site before installation – screening and simplified LCA
*Description*		Storage of products on arrival at site before installation includes such aspects as maintaining specific temperature or humidity in a storage space on site, and protection from weather, vandalism, theft, etc. Under the specific goal and scope this aspect might be interesting for, say, a construction company that needs to identify the hotspots of its construction site. Should the storage of products be considered in the context of a screening or simplified LCA?
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*Relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	Product storage on site before installation may be included in screening and simplified LCA if it is relevant for the goal and scope of the study (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer in this aspect).If there are impacts from product storage (e.g. maintaining specific temperature or humidity conditions in a storage space on site) then this may be included in Module A5 next to the infrastructures required for the product storage (e.g. protection from weather, vandalism, theft), but these can be evaluated for significance using the cut-off rules.Any wastage because of poor product storage should be accounted for in Module A5 (manufacture, transport and disposal of wasted material).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4–A5)*
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use default values (ratios) for simplified LCA. Such data can be defined with stakeholders. This aspect can be neglected for most construction projects, as it is of minor relevance.

A-10 Product storage on site before installation – complete LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A- 10 Product storage on site before installation – complete LCA
*Description*		Storage of products on arrival at site before installation includes such aspects as maintaining specific temperature or humidity in a storage space on site, and protection from weather, vandalism, theft, etc. Under the specific goal and scope this aspect might be interesting for, say, a construction company that needs to identify the hotspots of its construction site. Should the storage of products be considered in the context of a complete LCA?
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*Relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	Product storage on site before installation should be included in complete LCA if it is relevant for the goal and scope of the study (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer on this aspect).If there are impacts from product storage (e.g. maintaining specific temperature or humidity conditions in a storage space on site) then this may be included in Module A5 next to the infrastructures required for the product storage (e.g. protection from weather, vandalism, theft), but these can be evaluated for significance using the cut-off rules.Any wastage because of poor product storage should be accounted for in Module A5 (manufacture, transport and disposal of wasted material).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978*: 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5)
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use detailed calculation based on LCI data for complete LCA. For most construction projects, this aspect is likely to fall under cut-off rules.

A-11 Transport of construction workers – screening and simplified LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-11 Transport of construction workers – screening and simplified LCA
*Description*		This aspect concerns the transportation of construction workers from home to work and to the construction site. Under specific goal and scope, this aspect might be interesting for, say, a construction company that needs to identify the hotspots of its construction site.
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*Relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The transport of construction workers may be included in screening and simplified LCA if it is relevant for the goal and scope of the study (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer in this aspect).Transportation of workers to construction site may be included for screening and simplified LCA if it is in the focus of the study. Refer to cut-off rules, and use default values (such as ratios).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: No specific rule is defined (8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4–A5))*
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use default values (generic data, ratios) for simplified LCA. Such data can be defined with stakeholders.This aspect may be neglected for most building LCA studies, because it may fall outside the goal and scope. However, specific building stakeholders, such as construction companies, may have a special interest and thus will take it into account.If taken into account, this aspect is likely to fall under cut-off-rules for most construction projects. Such a statement should be supported through detailed studies of the construction stage. It will be revised if more evidence is available.

A-12 Transport of construction workers – complete LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		*A-12 Transport of construction workers – complete LCA*
*Description*		This aspect concerns the transportation of construction workers from home to work and to the construction site. Under specific goal and scope, this aspect might be interesting for, say, a construction company that needs to identify the hotspots of its construction site.
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*Relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The transport of construction workers may be included in complete LCA if it is relevant for the goal and scope of the study (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer in this aspect).In the context of a complete LCA, the transportation of workers to site may be taken into account based on detailed calculations if relevant for the goal and scope of the study, unless this aspect falls under cut-off rules.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978*: 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5)
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use detailed calculation based on specific data for complete LCA. For more information about the relative share of impacts of the transport of workers, the practitioner can refer to the existing literature.This aspect may be neglected for most building LCA studies, because it may fall outside the goal and scope. However, specific building stakeholders, such as construction companies, may have a special interest and thus will take it into account. If taken into account, this aspect is likely to fall under cut-off-rules for most construction projects. Unless the energy used for transport of staff to site is likely to exceed 1% of the primary energy requirement for the site operation, it is not necessary to collect data from staff on their journey to and from the construction site. If necessary, the significance could be reviewed by considering costs as a proxy for primary energy, although it should be recognized that petrol and diesel are often highly taxed relative to electricity. Such a statement should be supported through detailed studies of the construction stage. It will be revised if more evidence is available.

A-13 Transport of construction machinery to the building site – screening and simplified LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-13 Transport of construction machinery to the building site – screening and simplified LCA
*Description*		This aspect concerns the transportation of machinery necessary for the construction of a building from the storage place to the construction site. Under specific goal and scope, this aspect might be interesting, e.g. for a construction company that needs to identify the hotspots of its construction site.
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*Relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The transportation of construction machinery to the building site is optional, owing to both potentially missing data and minor relevance. It may be included in screening and simplified LCA if it is relevant for the goal and scope of the study (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer on this aspect).If the transportation of construction machinery is accounted for, rules for its estimation should follow the recommendations of EN 15804. In this case, practitioners should refer to the cut-off rules, and use default values (ratios) for the transportation distances and load factors.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: No specific rule is defined (8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5)) EN 15804:* No specific rule is defined (6.3.4.3 Construction stage)
*Guidance*	The practitioner can use default values (ratios) defined with stakeholders for screening and simplified LCA.This aspect may be neglected for most construction projects, owing to its minor relevance.

A-14 Transport of construction machinery to the building site – complete LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-14 Transport of construction machinery to the building site – complete LCA
*Description*		This aspect concerns the transportation of machinery necessary for the construction of a building from the storage place to the construction site. Under specific goal and scope, this aspect might be interesting, e.g. for a construction company that needs to identify the hotspots of its construction site.
*Related study objective*		☒ stand-alone LCA		☒ comparative assertion
*Related study phase*		☒	☐	☐	☐	☐
		goal and scope definition	inventory analysis (LCI)	impact assessment (LCIA)	interpretation	reporting
*Relevant for*
	new buildings	existing buildings	building products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	In the context of a complete LCA, the transportation of construction machinery to site should be taken into account if it is relevant for the goal and scope of the study (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer on this aspect),.Rules for estimation should follow the recommendations of EN 15804. In this case, practitioners should refer to the cut-off rules, and use detailed calculations for the transportation distances and load factors (unless this aspect falls under cut-off rules).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978*:8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5)
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use specific data for the ancillary materials and for the processes or construction tools (which can be defined with stakeholders) for complete LCA.This aspect may be neglected for most construction projects, owing to its minor relevance.