Life Cycle Assessment for ecodesign of ecological roof made with Intemper TF Ecological Water-Tank System

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the less sustainable activities on the planet: with a consumption of 40% of the materials entering the global economy and the generation of 40–50% of the global output of greenhouse gases. The biggest environmental impact caused by buildings is generated during their use phase due to the energy consumption for thermal conditioning. Addition of green elements to buildings is used to improve energy efficiency of buildings. In this study Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology has been applied to quantify the environmental impact of the green roofs materials to analyze its environmental profile. The identification of hot spots of the system permits an ecodesign strategy that effectively reduces environmental burdens associated with roof construction, optimizing the environmental performance. The results identify the high environmental impact associated to the structure, the important contribution of the felt wick irrigation system and the extruded polystyrene thermal insulation.

Keywords

• sustainability
• ecological roofs
• ecodesign
• energy efficiency
• life cycle assessment (lca)