Discover the purpose of life-cycle assessments in LEED certification. Learn how LCAs help evaluate the environmental impacts of buildings from cradle to grave.
Table of Contents
Question
The purpose of a life-cycle assessment in LEED is to evaluate the potential
A. cost impacts Of a building through its life-cycle
B. safety impacts of a material through its life-cycle
C. human impacts 0t a material through its lite-cycle
D. environmental impacts of a building through its life-cycle
Answer
D. environmental impacts of a building through its life-cycle
Explanation
The purpose of a life-cycle assessment (LCA) in LEED is to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a building through its life-cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, to the manufacturing, transportation, installation, use, maintenance, and disposal or recycling of building materials and products.
LCA can help project teams to compare different design options and select the ones that minimize the environmental impacts of the building, such as global warming potential, ozone depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, and smog formation potential12. LCA can also help projects earn points for the LEED v4 Building Design and Construction category under the Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction credit, which rewards projects for reducing the life-cycle impacts of their structure and enclosure by at least 10% compared to a baseline.
A life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive analysis used in LEED to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a building throughout its entire life-cycle, from raw material extraction (cradle) to final disposal (grave). LCAs consider a wide range of environmental factors, including embodied energy, greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and waste generation.
By conducting an LCA, project teams can identify opportunities to reduce the building’s overall environmental footprint by making informed decisions about material selection, construction methods, operational strategies, and end-of-life scenarios. LCAs help prioritize design and construction practices that minimize negative environmental consequences while maximizing sustainability benefits.
While cost (A), safety (B), and human health impacts (C) are important considerations in building design and construction, they are not the primary focus of life-cycle assessments in LEED. The main purpose of an LCA is to quantify and evaluate the environmental performance of a building throughout its life-cycle stages.
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