Tag: Related study objective: comparative assertion

A-17 Accounting of on-site capital goods (e.g. construction ma-chinery, bungalows…)

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-17 Accounting of on-site capital goods (e.g. construction machinery, bungalows…)
*Description*		Various capital goods can be found on a construction site, such as construction machinery (skid-steer loaders, bulldozers), cranes, and the bungalows for the workers. These capital goods are generally used by a construction company on different construction projects. In this context, it is important to assess the depreciation of capital goods, and allocate the impacts of their manufacture to a certain amount for one construction site. Should capital goods be included in complete LCA studies? Is there necessarily a deviation from EN 15978?
*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 capital goods may 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).The capital goods may be taken into account in screening and simplified LCA using default values, or they may be optional, owing to the lack of data.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 7.4.3.3 Boundary of the on-site processes (Module A5)* 9.4.3 Criteria for the exclusion of inputs and outputs
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use detailed calculation based on specific data for complete LCA, and refer to the cut-off rules guidance, if relevant.The capital goods may be assessed in screening and simplified LCA by using default values. LCA data can be calculated using LCA data for building products (as a proxy) if no more precise data are available on complete capital goods (e.g. a crane is composed of x% of steel, y%…, etc.) This aspect may be neglected for most construction projects, owing to its minor relevance.

A-18 Water and energy demand – screening and simplified LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-18 Water and energy demand – screening and simplified LCA
*Description*		This aspect concerns the water and energy demand on the construction site. Energy and water are consumed both for the construction of the building and for the workers’ accommodation.
*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*	Water and energy consumption on the construction site should be considered in accordance with the corresponding study type. It may be included in the context of a screening or simplified LCA.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978*: 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5)
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use default values (ratios) for screening and simplified LCA. Such data can be defined with stakeholders. Practitioners should refer to the guidance on cut-off rules, if relevant.

A-20 Construction wastes – screening and simplified LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-20 Construction wastes – screening and simplified LCA
*Description*		The construction of a building generates considerable cutting waste. Should such waste 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*	Construction waste may be included in a screening or 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).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5)* *EN 15804:* 6.2.3 A4-A5, Construction process stage, information modules
*Guidance*	In some EPDs, waste during installation into the building may be documented. The practitioner should use default values (e.g. ratios) for screening and simplified LCA. This information might be a default loss of product on site per type of product, or else the practitioner might use a global average, e.g. 5%, to see whether this aspect is significant in the final LCA results. If a construction waste is included, the impact of production related to the loss of product should be quantified within Module A5.WRAP has consulted with UK industry and has provided baseline and good practice wastage rates for most construction material types, which could be used in the absence of other data.

A-21 Construction wastes – complete LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-21 Construction wastes – complete LCA
*Description*		The construction of a building generates considerable cutting waste. Should such waste 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*	Construction waste should be included in a complete LCA if it is relevant for the goal and scope of the study, provided it does not fall under cut-off-rules (e.g. a construction company might have more interest than a building designer in this aspect).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5) EN 15804:* 6.2.3 A4-A5, Construction process stage, information modules
*Guidance*	Site wastage may be considerable, and has impacts both from manufacture and transport of the material and from transport and waste processing and disposal of the wastes.In some EPDs, wastes during installation into the building may be documented (e.g. in the current French EPDs, loss of product on site is reported). The practitioner should use detailed calculations for complete LCA. If a construction waste is included, the impact of production related to the loss of product should be quantified within he Module A5. Similarly, the scenario for the type of waste disposal and wastage rate used should be considered relative to the building situation.WRAP has consulted with UK industry, and has provided baseline and good practice wastage rates for most construction material types, which could be used in the absence of other data.

A-22 Prefabrication of building products – screening and simplified LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-22 Prefabrication of building products – screening and simplified LCA
*Description*		This aspect refers to the off-site construction assembly of prefabricated products such as reinforced concrete. Should the off-site construction 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*	Prefabrication should be considered in the context of a screening or simplified LCA. The manufacture of building products should be included in Modules A1–A3, and their transport in Module A4. Only the impacts of their installation (waste, machinery etc.) are included in Module A5, based on cut-off rules.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978:* 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5)
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use default values (e.g. based on generic data or ratios) for screening or simplified LCA. Such data can be defined with stakeholders.

A-23 Prefabrication of building products – complete LCA

Written on 22. October 2012.

*Aspect*		A-23 Prefabrication of building products – complete LCA
*Description*		This aspect refers to the off-site construction assembly of prefabricated product such as reinforced concrete. Should the off-site construction be included 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*	Preprocessing should be considered in the context of a complete LCA. The manufacture of prefabricated building products should be included in Modules A1–A3, and their transport in Module A4. The impacts related to their installation (waste, machinery etc.) should be included in Module A5.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978*: 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5)
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use detailed calculation for a complete LCA, based on specific data (e.g. EPD information for Module A5).

B-01 Emissions of dangerous substances to indoor air during the use stage

Written on 21. October 2012.

*Aspect*		B-01 Emissions of dangerous substances to indoor air during the use stage
*Description*		This aspect concerns the emissions of regulated dangerous substances from building products into indoor air, which can have an impact on health.
*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	construction products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The emissions of health-related substances into indoor air during the use stage should be assessed in the context of a complete LCA, according to the European standards from CEN/TC 351: see guidance below.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 7.4.4.2 Boundary of the installed products in use (Module B1)* *EN 15804:* 7.4 Additional information on release of dangerous substances to indoor air, soil and water during the use stage 7.4.1 Indoor air *ILCD*: “ISO 14044 names ‘emissions to air, water and soil’ as top-level classification, while recommending further differentiation as required for the given goal and scope of the LCA work.” ILCD Handbook: Framework and requirements for LCIA models and indicators: “This guidance document provides a framework and requirements for the models that are used to analyse the emissions into air, water and soil,…”
*Guidance*	The boundary of Module B1 includes impacts such as the release of substances from the façade, roof, floor coverings, internal finishes and other products that affect indoor air quality, which should be assessed according to the CEN/TC 351 standards, once these are available. The use stage starts at the point of practical completion of the construction work and runs to the time when the building is deconstructed or demolished. EN 15804 is clear that the effects of health-related emissions and indoor air quality are not part of LCIA, but are considered and reported separately. An emission, for example of a volatile solvent, from a product manufacturing process, installation process or product during use can be assessed as part of LCIA (e.g. POCP impact), irrespective of where and when the emission happens; the impact will be reported in the life cycle stage in which the impact occurs. But the effect of the emission from the product during use into indoor air where occupants are living or working can have separate health-related impacts that will be dependent on time and location, and are different from the impacts measured in LCIA. TC 351 provides guidance on how to report information on the health-related emissions from products in use, and covers emissions to air, water and soil (the emissions to water and soil are covered separately by Aspect B-02). The guidance provides information on how to collect consistent data on indoor air emissions, and how they can be used in impact assessment methodologies. The emissions of dangerous substances into indoor air during the use stage should be assessed according to the CEN/TC 351 standards. The robustness programme is in progress in 2012, and the validated standards will be available in 2013. A list of regulated dangerous substances possibly associated with building products under the CPD (Construction Product Directive) Regulation has been established at European level [EC 2011]. This list indicates the substances and parameters that the evaluation should focus on. No aggregation is foreseen. For each pollutant, limit values can be defined at national level. At present, regulations exist in some European countries, such as Germany [AgBB 2010] and France [JORF 2011], and many voluntary labels exist at the European level [EC 2005a]. The results from CEN/TC351 tests will be integrated into the CE marking scheme, and allow products to meet CPR basic requirement No. 3 on Hygiene, Health and Environment [EC 2005b]. They are complementary to the results obtained using the LCA methodology. Further work is necessary in order to establish scientific and pragmatic links between the data obtained by an LCA approach (CEN/TC 350 work) and that obtained by using emissions protocols (CEN/TC 351 work). Some information on this issue is given in the LoRe-LCA project [LoRe-LCA 2011]. For more information on the link between LCI data on air emissions and LCIA method please consult the ‘Human toxicity and ecotoxicity indicators’ aspect. For comparative assertions, simulation data are comparable if based on the same scenarios and hypothesis. All the parameters and hypotheses should be mentioned and explained together with the results in order to improve comparability.

B-02 Release of dangerous substances to soil and water during the use stage

Written on 21. October 2012.

*Aspect*		B-02 Release of dangerous substances to soil and water during the use stage
*Description*		The release of dangerous substances to soil and water during the use stage concern the on-site water pollution induced by leaching (water contact with the built environment). These are expressed in mg of the released substance per m² or kg of the exposed product, per time unit (e.g. year) and service life.
*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	construction products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The release of dangerous substances to soil and water during use stage should be assessed in the context of a complete LCA, according to the European standards from CEN/TC 351.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 7.4.4.2 Boundary of the installed products in use (Module B1)**EN 15804:* 7.4 Additional information on release of dangerous substances to indoor air, soil and water during the use stage 7.4.2 Soil and water *ILCD*: “Mandatory for both technical and non-technical target audience: ‘elementary flow categories’ by receiving/providing environmental compartment: ‘Emissions to water’.” “ISO 14044 names ‘emissions to air, water and soil’ as top-level classification, while recommending further differentiation as required for the given goal and scope of the LCA work.” ILCD Handbook: Framework and requirements for LCIA models and indicators: “This guidance document provides a framework and requirements for the models that are used to analyse the emissions into air, water and soil,…”
*Guidance*	The boundary of Module B1 for buildings includes impacts such as release of substances from the façade, roof and other surfaces, which should be assessed according to the CEN/TC 351 standards.The release of dangerous substances should be provided for products exposed to soil and water after their installation in buildings during the use stage according to the horizontal standards issued from CEN TC 351, once these are available.The release of dangerous substances, expressed in mg/m²or kg per time unit and service life, should be assessed according to the CEN/TC 351 standards. The following draft documents are available: CEN/TC351/WG1/TS2 ‘Generic horizontal dynamic surface leaching test (DSLT) for determination of surface dependent release of substances from monolithic or plate-like or sheet-like building products’ and CEN/TC351/WG1/TS3 ‘Generic horizontal up-flow percolation test for determination of the release of substances from granular building products’ [CEN 2010b] (a third test method deals with the determination of the release of volatile organic compounds into indoor air by means of test chamber [CEN 2010c]). The robustness programme is in progress in 2012, and the validated standards should be available in 2013.A list of regulated dangerous substances possibly associated with building products under the Construction Product Directive (CPD) Regulation has been established at European level [EC 2011]. This list indicates which substances and parameters the evaluation should focus on . No aggregation is foreseen.For each pollutant, limit values are or can be defined at national level (at present only a few Member States have quantitative requirements on this issue, e.g. the Dutch ‘Soil Quality Decree’ [VROM 2007] and the German ‘Principles for assessing the effects of building products on soil and groundwater’ [DIBt 2009]). The results from these tests will be integrated into the CE marking scheme and make it possible to meet the RPC basic requirement No. 3 on hygiene, health and environment [EC 2005b]. They are complementary to the results obtained using the LCA methodology.Further work is necessary in order to establish scientific and pragmatic links between data obtained by an LCA approach (CEN/TC 350 work) and by using leaching tests (CEN/TC 351 work). Some proposals are available, as for example in [Lupsea 2012].For comparative assertions, simulation data are comparable if based on the same scenarios and hypothesis. All the parameters and hypotheses should be mentioned and explained together with the results in order to improve comparability.

B-03 Maintenance with screening LCA

Written on 21. October 2012.

*Aspect*		B-03 Maintenance with screening LCA
*Description*		Maintenance is defined as the combination of all planned actions during the service life to maintain the product installed in a building in a state in which it can deliver its required functional and technical performance. Maintenance is optional in the context of a screening 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	construction products	screening LCA	simplified LCA	complete LCA
*Provisions*	The maintenance procedure refers only to planned action in response to anticipated losses of performance of building components and building parts. Building modifications in response to unexpected events (e.g. flood, inappropriate use, or vandalism) should be considered as reparation (B3), and may be ignored in the context of a screening LCA.The maintenance scenario is optional for a screening LCA, and may be neglected in many cases. The boundaries of the maintenance scenario may be defined according to the goal and scope of the study (see ‘Maintenance with complete LCA’ and ‘Maintenance with simplified LCA’ for guidance).
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 7.4.4.1 General* 7.4.4.3 Boundary for maintenance (Module B2) 8.3 Time related characteristics 8.6.3 Scenarios for maintenance, repair, replacement *EN 15804:* 6.3.3. Reference service life 6.3.4.4.2 – B2 Maintenance 7.3.3.1 B1–B5 use stage related to the building fabric Annex A
*Guidance*	If a maintenance scenario is to be developed, it is recommended that the following building parts be addressed, in order of priority: roofing and roof framework; façades, exterior joinery work and windows; partitioning, lining, suspended ceilings; Floor finishes and covering, walls and ceiling coverings; HVAC (heating – ventilation – cooling – DHW). Refer to ‘Maintenance with complete LCA’ and ‘Maintenance with simplified LCA’ in this guidance document.

*Aspect*		A-19 Water and energy demand during construction – complete LCA
*Description*		This aspect concerns the water and energy demand on the construction site. Energy and water are consumed both for the construction of the building and for the workers’ accommodation.
*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 water and energy demand 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).Water and energy consumption on the construction site should be considered for a complete LCA, if it does not fall under the cut-off rules.
*Rules from:*	*EN 15978: 8.5 Scenarios for the construction process stage (Modules A4-A5) EN 15804:* 6.3.4.3 Construction stage
*Guidance*	The practitioner should use detailed calculations based on the amount of water and energy consumption from meter readings on site. These experimental data should be linked to LCA data covering upstream (potabilization) and downstream (waste water treatment) processes for the water-related impacts, and upstream processes for the energy consumption (supply) for complete LCA. Refer to the cut-off rules guidance if relevant.

Tag: Related study objective: comparative assertion

A-18 Water and energy demand – screening and simplified LCA

A-19 Water and energy demand during construction – complete LCA

A-20 Construction wastes – screening and simplified LCA

A-21 Construction wastes – complete LCA

A-22 Prefabrication of building products – screening and simplified LCA

A-23 Prefabrication of building products – complete LCA