Embodied energy and carbon in Brazilian buildings: study of concrete-framed vertical typology

• Grant number: 13/12459-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2013
• End date: August 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Architecture and Urbanism Technology
• Principal Investigator: Vanessa Gomes da Silva
• Grantee: Lígia Senarese Mininel
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FEC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The environmental systems for evaluation/certification and the directories for material selection available internationally are based on isolated environmental attributes. These approaches, however, risk treating the materials attribute selection superficially, not applying them to environmental performance analysis. For being holistic, systemic, and rigorous, the life cycle analysis (LCA) is the internationally preferred method to investigate the impacts of a product. A consistent and internationally accepted methodological framework is fundamental to allow the comparability of studies, but LCA applications still present variations that hinder interpretations and comparisons. In Brazil, the studies of sustainability indicators for buildings are still embryonic and lack methodological standardization, which makes them consistent and replicable. To try to bridge this gap, some studies have been conducted to conceive a set of LCA-based indicators, to gradually form a national reference database. Such studies are however still restricted to a single building typology. This research aims at extending the application of embodied energy and carbon to concrete-framed vertical buildings, a typology not yet explored in previous studies developed by UNICAMP, and to contribute to the disclosure of national benchmarks. (AU)