Learn about life-cycle assessment, a key strategy for designing buildings that use materials with minimal impact on the environment. Ace your LEED Green Associate certification exam.
Table of Contents
Question
An owner of newly acquired land wants to design a building that uses materials that have minimal impact on the environment. Which of the following strategies would help achieve this goal?
A. Life-cycle assessment
B. Life-cycle costing
C. Simple payback
D. Environmental assessment
Answer
A. Life-cycle assessment
Explanation
A life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a strategy that can help an owner of newly acquired land design a building that uses materials that have minimal impact on the environment. An LCA is a method that evaluates the environmental impacts of a product or material over its entire life cycle, from extraction to disposal.
An LCA can measure the impacts on various categories, such as energy use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and waste generation. An LCA can help compare different products or materials based on their environmental performance and select the ones that have the lowest impact.
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a technique used to assess the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life, from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling.
In the context of building design and construction, LCA helps identify materials and products that have the lowest environmental impact across their entire life-cycle. By conducting an LCA, designers and owners can make informed decisions about material selection, aiming to minimize negative effects on the environment.
The other options are not as directly relevant:
B. Life-cycle costing focuses on the total cost of ownership over the life of an asset, including acquisition, operation, maintenance, and disposal costs. While it can indirectly encourage environmentally friendly choices by favoring durable and efficient products, its primary focus is financial rather than environmental.
C. Simple payback is a method of calculating how long it will take to recover the initial cost of an investment through savings or profits. It does not directly address environmental impact.
D. Environmental assessment generally refers to the process of predicting and evaluating the effects of a proposed project or development on the environment. While it is an important tool, it is broader in scope than LCA and not specifically focused on building materials.
In summary, life-cycle assessment is the most appropriate strategy among the given options for designing a building with materials that have minimal environmental impact.
USGBC LEED Green Associate certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the USGBC LEED Green Associate exam and earn USGBC LEED Green Associate certification.