Project description
This project promotes construction of sustainable public buildings by increasing knowledge on how to achieve both low carbon footprint (CF) and resource-efficiency targets in buildings. We examine on how and where the potential synergies and trade-offs between CF calculation and other sustainability measurements may occur. Main deliverables include quantitative analyses of case examples. We provide public procurers with knowledge on how to modify and measure CF and other environmental targets in public construction planning and tendering, and give recommendations for the municipalities on how to best achieve overall sustainability of the buildings, i.e., harmonized target setting for CF, circular elements and other important environmental impacts along with the functional requirements for the building. The study is coordinated by Finnish Environment Institute and carried out with partners from Norway and Estonia.
Circular economy solutions and their impact to carbon footprint of buildings - Case Senate Properties, Finland
Building: The selected case study is an administrative building, combining police and local court services. The site includes demolition, renovation, and construction of a new part for the building.
Objecive: The case study explores the potential of impacting the building's carbon footprint (CF) with circular economy solutions. We set out to quantify the possibilities of lowering the building's CF by favouring reused and recycled construction materials in all construction phases where possible, and by utilizing on-site renewable energy generation as well as energy efficiency solutions. The selection of recycled materials and re-used building parts will comprise materials already available on the market, as well as more advanced solutions.
Method: The numerical analysis will be performed with the aid of the One Click LCA assessment tool. The selected framework for the analysis will be the Finnish national building CF assessment method, which is compatible with the European standards. Tha magnitude of the impacts from the circular economy solutions will be compared with those that can be attained by e.g. the selection of the main heating solution and the building frame construction material. Sensitivity analysis will be performed e.g. in relation to the building end-of-life scenarios and the time development of the emission profiles.
Contact details
Katriina Alhola, Finnish Environment Institute, email firstname.lastname@syke.fi, tel. +358 29 525 1065