Learn about life-cycle assessment (LCA) and other strategies to minimize the environmental impact of building materials in this LEED Green Associate Exam prep question.
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 costing
B. Simple payback
C. Environmental assessment
D. Life-cycle assessment
Answer
The best strategy to help the owner design a building that uses materials with minimal environmental impact is:
D. Life-cycle assessment
Explanation
A life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive method for evaluating 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 end-of-life disposal or recycling.
In the context of building design and construction, an LCA can be used to assess the environmental impacts of different building materials and systems over their entire life cycle. This helps identify materials and design strategies that minimize negative environmental impacts such as resource depletion, energy use, emissions, and waste.
The other options are not as suitable:
A. Life-cycle costing focuses on the total cost of ownership over the life of a product or system, including initial costs and future operational costs. While it considers durability and maintenance, it does not directly assess environmental impact.
B. Simple payback is a method for calculating how long it takes to recoup the initial investment in an energy efficiency measure through energy savings. It is not used to assess the environmental impacts of materials.
C. An environmental assessment is a general term that could encompass various types of assessments, but in the context of LEED it usually refers to site assessments related to sustainable site selection and development. It does not specifically address the impacts of building materials.
In summary, life-cycle assessment (LCA) is the most appropriate strategy for comprehensively evaluating and minimizing the life-cycle environmental impacts of building materials, in alignment with the owner’s goal of designing an environmentally responsible building.
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.