Whether the project is a new building or major renovation, sustainability is an increasingly important factor in decision-making. Whole-building life cycle assessment (LCA) makes it possible to look at all phases of a building. From material extraction through construction to decommissioning and, when possible, recycling into a ‘new’ useful material, when it comes to comparing materials, increasingly available data, an ASTM standard procedure, and LCA analysis software are helping design professionals make better choices to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.
Service life prediction is necessary for LCA: it makes corrosion-resistant, long-life, high-recycled-content materials like stainless steel an obvious choice, particularly for corrosive exterior applications. This article explains the fundamentals of whole-building LCA, along with the importance of site assessment and using available corrosion data. It provides examples of stainless steel’s long term performance in demanding environments.
Date: 2016
Provider: The Construction Specifier
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Published 04 August 2020