VanGeem and Lorenz Present at LCA XI Conference
Martha VanGeem, Principal Engineer, and Emily Lorenz, Engineer at CTLGroup, co-presented a session for the LCA XI conference on October 4 in Chicago.
The presentation, titled "Incorporating LCA into Codes and Standards," is described below:
Recently published codes and standards including ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 on High Performance Green Buildings and the CALGreen Code, as well as the public version 2 of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), include LCA as a means of compliance. Whole-building LCA is complex, and writing criteria for performing LCA and meeting a certain threshold for performance is even more complex. The presenter will discuss the inclusion of simple tools in codes and standards to replace complex LCAs. Standards and codes that include LCA compliance paths will be examined, and the pros and cons of the language in each will be evaluated.
ASHRAE Standard 189.1 allows a whole building LCA with a full range of impacts as a performance path in lieu of prescriptive path requirements for recycled content, regional materials, or biobased content. The performance path is met through performing an LCA on a base building and the proposed project building. The proposed project building is required to show at least a 5% improvement in two of eight impact categories. The LCA is allowed to include the energy use over the life of the building, specified as 75 years for most buildings.
CALGreen has similar LCA requirements as the performance path in ASHRAE Standard 189.1, except that it requires at least a 10% improvement for at least three impact categories, one of which must be climate change. However, CALGreen has an alternative that allows the use of a simplified tool to select a minimum of 50% of the materials or assemblies.
The IGCC public comment version 2.0 has an option for whole building LCA project elective (one of many that can be selected). Again, the criteria are similar to the performance path in ASHRAE Standard 189.1 except that it requires at least a 20% improvement for at least three impact categories, one of which must be global warming potential. The IGCC code development hearing occurred in May 2011 and altered this language, although the final outcome will not be determined until after the final action hearings in November 2011. This presentation will discuss the potential changes and likely outcomes.
For more information, visit the LCA XI website.
Other Insights by this person
- Sustainable Concrete Pavements: A Manual of Practice
January 31, 2012 - 40-year-old architectural Precast primes Pyramid for LEED Platinum
December 1, 2011 - Sustainability Basics: Life - Cycle Assessment
December 1, 2011 - Oct. 16, Lorenz to Present Session on Standard 189.1 at ACI 2011 Fall Convention
October 16, 2011 - Oct. 15, Lorenz to Present at ACI Concrete Sustainability Forum IV at ACI 2011 Fall Convention
October 15, 2011 - Understanding ASHRAE 189.1
October 5, 2011 - Lorenz Presents for Sedgwick Chicago Seminar Series
October 5, 2011 - Sustainability Basics: Site Disturbance and Stormwater Run-Off
September 13, 2011 - ASCC Column: "Sustainability Basics: Urban Heat Islands and Solar Reflectance"
July 21, 2011 - IGCC Brings Cost Savings Opportunities
June 15, 2011 - Lorenz Presents at PCI-IW's Technology Tuesday
May 3, 2011 - Designing Green
May 2, 2011 - Lorenz Presents AIA Seminar "Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings" in Abu Dhabi
April 26, 2011 - Solar Reflectance for Walls
April 8, 2011 - Lorenz Presents at ACI Spring Convention in Tampa
April 6, 2011 - VanGeem and Lorenz Present
March 24, 2011 - High-Performance – Nextgen of Buildings are Safe, Secure & Green
November 5, 2010 - Lorenz Speaks at ACI Convention in Pittsburgh
October 24, 2010