Scoping Study to Investigate Measures for Improving the Environmental Sustainability of Building Materials
Department of the Environment and Heritage,
December 2006
Download PDF
- Download Scoping Study to Investigate Measures for Improving the Environmental Sustainability of Building Materials
(building-materials.pdf - 1843 KB)
About this study
The Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH) commissioned this study to provide information to the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) following the inclusion of 'sustainability' into the recent inter-governmental agreement that underpins the Building Code of Australia (BCA). Sustainability (including energy, water, materials and indoor air quality) now joins health, safety, and amenity as a goal of the BCA.
The research aimed to identify and quantify the range of environmental impacts, associated with the building fabric, using life cycle analysis (LCA); review the options for reducing these impacts; and identify a range of possible measures that could improve the sustainability of building materials across the life cycle/supply chain.
The analysis is applied to the life cycles of each of the materials that make up the building fabric, but not to the buildings themselves. It is worth noting that buildings and their constituent parts cycle through the economy at very different rates. Through the processes of repair and upgrade some components of a building may be replaced many times over the life of the building.
Operational aspects of building use, such as lighting, space heating/cooling and appliances use are excluded from the analysis. The choice of materials does affect operational performance, though the link is not always precise or direct. For example, two buildings with apparently identical materials can have dramatically different operational energy performance depending on design, detailing and construction.
Although the fitout (materials used in heating, cooling and ventilation equipment, loose furnishing, furniture, etc) of residential and commercial buildings was not analysed in depth, the importance of these materials (especially in terms of their contribution to indoor air quality) is recognised and addressed to some extent, based on existing research.
The study does not include infrastructure construction, such as roads, bridges, services, and materials used outside the building such as paving, driveways and fencing.
Before you download
Most publications are available as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window