Life cycle analysis of building materials as a tool in decision making for urban redevelopment / Paul Matthew

A combination of increasing population and increasing rates of urbanisation is placing enormous development pressure on the physical and social infrastructure of cities and forcing the rapid redevelopment of many urban sites. Unless carefully managed, rapid redevelopment of urban sites is likely to result in substantial environmental damage in addition to disruption or displacement of existing social relationships, local heritage, and community infrastructure. This paper suggests that life cycle assessment could be a useful tool to assess the environmental impacts of urban redevelopment. It reports on a detailed assessment of the environmental impacts of a group of similar, older apartment towers in Brisbane, Australia over their full physical lifespans. The detailed life cycle assessment provides clear data on the total environmental impact of these buildings, as well as which of their materials and components and which parts of their lifecycle create the largest environmental impacts. The life cycle assessment identifies that even though the massive, reinforced concrete and cavity brickwork structures of these buildings are the greatest cause of environmental impact at the time of construction, it is the ongoing replacement of apartment interiors that is ultimately responsible for a substantially larger environmental impact over the full lifespan of these buildings. Even though the total environmental impact of these buildings can only grow throughout their lifespans, this study finds that their total impact per year of operation is reducing, making them very good candidates for retention rather than demolition and redevelopment. Finally, this study proposes that a progressive reduction in environmental impacts per year of occupation as buildings age is likely to be a feature of much of the existing built environment. In turn, this suggests life cycle assessment can be a useful tool to determine which parts of the existing built