Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building

TUM School of Engineering and Design

Technische Universität München

Master's thesis at Institute of Energy Efficient and

Sustainable Design and Building – A Lifecycle Analysis of
Building Walls/Slabs: A Dynamic Approach of Building.Lab the Case
Study

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Name: Alina Izquierdo Flores

Matriculation number: 03752688

Title: "A Lifecycle Analysis of Building Walls/Slabs: A Dynamic Approach of Building.Lab the Case Study".

Name of supervisor: Chujun Zong

1. Introduction

This master's thesis revolves around evaluating a dynamic life cycle analysis of the building
Building.Lab from a case study, part of the Technical University Munich. The analysis focuses
specifically on its exterior walls/slab components. Life cycle analysis (LCA), a well-known and
contemporary instrument, measures the environmental impact (EI) of products by considering several
factors like CO2, acidification levels, global warming potential (GWP), and others. The focus of this
thesis is set on an embodied CO2 DLCA. Carbon dioxide emissions have a significant and influential
impact on climate change since they emit greenhouse gases GHG and intensify the greenhouse effect
globally. The significance of this topic lies in the critical role buildings play on a global scale for energy
consumption and GHG emission. Performing an LCA there are several benefits; such as the
environmental impact of a building's components becomes more visible, the outcome of this analysis

Alina Izquierdo Flores EPNB Chujun Zong September 2023 Page 1 of 6

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building
TUM School of Engineering and Design
Technische Universität München

could guide sustainable building practices, inform for future policy decisions, and promote a holistic
understanding of a building's environmental footprint, in this case quantified through CO2 emissions.

2. State of research and technology

A Life cycle assessment LCA is becoming a necessary tool for calculating embodied carbon,
advancing sustainability in the construction industry, and measuring the environmental impact of
buildings. The European norm EN 15978, published in 2011, decides a structured and standardized
framework for conducting an LCA. Typically, there are two types of LCAs, the static LCA (also known
as standard) and the dynamic LCA. As the name suggests static life cycle assessment is the analysis
of the EI at a particular moment in time, in contrast, a dynamic LCA (DLCA) offers an evaluation
considering temporal changes and addresses long-term EI. Both kinds of LCA lead to the same goal,
to serve a purpose in environmental assessment considering all the stages of the building life cycle.

As expected, performing a static LCA is less complex than a DLCA, because potential temporal
variations in the lifetime of buildings and their influences on assessment results are not part of the
challenge. This is why research on this LCA type is more advanced, with a greater number of studies
adopting this approach. However, despite the above, the analysis of a DLCA is more precise, yielding
more plausible EI results. Consequently, research and development for DLCA is important, too, and
some scholars continue to make progress with studies and research papers.

The data collection is the biggest challenge of the whole LCA, typically based on Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD), their "information modules" and other databases. The importance of the
data relies on the dependency between the calculation phase and the provided information. Currently,
there are several databases and people use them according to the country or region of the LCA.
Some examples are Ökobaudat, GaBi, and ecoinvent, these are mainly used in Europe. Due to the
current trend, we can expect an increase in software and websites for data and information to support
LCA studies. Thanks to higher data availability it is proper to understand and rely on life cycle
assessments outcomes to improve sustainable environmental strategies.

3. Objective of your project

The aim of this work is to analyse the EI of the building Building.Lab case study, a project part of the
EPNB chair at the Technical University Munich TUM. For this study, a DLCA will be applied, and the
procedure is to break down the building into its components. Typical building components are
foundation, exterior walls, roofs, windows and doors, interior walls, ceilings/slabs, and mechanical
systems. According to some articles and studies like LETI, DGNB Study, and Literature Model for
LCA of Buildings from EFI-Resources the external walls and slabs are two components, that embody

Alina Izquierdo Flores EPNB Chujun Zong September 2023 Page 2 of 6

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building
TUM School of Engineering and Design
Technische Universität München

the most CO2 emissions in a building. Not only because of its mass but also because of the materials
they are constructed of, like concrete and steel. Once the results of a Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment
(DLCA) are calculated, they will be evaluated and analyzed to understand the impact they have on
the environment.

The analysis is specific to these building components and their material. In this way, the process is
simpler and easier to follow than the analysis for the whole building because fewer materials are being
considered. This study will take into account temporal changes and how they are related to the
emissions of exterior walls/slabs. This analysis will be an excerpt from a much larger and complex
assessment. However, during the execution of this DLCA, we will be able to discern the actual
limitations that exist for the calculation and define the bottle neck of this approach. Likewise, we can
make adaptations and assumptions to achieve the previously mentioned aim. In the future, depending
on the results obtained in this study, this procedure could be replicated in a more extensive manner
supporting scholars to develop a DLCA model prototype.

My first thoughts about this thesis are that the DLCA results, in terms of CO2 emissions, are greater
than those in a static LCA of the same building. When the time factor is held constant, there will be
emissions that will be overseen. Over the estimated life service (ESL) of a building (usually 60-100
years), it represents a significant impact left unaccounted for.

4. Methodology

According to the article "Assessment models and dynamic variables for dynamic life cycle assessment
of buildings: a review" published in 2021 there are three typical DLCA models; such as dynamic matrix
model, data transformation-based model, and static model + dynamic variables.

After some consideration, the model that will be applied in this study is the latter "static model +
dynamic variables". There are five steps:

1. data calculation and collection,

2. static model of the life cycle system,

3. temporality of the building life cycle system,

4. dynamic model of the life cycle system, and

5. dynamic impact assessment calculation

The first two steps are similar to the procedure of a static LCA. However, after this point, the approach
changes, and the analysis considers dynamic variables. Following research there are several dynamic

Alina Izquierdo Flores EPNB Chujun Zong September 2023 Page 3 of 6

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building
TUM School of Engineering and Design
Technische Universität München

variables, that tend to be categorized at various levels: external level, building system level, and end-
user level. Due to the aim of the study previously explained and the analysis of embodied carbon EI,
the focus of the LCA will be set on the building system level. Examples within this category include
the time factor, degradation of materials, carbon absorption, estimated life service, and obsolescence.
As mentioned before, time plays a key role in achieving a dynamic approach. Throughout this study,
we will analyse how materials and their emissions change over time.

The LCA calculation will be conducted in Excel and developed as a matrix file, where the database
can be linked to enhance transparency and maintain this tool straightforward.

5. Work plan, necessary resources

Start and registration date: 01.10.2023

End and submission date: 31.03.2024

Alina Izquierdo Flores EPNB Chujun Zong September 2023 Page 4 of 6

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building
TUM School of Engineering and Design
Technische Universität München

6. Structure
I. Agreement
II. Declaration
1. Table of contents
2. Abstract
3. Motivation and starting point
4. Case Study Building.Lab
4.1 Description of the buidling
- details and construction type,
- objectives,
- use
4.2 Correlation case study with topic
5. DLCA
5.1 Definition & Scope
5.2 Framework and Goal
5.3 Inventory
5.4 Results
6. Interpretation of DLCA Results
7. Comparison of results
8. List of references

7. Literature
1. The construction industry remains horribly climate unfriendly, The Economist, 2022, URL:
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/06/15/the-construction-industry-
remains-horribly-climate-
unfriendly?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=1815173805
1&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-
response.anonymous&gclid=Cj0KCQjw84anBhCtARIsAISI-xf6rjYeiCFhxKQqTcSGK2z-
fr84cgadcY8Y1YDWB-L_MlGzyEni_QQaAt6xEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
2. Assessment models and dynamic variables for dynamic life cycle
3. assessment of buildings: a review, Author: Shu Su, Huan Zhang, Jian Zuo, Xiaodong Li,
Jingfeng Yuan, 2021.
4. EN 15978:2011 Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of environmental
performance of buildings - Calculation method, URL:
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/62c22cef-5666-4719-91f9-c21cb6aa0ab3/en-
15978-2011, 2011.
5. Embodied carbon assessment using a dynamic climate model: Case-study comparison of a
concrete, steel and timber building structure, Authors: Will Hawkins a, Samuel Cooper,
Stephen Allen, Jonathan Roynon, Tim Ibell, 2020.

Alina Izquierdo Flores EPNB Chujun Zong September 2023 Page 5 of 6

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building
TUM School of Engineering and Design
Technische Universität München

6. Defining Temporally Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment: A Review, Author: Joshua Sohn,
Pradip Kalbar, Benjamin Goldstein, Morten Birkved, 2019.
7. LETI Embodied Carbon Primer, London Energy Transformation Initiative, 2020
8. Considering Time in LCA: Dynamic LCA and Its Application to Global Warming Impact
Assessments, Annie Levasseur, Pascal Lesage, Manuele Margni, Louise Deschênes,
Réjean Samson, 2010.
9. Life Cycle Assessment, Science Direct, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-
and-planetary-sciences/life-cycle-assessment
10. A Comprehensive Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment Model: Considering Temporally and
Spatially Dependent Variations, Author: Shu Su, Jingyi Ju, Yujie Ding, Jingfeng Yuan, Peng
Cui, 2019.
Content presentation created by:

Munich, 06.09.2023 Munich, 06.09.2023

Alina Izquierdo Flores Chujun Zong

Alina Izquierdo Flores EPNB Chujun Zong September 2023 Page 6 of 6