Abstract:
Globally, the building and construction industry is one of the main contributors to
adverse environmental impacts (EIs) due to the extensive utilization of resources and
energy during the life cycle phases. The building and construction industry in Sri
Lanka is significantly accountable for approximately 50% of energy usage, 40% of
raw material usage and 30% of the solid waste generation of the country. Therefore,
the relationship between the building and construction industry and EIs should be
thoroughly examined in a close association in each life cycle stage to mitigate the
EIs at the national level. Accordingly, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which is
globally known as a robust tool for measuring EIs, has emerged and is acknowledged
as a significant technique incorporated into the decision-making process of the
building and construction industry globally and in Sri Lanka. Even though the LCAs
in the building and construction industry have been broadly discussed in the
international arena, it is not much considered in the Sri Lankan context due to the
lack of country-specific life cycle inventory data sets, data intensity, expensiveness,
the requirement of expertise and complexity in conducting LCAs. Accordingly, this
study presents a user-friendly LCA-based framework customized to the Sri Lankan
context. The data used to develop the methodological framework were collected
through the literature review, including international standards and expert
interviews. The proposed methodological framework performs as an early design
phase decision-making model which predicts and evaluates EIs throughout the life
cycle of a building complying with the requirements presented in ISO 14040:2006
and 14044: 2006 Standards. The proposed framework is validated by the industry
and academic experts in the fields of LCA to assert its pertinence in evaluating life
cycle EIs and supporting environmentally friendly decision-making. The proposed
framework will provide provisions for environmentally friendly decision-making
with scenario analysis and promote sustainable construction practices by identifying
hot spots, the geographical distribution of EIs, and EI footprints in a user-friendly
manner.
