by Rebecca Walker — December 22, 2010—Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are providing an early look at what they describe as groundbreaking work— the first lifecycle assessments of building and paving materials to consider economic as well as environmental factors and include an in-depth examination of the materials’ use phase.
Begun last year and scheduled for completion in 2011, the research will factor in material lifespans that are decades longer than usual—the lifecycle window being studied for paving materials is 50 years and for building materials, 75 years—while taking into account a number of variables affecting carbon emissions and cost impacts, said John Ochsendorf, who leads the research team and is an associate professor in MIT’s departments of architecture and civil and environmental engineering.
Generally, costs and environmental impacts such as carbon emissions are considered separately, and analyses tend to emphasize design and construction over aspects such as use, performance and what happens to structures and roads after they’ve reached the end of their useful lives, Ochsendorf said. All those elements are being considered by researchers, he said.
Elements being considered by researchers include location, climate and the use phase of buildings and roads, which is a key point in the studies because that is where most emissions occur, Ochsendorf said. Researchers are also comparing use of different materials.
The lifecycle assessment for building materials, for example, is expected to show how use of wood, steel and cement can affect environmental impact and cost of a structure. The research is a project of the Concrete Sustainability Hub at MIT, a research center established in 2009 in collaboration with the Portland Cement Association and Ready Mixed Concrete Research & Education Foundation.
For more information, see the Web site.
