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Harpa obtained an M.Sc. (2001) and a PhD (2005) in environmental engineering from the Technical University of Denmark. Harpa has about 20 years of experience in the use of LCA, especially with a focus on analysis and developing tools for buildings, roads and waste management. During her time at DTU in the years 2001–2005 she participated in the development of the EASEWASTE tool, a model for waste management systems, and she developed the ROAD-RES model for roads in collaboration with the Danish Road Directorate. For the past 11 years, Harpa has been leading the development of LCA tools for the Danish building sector at AAU, as well as participating in and being project leader for several research projects in the areas of life cycle assessment, circular economy and sustainability assessment within the built environment.
The use of wood and timber products in the construction of buildings is repeatedly pointed towards as a mean for lowering the environmental footprint. With several countries preparing regulation for life cycle assessment of buildings, practitioners from industry will presumably look to the pool of data on wood products found in environmental product declarations (EPDs). However, the EPDs may vary broadly in terms of reporting and results. This study provides a comprehensive review of 81 third-party verified EN 15804 EPDs of cross laminated timber (CLT), glulam, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and timber. The 81 EPDs represent 86 different products and 152 different product scenarios. The EPDs mainly represent European production, but also North America and Australia/New Zealand productions are represented. Reported global warming potential (GWP) from the EPDs vary within each of the investigated product categories, due to density of the products and the end-of-life scenarios applied. Median results per kg of product, excluding the biogenic CO2, are found at 0.26, 0.24, and 0.17 kg CO2e for CLT, glulam, and timber, respectively. Results further showed that the correlation between GWP and other impact categories is limited. Analysis of the inherent data uncertainty showed to add up to ±41% to reported impacts when assessed with an uncertainty method from the literature. However, in some of the average EPDs, even larger uncertainties of up to 90% for GWP are reported. Life cycle assessment practitioners can use the median values from this study as generic data in their assessments of buildings. To make the EPDs easier to use for practitioners, a more detailed coordination between EPD programs and their product category rules is recommended, as well as digitalization of EPD data.
Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Camilla Ernst Andersen; Alexandra Wittchen; Rasmus Nøddegaard Hansen; Harpa Birgisdóttir. Environmental Product Declarations of Structural Wood: A Review of Impacts and Potential Pitfalls for Practice. Buildings 2021, 11, 362 .
AMA StyleFreja Nygaard Rasmussen, Camilla Ernst Andersen, Alexandra Wittchen, Rasmus Nøddegaard Hansen, Harpa Birgisdóttir. Environmental Product Declarations of Structural Wood: A Review of Impacts and Potential Pitfalls for Practice. Buildings. 2021; 11 (8):362.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFreja Nygaard Rasmussen; Camilla Ernst Andersen; Alexandra Wittchen; Rasmus Nøddegaard Hansen; Harpa Birgisdóttir. 2021. "Environmental Product Declarations of Structural Wood: A Review of Impacts and Potential Pitfalls for Practice." Buildings 11, no. 8: 362.
Transitioning to a circular built environment can reduce the environmental impacts, resource consumption and waste generation emanating from buildings. However, there are many options to design circular building components, and limited knowledge on which options lead to the best environmental performance. Few guidelines exist and they build on conventional environmental performance assessments that focus on single life cycles, whereas the circular economy (CE) focuses on a sequence of multiple use- and life cycles. In this article, environmental design guidelines for circular building components were developed in five steps. First, examples of circular variants of a building structure were synthesized. Second, the environmental performance of these variants was compared with a business-as-usual variant through Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Material Flow Analysis (MFA) respectively. Circular parameters of these variants were tested using a scenario-specific approach. Third, from 24 LCAs and MFAs, a scorecard, rules-of-thumb and nine environmental design guidelines for designing circular building components were developed that provide guidance on which circular pathways and variants lead to the best environmental performance. For components with a long functional–technical lifespan, the following are promoted: resource efficiency, longer use through adaptable design, low-impact biomaterials and facilitating multiple cycles after and of use. Fourth, the design guidelines were evaluated by 49 experts from academia, industry and government in seven expert sessions. Further research is needed to validate the generalizability of the design guidelines. However, this research makes an important step in supporting the development of circular building components and, subsequently, the transition to a circular built environment.
Leonora Malabi Eberhardt; Anne van Stijn; Liv Kristensen Stranddorf; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdottir. Environmental Design Guidelines for Circular Building Components: The Case of the Circular Building Structure. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5621 .
AMA StyleLeonora Malabi Eberhardt, Anne van Stijn, Liv Kristensen Stranddorf, Morten Birkved, Harpa Birgisdottir. Environmental Design Guidelines for Circular Building Components: The Case of the Circular Building Structure. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (10):5621.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeonora Malabi Eberhardt; Anne van Stijn; Liv Kristensen Stranddorf; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdottir. 2021. "Environmental Design Guidelines for Circular Building Components: The Case of the Circular Building Structure." Sustainability 13, no. 10: 5621.
The climate debate necessitates reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. A common and standardized method of assessing this is life cycles assessment (LCA); however, time and costs are a barrier. Large efficiency potentials are associated with using data from building information models (BIM) for the LCA, but development is still at an early stage. This study investigates the industry practice and needs for BIM–LCA, and if these are met through a prototype for the Danish context, using IFC and a 3D view. Eight qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with medium and large architect, engineering, and contractor companies, covering a large part of the Danish AEC industry. The companies used a quantity take-off approach, and a few were developing plug-in approaches. Challenges included the lack of quality in the models, thus most companies supplemented model data with other data sources. Features they found valuable for BIM–LCA included visual interface, transparency of data, automation, design evaluation, and flexibility. The 3D view of the prototype met some of the needs, however, there were mixed responses on the use of IFC, due to different workflow needs in the companies. Future BIM–LCA development should include considerations on the lack of quality in models and should support different workflows.
Regitze Zimmermann; Simone Bruhn; Harpa Birgisdóttir. BIM-Based Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings—An Investigation of Industry Practice and Needs. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5455 .
AMA StyleRegitze Zimmermann, Simone Bruhn, Harpa Birgisdóttir. BIM-Based Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings—An Investigation of Industry Practice and Needs. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (10):5455.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRegitze Zimmermann; Simone Bruhn; Harpa Birgisdóttir. 2021. "BIM-Based Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings—An Investigation of Industry Practice and Needs." Sustainability 13, no. 10: 5455.
Buildings are a major cause of global resource consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other impacts on the environment, originating from both operational energy and material use. Informed design decisions can help mitigate potential impacts on the environment, by the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) in the early project stages. In order to mitigate building environment impacts throughout the industry, architects and engineers need tools that are integrated in the design workflow and based on the information available. Existing LCA tools for building design professionals are predominantly embedded in a specific context such as a country or a sustainability scheme. This paper provides learnings for the development of context-tailored tools for building-LCA using the case of Denmark, with specific focus on GHG-emissions that are in focus worldwide. Based on stakeholder involvement, four key areas were defined: Default information, flexibility, environmental design feedback and transparent results. Tool functions include a component library and a quantity estimator for bridging incomplete building information. A comparison monitor displays the performance of design solutions selected in the model, while a number of graphs and tables provide analysis of inventory and results. Finally, a customisable model data export, a complete input/output file for revision and custom analysis are among key functions for transparency.
Kai Kanafani; Regitze Kjær Zimmermann; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Harpa Birgisdóttir. Learnings from Developing a Context-Specific LCA Tool for Buildings—The Case of LCAbyg 4. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1508 .
AMA StyleKai Kanafani, Regitze Kjær Zimmermann, Freja Nygaard Rasmussen, Harpa Birgisdóttir. Learnings from Developing a Context-Specific LCA Tool for Buildings—The Case of LCAbyg 4. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (3):1508.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKai Kanafani; Regitze Kjær Zimmermann; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Harpa Birgisdóttir. 2021. "Learnings from Developing a Context-Specific LCA Tool for Buildings—The Case of LCAbyg 4." Sustainability 13, no. 3: 1508.
Transitioning the built environment to a circular economy (CE) is vital to achieve sustainability goals but requires metrics. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can analyse the environmental performance of CE. However, conventional LCA methods assess individual products and single life cycles whereas circular assessment requires a systems perspective as buildings, components and materials potentially have multiple use and life cycles. How should benefits and burdens be allocated between life cycles? This study compares four different LCA allocation approaches: (a) the EN 15804/15978 cut-off approach, (b) the Circular Footprint Formula (CFF), (c) the 50:50 approach, and (d) the linearly degressive (LD) approach. The environmental impacts of four ‘circular building components’ is calculated: (1) a concrete column and (2) a timber column both designed for direct reuse, (3) a recyclable roof felt and (4) a window with a reusable frame. Notable differences in impact distributions between the allocation approaches were found, thus incentivising different CE principles. The LD approach was found to be promising for open and closed-loop systems within a closed loop supply chain (such as the ones assessed here). A CE LD approach was developed to enhance the LD approach’s applicability, to closer align it with the CE concept, and to create an incentive for CE in the industry.
Leonora Malabi Eberhardt; Anne Van Stijn; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdottir. Development of a Life Cycle Assessment Allocation Approach for Circular Economy in the Built Environment. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9579 .
AMA StyleLeonora Malabi Eberhardt, Anne Van Stijn, Freja Nygaard Rasmussen, Morten Birkved, Harpa Birgisdottir. Development of a Life Cycle Assessment Allocation Approach for Circular Economy in the Built Environment. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (22):9579.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeonora Malabi Eberhardt; Anne Van Stijn; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdottir. 2020. "Development of a Life Cycle Assessment Allocation Approach for Circular Economy in the Built Environment." Sustainability 12, no. 22: 9579.
Circular Economy (CE) can help reduce the building industry’s immense environmental impact. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can facilitate CE decision-making by identifying the largest environmental impact reduction opportunities throughout a building’s life cycle, but it does not suffice in a design situation. Thus, aggregated LCA knowledge is needed. However, existing building LCAs lack transparency, coherence and a closer coupling with the building context. Performing in-depth systematic LCA on four Danish case-study buildings (a school, an office, a residential building and a hospital), this study identifies where the largest embodied greenhouse gas emissions (EG) exist. The study also identifies which building design and construction strategies should be in focus in transitioning the building sector to a CE. The LCA generalisations found that all the buildings exhibited considerable EG originating from production and replacement of floors and ceilings, outer walls, inner walls and roofs. Thus, to come closer to meeting climate goals, a combination of different strategies going across and beyond the life cycles of buildings, components and materials is needed. These strategies include reusing existing buildings, components and materials; avoiding, substituting or reducing the use of EG-intensive and short-lived materials; and enabling future reuse, recycling and/or energy recovery options for materials. Differences between the buildings were also found. Thus, it is suggested to combine generalised learnings with LCA of buildings on a case-to-case basis, and to focus on optimising EG-intensive components and materials based on their different use-contexts and interconnectedness rather than on optimising the entire building.
Leonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt; Julie Rønholt; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdottir. Circular Economy potential within the building stock - Mapping the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of four Danish examples. Journal of Building Engineering 2020, 33, 101845 .
AMA StyleLeonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt, Julie Rønholt, Morten Birkved, Harpa Birgisdottir. Circular Economy potential within the building stock - Mapping the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of four Danish examples. Journal of Building Engineering. 2020; 33 ():101845.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt; Julie Rønholt; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdottir. 2020. "Circular Economy potential within the building stock - Mapping the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of four Danish examples." Journal of Building Engineering 33, no. : 101845.
While the operational energy use of buildings is often regulated in current energy saving policies, their embodied greenhouse gas emissions still have a considerable mitigation potential. The study aims at developing a multi-objective optimization method for design and renovation of buildings incorporating the operational and embodied energy demands, global warming potential, and costs as objective functions. The optimization method was tested on the renovation of an apartment building in Denmark, mainly focusing envelope improvements as roof and exterior wall insulation and windows. Cellulose insulation has been the predominant result, together with fiber cement or aluminum-based cladding and 2-layered glazing. The annual energy demand has been reduced from 166.4 to a range between 76.5 and 83.7 kWh/(m2 y) in the optimal solutions. The fact that the legal requirements of 70 kWh/(m2 y) are nearly met without building service improvements indicates that energy requirements can be fulfilled without compromising greenhouse gas emissions and cost. Since the method relies on standard national performance reporting tools, the authors believe that this study is a preliminary step towards more cost-efficient and low-carbon building renovations by utilizing multi-optimization techniques.
Francesco Montana; Kai Kanafani; Kim Bjarne Wittchen; Harpa Birgisdottir; Sonia Longo; Maurizio Cellura; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. Multi-Objective Optimization of Building Life Cycle Performance. A Housing Renovation Case Study in Northern Europe. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7807 .
AMA StyleFrancesco Montana, Kai Kanafani, Kim Bjarne Wittchen, Harpa Birgisdottir, Sonia Longo, Maurizio Cellura, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. Multi-Objective Optimization of Building Life Cycle Performance. A Housing Renovation Case Study in Northern Europe. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (18):7807.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFrancesco Montana; Kai Kanafani; Kim Bjarne Wittchen; Harpa Birgisdottir; Sonia Longo; Maurizio Cellura; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. 2020. "Multi-Objective Optimization of Building Life Cycle Performance. A Housing Renovation Case Study in Northern Europe." Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7807.
Guillaume Habert; Martin Röck; Karl Steininger; Antonin Lupísek; Harpa Birgisdottir; Harald Desing; Chanjief Chandrakumar; Francesco Pittau; Alexander Passer; Ronald Rovers; Katarina Slavkovic; Alexander Hollberg; Endrit Hoxha; Thomas Jusselme; Emilie Nault; Karen Allacker; Thomas Lützkendorf. Carbon budgets for buildings: harmonising temporal, spatial and sectoral dimensions. Buildings and Cities 2020, 1, 429 -452.
AMA StyleGuillaume Habert, Martin Röck, Karl Steininger, Antonin Lupísek, Harpa Birgisdottir, Harald Desing, Chanjief Chandrakumar, Francesco Pittau, Alexander Passer, Ronald Rovers, Katarina Slavkovic, Alexander Hollberg, Endrit Hoxha, Thomas Jusselme, Emilie Nault, Karen Allacker, Thomas Lützkendorf. Carbon budgets for buildings: harmonising temporal, spatial and sectoral dimensions. Buildings and Cities. 2020; 1 (1):429-452.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGuillaume Habert; Martin Röck; Karl Steininger; Antonin Lupísek; Harpa Birgisdottir; Harald Desing; Chanjief Chandrakumar; Francesco Pittau; Alexander Passer; Ronald Rovers; Katarina Slavkovic; Alexander Hollberg; Endrit Hoxha; Thomas Jusselme; Emilie Nault; Karen Allacker; Thomas Lützkendorf. 2020. "Carbon budgets for buildings: harmonising temporal, spatial and sectoral dimensions." Buildings and Cities 1, no. 1: 429-452.
The considerable environmental impacts, resource consumption and waste generation emanating from buildings are a cause of great concern and political attention. Interest in the circular economy (CE) concept of slowing, narrowing and closing material loops through CE strategies (reuse, repair, refurbish, recycle and recover) has grown in recent years to facilitate minimising these unresolved issues emanating from the building industry. Although CE initiatives are proliferating within the industry, wide-scale adoption of CE is still lacking, and the current development and implementation of CE building design and construction strategies is fragmented. Through a systematic literature review (SLR), this study assesses which design and construction strategies are being linked to the concept of CE for new buildings, and their level of application and readiness in a building context. On this basis, the study offers insight into how this field of research is developing and provides directions for future research. From the SLR, a taxonomy is presented that groups the strategies together into 16 overarching building design and construction strategies. An important gap preventing a greater CE uptake within the industry was found to include the lack of knowledge about the environmental performance and related benefits of the various building design and construction strategies. Thus, it is suggested that conveying more comprehensive and uniform adoption of CE in the building industry requires the development of a new design typology to facilitate CE-oriented decision-making in a building context and that prioritises the strategies according to their potential in terms of minimising building-related environmental impacts.
Leonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdottir. Building design and construction strategies for a circular economy. Architectural Engineering and Design Management 2020, 1 -21.
AMA StyleLeonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt, Morten Birkved, Harpa Birgisdottir. Building design and construction strategies for a circular economy. Architectural Engineering and Design Management. 2020; ():1-21.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdottir. 2020. "Building design and construction strategies for a circular economy." Architectural Engineering and Design Management , no. : 1-21.
This study presents the environmental life cycle assessment of four low carbon design strategies applied in Danish, architectural practice. The subject of analysis is a set of five buildings erected within the same constrictions in terms of floor area, energy performance and construction costs. The tested design strategies were: use of recycled materials, design for extended durability of components, adaptable design, and design for reduction of operational energy demand. The results of the five buildings are compared with a reference building (i.e. a typical, Danish single-family dwelling). Results show that the recycling/upcycling strategy is the most effective in reducing the embodied carbon. The use of structural wood in the same design furthermore points to the use of wood as a viable low-carbon strategy. In combination, these two strategies result in an approximate 40% saving of life cycle embodied carbon compared to the reference. Using durable materials yields up to 30% lower embodied carbon compared to the reference, whereas a design for adaptability results in 17% lower embodied carbon. However, these results are sensitive to the scenarios made for the service lives of materials and the implemented disassembly solutions. In a life cycle carbon perspective, the emissions from energy use prove to be of importance, although depending on the modelling approaches of the energy mix. With the shrinking, global carbon budgets in mind, there is justified reason to holistically optimize the design of new buildings by integrating various design aspects addressing the whole life cycle of the building.
Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdóttir. Low- carbon design strategies for new residential buildings – lessons from architectural practice. Architectural Engineering and Design Management 2020, 16, 374 -390.
AMA StyleFreja Nygaard Rasmussen, Morten Birkved, Harpa Birgisdóttir. Low- carbon design strategies for new residential buildings – lessons from architectural practice. Architectural Engineering and Design Management. 2020; 16 (5):374-390.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFreja Nygaard Rasmussen; Morten Birkved; Harpa Birgisdóttir. 2020. "Low- carbon design strategies for new residential buildings – lessons from architectural practice." Architectural Engineering and Design Management 16, no. 5: 374-390.
Camilla Marlene Ernst Andersen; Kai Kanafani; Regitze Zimmermann; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Harpa Birgisdóttir. Comparison of GHG emissions from circular and conventional building components. Buildings and Cities 2020, 1, 379 .
AMA StyleCamilla Marlene Ernst Andersen, Kai Kanafani, Regitze Zimmermann, Freja Nygaard Rasmussen, Harpa Birgisdóttir. Comparison of GHG emissions from circular and conventional building components. Buildings and Cities. 2020; 1 (1):379.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCamilla Marlene Ernst Andersen; Kai Kanafani; Regitze Zimmermann; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Harpa Birgisdóttir. 2020. "Comparison of GHG emissions from circular and conventional building components." Buildings and Cities 1, no. 1: 379.
Buildings are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contributors to the climate crisis. To meet climate-change mitigation needs, one must go beyond operational energy consumption and related GHG emissions of buildings and address their full life cycle. This study investigates the global trends of GHG emissions arising across the life cycle of buildings by systematically compiling and analysing more than 650 life cycle assessment (LCA) case studies. The results, presented for different energy performance classes based on a final sample of 238 cases, show a clear reduction trend in life cycle GHG emissions due to improved operational energy performance. However, the analysis reveals an increase in relative and absolute contributions of so‐called ‘embodied’ GHG emissions, i.e., emissions arising from manufacturing and processing of building materials. While the average share of embodied GHG emissions from buildings following current energy performance regulations is approximately 20–25% of life cycle GHG emissions, this figure escalates to 45–50% for highly energy-efficient buildings and surpasses 90% in extreme cases. Furthermore, this study analyses GHG emissions at time of occurrence, highlighting the ‘carbon spike’ from building production. Relating the results to existing benchmarks for buildings’ GHG emissions in the Swiss SIA energy efficiency path shows that most cases exceed the target of 11.0 kgCO2eq/m2a. Considering global GHG reduction targets, these results emphasize the urgent need to reduce GHG emissions of buildings by optimizing both operational and embodied impacts. The analysis further confirmed a need for improving transparency and comparability of LCA studies.
Martin Röck; Marcella Ruschi Mendes Saade; Maria Balouktsi; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Harpa Birgisdottir; Rolf Frischknecht; Guillaume Habert; Thomas Lützkendorf; Alexander Passer. Embodied GHG emissions of buildings – The hidden challenge for effective climate change mitigation. Applied Energy 2019, 258, 114107 .
AMA StyleMartin Röck, Marcella Ruschi Mendes Saade, Maria Balouktsi, Freja Nygaard Rasmussen, Harpa Birgisdottir, Rolf Frischknecht, Guillaume Habert, Thomas Lützkendorf, Alexander Passer. Embodied GHG emissions of buildings – The hidden challenge for effective climate change mitigation. Applied Energy. 2019; 258 ():114107.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMartin Röck; Marcella Ruschi Mendes Saade; Maria Balouktsi; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Harpa Birgisdottir; Rolf Frischknecht; Guillaume Habert; Thomas Lützkendorf; Alexander Passer. 2019. "Embodied GHG emissions of buildings – The hidden challenge for effective climate change mitigation." Applied Energy 258, no. : 114107.
This study provides LCA reference benchmarks for residential buildings in Northern Italy and Denmark. Furthermore, the benchmark derivation process is analysed to highlight the trade-offs that relate to the methodological choices made by benchmark developers, considering the objectives of the stakeholders. Reference benchmarks for the two contexts are calculated based on national samples of residential buildings. A comparative analysis pinpoints the methodological factors regarding system boundaries, inventory requirements and databases that, from a calculation aspect, affect the benchmarks. Results thus highlight the uniqueness of each benchmarking system put into practice, and emphasize the need for clear calculation rules and transparency within each benchmark system. The identified trade-offs from the derivation process furthermore indicate the inherent need to balance the different interests relating to the stakeholders’ roles when applying the benchmark. The mapping of different trade-offs presented in this study provides benchmark stakeholders with an overview that allows for open discussion about which priorities and choices will fit a specific context of benchmark application.
Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Sara Ganassali; Regitze Zimmermann; Monica Lavagna; Andrea Campioli; Harpa Birgisdóttir. LCA benchmarks for residential buildings in Northern Italy and Denmark – learnings from comparing two different contexts. Building Research & Information 2019, 47, 833 -849.
AMA StyleFreja Nygaard Rasmussen, Sara Ganassali, Regitze Zimmermann, Monica Lavagna, Andrea Campioli, Harpa Birgisdóttir. LCA benchmarks for residential buildings in Northern Italy and Denmark – learnings from comparing two different contexts. Building Research & Information. 2019; 47 (7):833-849.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFreja Nygaard Rasmussen; Sara Ganassali; Regitze Zimmermann; Monica Lavagna; Andrea Campioli; Harpa Birgisdóttir. 2019. "LCA benchmarks for residential buildings in Northern Italy and Denmark – learnings from comparing two different contexts." Building Research & Information 47, no. 7: 833-849.
Leonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt; Harpa Birgisdóttir; Morten Birkved. Life cycle assessment of a Danish office building designed for disassembly. Building Research & Information 2018, 47, 666 -680.
AMA StyleLeonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt, Harpa Birgisdóttir, Morten Birkved. Life cycle assessment of a Danish office building designed for disassembly. Building Research & Information. 2018; 47 (6):666-680.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt; Harpa Birgisdóttir; Morten Birkved. 2018. "Life cycle assessment of a Danish office building designed for disassembly." Building Research & Information 47, no. 6: 666-680.
The dominance of operational energy and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of most existing buildings is decreasing in new construction, when primary fossil energy of building operation decreases as result of the implementation of energy efficiency measures as well as a decarbonisation of national energy mixes. Stakeholders therefore have a growing interest in understanding the possibilities for reducing embodied impacts in buildings. In the IEA EBC project ‘Annex 57’ a broad call for case studies was launched with the aim to identify design strategies for reducing embodied energy and GHG emissions (EEG) from buildings. The aim of this paper is to identify and provide a collected and comprehensive overview of quantitative reduction potentials of the particular EEG reduction strategies which should be considered by the stakeholders engaged in, and with the capacity to influence the outcome of, individual building projects. This is done by a systematic analysis of the Annex 57 case study collection as well as additional scientific literature. While it should be noted that the actual EEG savings at building level illustrated in this collection of studies are only applicable to each specific case, importantly this multiple cross-case analysis has provided rigorous evidence of the considerable potential to reduce embodied impacts in the design and construction of new and refurbished buildings.
Tove Malmqvist; Marie Nehasilova; Alice Moncaster; Harpa Birgisdottir; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Aoife Houlihan Wiberg; José Potting. Design and construction strategies for reducing embodied impacts from buildings – Case study analysis. Energy and Buildings 2018, 166, 35 -47.
AMA StyleTove Malmqvist, Marie Nehasilova, Alice Moncaster, Harpa Birgisdottir, Freja Nygaard Rasmussen, Aoife Houlihan Wiberg, José Potting. Design and construction strategies for reducing embodied impacts from buildings – Case study analysis. Energy and Buildings. 2018; 166 ():35-47.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTove Malmqvist; Marie Nehasilova; Alice Moncaster; Harpa Birgisdottir; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Aoife Houlihan Wiberg; José Potting. 2018. "Design and construction strategies for reducing embodied impacts from buildings – Case study analysis." Energy and Buildings 166, no. : 35-47.
Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Tove Malmqvist; Alice Moncaster; Aoife Houlihan Wiberg; Harpa Birgisdottir. Analysing methodological choices in calculations of embodied energy and GHG emissions from buildings. Energy and Buildings 2018, 158, 1487 -1498.
AMA StyleFreja Nygaard Rasmussen, Tove Malmqvist, Alice Moncaster, Aoife Houlihan Wiberg, Harpa Birgisdottir. Analysing methodological choices in calculations of embodied energy and GHG emissions from buildings. Energy and Buildings. 2018; 158 ():1487-1498.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFreja Nygaard Rasmussen; Tove Malmqvist; Alice Moncaster; Aoife Houlihan Wiberg; Harpa Birgisdottir. 2018. "Analysing methodological choices in calculations of embodied energy and GHG emissions from buildings." Energy and Buildings 158, no. : 1487-1498.
In the construction sector, LCAs typically apply an approach based on fixed or partially fixed building lifespans/service lives/reference study period. The temporal scopes applied in building LCAs are hence typically not reflecting that the timeframes buildings can provide the service they are intended to provide, are (highly) dependent on numerous factors e.g.: building location, materials used to construct the building, energy supply and the use of the building. Inaccurate estimation of the temporal scope of a building LCA will lead to incorrect quantification of the environmental impacts of buildings. Incorrect quantification of the environmental performance of buildings may, in the worst case, derange/decelerate the development within the building sector towards more sustainable buildings. In this paper, a data set consisting of 20999 Danish buildings, demolished between 2009 and 2015, is analyzed. A multiple linear regression model is derived and used to quantify the temporal scope (often referred to as the reference study period) of building LCAs in an attempt to improve the accuracy of sustainability assessment of buildings, taking several influencing factors into account. The results obtained from the derived model are subsequently compared with several fixed/partially fixed building lifespan/service life/reference study period quantification approaches The regression model proved to estimate the lifespan with lower errors (compared to observed values) than the prevailing approach relying on a single fixed value for all building locations, uses and building materials. The application of model based site, use, and/or material specific etc. temporal scope quantification in LCA is new and provides a mean to reduce the uncertainty of LCA results; however, the approach needs to be formalized.
Natasha Østergaard; Laura Thorsted; Simona Miraglia; Morten Birkved; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Harpa Birgisdóttir; Pradip Kalbar; Stylianos Georgiadis. Data Driven Quantification of the Temporal Scope of Building LCAs. Procedia CIRP 2018, 69, 224 -229.
AMA StyleNatasha Østergaard, Laura Thorsted, Simona Miraglia, Morten Birkved, Freja Nygaard Rasmussen, Harpa Birgisdóttir, Pradip Kalbar, Stylianos Georgiadis. Data Driven Quantification of the Temporal Scope of Building LCAs. Procedia CIRP. 2018; 69 ():224-229.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNatasha Østergaard; Laura Thorsted; Simona Miraglia; Morten Birkved; Freja Nygaard Rasmussen; Harpa Birgisdóttir; Pradip Kalbar; Stylianos Georgiadis. 2018. "Data Driven Quantification of the Temporal Scope of Building LCAs." Procedia CIRP 69, no. : 224-229.
The current regulations to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from buildings have focused on operational energy consumption. Thus legislation excludes measurement and reduction of the embodied energy and embodied GHG emissions over the building life cycle. Embodied impacts are a significant and growing proportion and it is increasingly recognised that the focus on reducing operational energy consumption needs to be accompanied by a parallel focus on reducing embodied impacts. Over the last six years the Annex 57 has addressed this issue, with researchers from 15 countries working together to develop a detailed understanding of the multiple calculation methods and the interpretation of their results. Based on an analysis of 80 case studies, Annex 57 showed various inconsistencies in current methodological approaches, which inhibit comparisons of results and difficult development of robust reduction strategies. Reinterpreting the studies through an understanding of the methodological differences enabled the cases to be used to demonstrate a number of important strategies for the reduction of embodied impacts. Annex 57 has also produced clear recommendations for uniform definitions and templates which improve the description of system boundaries, completeness of inventory and quality of data, and consequently the transparency of embodied impact assessments.
H. Birgisdottir; Alice Moncaster; A. Houlihan Wiberg; C. Chae; K. Yokoyama; Maria Balouktsi; S. Seo; T. Oka; T. Lützkendorf; T. Malmqvist. IEA EBC annex 57 ‘evaluation of embodied energy and CO 2eq for building construction’. Energy and Buildings 2017, 154, 72 -80.
AMA StyleH. Birgisdottir, Alice Moncaster, A. Houlihan Wiberg, C. Chae, K. Yokoyama, Maria Balouktsi, S. Seo, T. Oka, T. Lützkendorf, T. Malmqvist. IEA EBC annex 57 ‘evaluation of embodied energy and CO 2eq for building construction’. Energy and Buildings. 2017; 154 ():72-80.
Chicago/Turabian StyleH. Birgisdottir; Alice Moncaster; A. Houlihan Wiberg; C. Chae; K. Yokoyama; Maria Balouktsi; S. Seo; T. Oka; T. Lützkendorf; T. Malmqvist. 2017. "IEA EBC annex 57 ‘evaluation of embodied energy and CO 2eq for building construction’." Energy and Buildings 154, no. : 72-80.
“NORNET - Innovative use of LCA in the development of sustainable building and refurbishment strategies” is a Nordic network aiming at extended and improved use of LCA in the Nordic building sector. The NORNET LCA network has studied the challenges and needs of the Nordic building industry in the development in Building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The study applied a semi-structured interview technique with 57 interviewees from the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish building sector. The study was conducted using a combination of in-depth phone interviews, email interviews and an online multiple-choice questionnaire. The interviewees represented different stakeholders in the Nordic building industry with varying knowledge of LCA, including building product manufacturers, entrepreneurs, building owners, architects, consultants, organizations and research institutes. The interviewees emphasized the need for a better understanding of the relative significance of different factors and building parts and the need to refine and harmonize the existing building LCA tools and databases. The results from this study provides valuable insight in how the Nordic Building Industry experiences the use of LCA. The results also raises awareness of the issues that are needed to be addressed in order for the industry to accelerate and expand the application of LCA in the near future
Reidun Dahl Schlanbusch; Selamawit Mamo Fufa; Tarja Häkkinen; Sirje Vares; Harpa Birgisdottir; Peter Ylmén. Experiences with LCA in the Nordic Building Industry – Challenges, Needs and Solutions. Energy Procedia 2016, 96, 82 -93.
AMA StyleReidun Dahl Schlanbusch, Selamawit Mamo Fufa, Tarja Häkkinen, Sirje Vares, Harpa Birgisdottir, Peter Ylmén. Experiences with LCA in the Nordic Building Industry – Challenges, Needs and Solutions. Energy Procedia. 2016; 96 ():82-93.
Chicago/Turabian StyleReidun Dahl Schlanbusch; Selamawit Mamo Fufa; Tarja Häkkinen; Sirje Vares; Harpa Birgisdottir; Peter Ylmén. 2016. "Experiences with LCA in the Nordic Building Industry – Challenges, Needs and Solutions." Energy Procedia 96, no. : 82-93.
Energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with life cycle stages of road infrastructure are currently rarely assessed during road infrastructure planning. This study examines the road infrastructure planning process, with emphasis on its use of Environmental Assessments (EA), and identifies when and how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be integrated in the early planning stages for supporting decisions such as choice of road corridor. Road infrastructure planning processes are compared for four European countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands). The results show that only Norway has a formalised way of using LCA during choice of road corridor. Only the Netherlands has a requirement for using LCA in the later procurement stage. It is concluded that during the early stages of planning, LCA could be integrated as part of an EA, as a separate process or as part of a Cost-Benefit Analysis.
Sofiia Miliutenko; Ingeborg Kluts; Kristina Lundberg; Susanna Toller; Helge Brattebø; Harpa Birgisdóttir; José Potting. CONSIDERATION OF LIFE CYCLE ENERGY USE AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING PROCESSES: EXAMPLES OF SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK AND THE NETHERLANDS. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management 2014, 16, 1 .
AMA StyleSofiia Miliutenko, Ingeborg Kluts, Kristina Lundberg, Susanna Toller, Helge Brattebø, Harpa Birgisdóttir, José Potting. CONSIDERATION OF LIFE CYCLE ENERGY USE AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING PROCESSES: EXAMPLES OF SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK AND THE NETHERLANDS. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2014; 16 (04):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSofiia Miliutenko; Ingeborg Kluts; Kristina Lundberg; Susanna Toller; Helge Brattebø; Harpa Birgisdóttir; José Potting. 2014. "CONSIDERATION OF LIFE CYCLE ENERGY USE AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING PROCESSES: EXAMPLES OF SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK AND THE NETHERLANDS." Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management 16, no. 04: 1.