DGNB life cycle assessment with LCA-Online

As DGNB auditor or planer you are confronted with assessing the buildings’ entire life cycle – from production to removal. LCA-Online offers you the possibility to generate building’s life cycle assessments and component comparisons for your DGNB project.

Your advantages with LCA online:

• approved LCA software for DGNB
• predefined analysis possibilities according to DGNB
• preconfigured products and components for DGNB

We have several years of experience in the preparation of life cycle assessments as we proved in many DGNB projects. We are happy to take care of the building’s entire life cycle assessment for your project and hence support you with the procedure of furnishing proof.

With LCA Online you can prove the following criteria:

ENV 1.1 Life Cycle Assessment

1 Life cycle assessments in planning

1.1 Integration of life cycle assessments into the planning process

1.1.1 A life cycle assessment model for the project is generated in an early planning stage. The building varieties existing during the planning phase are opposed according to their potential ecological production- and relevant usage impact. Here, information of at least three different sectoral planners or disciplines (e. g.
structural engineering, HLS planning, building physics planning, energy planning) are incorporated in the determination.
At least, life cycle assessment parameters that can typically be expected for the construction (e.g. derived from studies or benchmarks) and specific values for the energy-conditioned impacts are determined and discussed within the planning team, differentiated according to operation and construction.

1.1.2 Life cycle assessment results for the building are determined regularly accompanying the planning (adapted to the respective planning status) and according to concrete planning questions argued and (differentiated according to operation and construction) discussed within the planning team.
By no later than service phase 4, the construction and all relevant building-related effects of use are integrated in the calculations, at least according to the simplified procedure.

1.1.3 Results of the life cycle assessments for the operation phase of the building are determined beyond the legally defined framework of energy calculation. This includes, for example a differentiated consideration of the energy demand in or at the building or on the location while using the building (KIT, supply. production, (effect) lightning, …), the complete energy demand of the building technology (lift, escalator, …) or similar. The results are discussed in the planning team.

2 Life cycle assessment optimisation

2.1 Life cycle assessment optimisation accompanying the planning (life cycle assessment variant analysis)

2.1.1 The effects of essential alternative decisions on the expected life cycle assessment results are calculated for the building. This is conducted as a complete consideration of the whole building. The choice of alternatives is comprehensible and offers potential for improvement. The decision for the solution that will ultimately be implemented is explained.

2.1.2 The effects of essential decisions on the expected life cycle assessment results are determined for the building. This is performed as a partial consideration (extract) for the relevant frame of observation. The choice of alternatives is comprehensible and offers potential for improvement. Die Entscheidung für die schlussendlich umgesetzte Lösung wird erläutert.

3 Life cycle assessment comparison calculation

3.1 Weighted Environmental Impacts

3.1.1 Building life cycle assessment results provided

3.1.2 Evaluation of the building life cycle assessment results

By using life cycle assessment data, these emissions and consumption of resources of the whole life cycle – for production, operation and end of the building’s life – are calculated and can be evaluated on the basis of benchmarks. The environmental problems can be found in the following environmental indicators:

• Climate Change: Global Warming Potential. GWP
• Destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer: Ozone Layer Depletion Potential, ODP
• Summersmog, near-ground ozone: Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential, POCP
• Acidification of grounds, forrest decline and fish mortality: Acidification Potential, AP
• Overfertilisation of surface waters: Eutrophication Potential, EP
• Non-renewable primary energy expenditure (PEnr)
• Total primary energy expenditure (PEtot)
• Share of renewable primary energy
• Abiotic, non-energetic consumption of resources: abiotic depletion potential for elemental resources
• Net use of fresh water (FW)

4 AGENDA 2030 BONUS – CLIMATE PROTECTION GOALS

4.1 Ambition to reach carbon neutrality

4.1.1 Partial consideration building energy:

The energy demand conditioned by the building (legally defined accounting scope for buildings) is determined according to the DGNB balancing rule of the “framework for carbon neutral buildings and sites”. In this calculation, the boundary condition for the depiction of the actual usage must be adjusted to reality at the best possible rate. The generation of renewable energy at the site allows for a balanced CO2-balance in the partial consideration of the building energy, at the minimum.

4.1.2 Partial consideration user energy:

The energy demand conditioned by the user (beyond the legally defined accounting scope for buildings) is determined according to the DGNB balancing rule of the “framework for carbon neutral buildings and sites”. In this calculation, the boundary condition for the depiction of the actual usage must be adjusted to reality at the best possible rate. The
The generation of renewable energy at the site allows for a balanced CO2-balance in the partial consideration of the user energy, at the minimum.

4.1.3 Climate-neutral operated building (“accounting scope operation”)

Alternative to 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 the following can be acknowledged:
The total energy demand (accounting scope operation = building energy plus user energy) is determined according to the DGNB balancing rule of the “framework for carbon neutral buildings and sites”. In this calculation, the boundary condition for the depiction of the actual usage must be adjusted to reality at the best possible rate. The generation of
renewable energy at the site allows for a carbon neutral operation including a balanced CO2-balance.

4.1.4 Environmentally friendly construction:

The greenhouse gas emissions for production, maintenance and end of the construction’s life calculated in sum (GWPK,actual) via a life cycle assessment according to DGNB fall below the reference value GWPK,ref for the construction by at least 50%.

4.1.5 Climate action roadmap for “climate neutral operated building” is reached by no later than 2040 (accounting scope “operation”):

A plausible climate action roadmap according to the “framework for carbon neutral buildings and sites” that causes a balanced CO2-balance, is presented for the accounting scope “operation” of the building.

4.1.6 Climate action roadmap for a “carbon neutral created building” (accounting framework “operation and construction”):

A plausible climate action roadmap according to the “framework for carbon neutral buildings and sites” that causes a balanced CO2-balance until 2050, is presented for the accounting scope “operation and construction” of the building.

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