Life cycle assessment of a building at an educational institution

Abstract

This study quantifies the Green House Gas (GHG) emission throughout the life span of the Tan Building located at Thapar University, Patiala, India. The methodology involves quantifying both primary energy consumption as well as GHG emissions throughout service life of 75 years. A comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment is carried out both manually and by using GaBi 6 Software to determine environmental effects of the structure. The life span is divided into three phases. The study shows that steel, cement are bricks are major GHG emissions contributor during construction phase. Overall, operation phase uses 64% of the primary energy of the building. Further, Energy saving techniques are discussed for reduction of Carbon Footprint during both Operation and Construction phase.