Life cycle inventory analysis of a precast reinforced concrete shed for goods storage

The buildings and construction sector is one the most important economic sectors all over the world but, at the same time, one of the most pollutant emitting and resource demanding. This study focuses on the analysis of the entire main input inventory data used for assessing the environmental impacts linked to the life cycle of a pre-cast concrete shed: great importance was given to the use of on-site collected specific data which was carefully verified for assuring its quality and reliability. The study was conducted in accordance with the ISO standards 14040 and 14044 (2006), with the aim of qualifying and quantifying the resources, the materials and the energy demand for the shed construction, use and end of life phases. The study results show that for the four phases taken into account in the system boundaries (production of the raw materials, construction of the shed, use of the shed and end-of-life of the shed) the most inventories are in the shed construction phase because of the huge amount of materials, fuels and resources such as concrete, steel, electrical energy and water. Other inventories are related: to the use phase, for the huge consumption of electrical energy for indoor heating and cooling; to the maintenance phase, for the number of units, such as fixtures and power plant, which are to be replaced; and to the end-of-life phase for the number of data needed for modelling the shed disassembly. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.