Life Cycle Assessment of Construction Components of Schools in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Introducing energy efficiency techniques in schools can significantly reduce energy consumption, as Brazil has a large public education system. The main objective of this work was to select the set of construction components with the lowest environmental impact for use in schools in Florianópolis, southern Brazil, through life cycle assessment (LCA). Two types of walls, four types of roofs, and two types of window frames were studied. Ceramic bricks measuring 14x9x19cm and 9x19x19cm were considered for the walls. Wood and aluminium were used for the window frames, with single glass panes on all windows. For the roofs, fibre cement tiles with a PVC ceiling, a drywall ceiling, and a concrete slab were considered, as well as ceramic tiles with a PVC ceiling. Computer simulations were conducted using the EnergyPlus program in order to determine the building’s energy consumption. SimaPro was used to run the LCA. The construction of the building and one year of its energy consumption were analysed to select the combination of components with the lowest impact on the building’s life cycle. Finally, the set consisting of 9x19x19cm ceramic brick walls, wooden frames, and roof with fibre cement tiles and PVC ceiling presented the lowest environmental impact.

Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment; public schools; computer simulation; buildings; EnergyPlus; SimaPro