Lifecycle Assessment as a Design Strategy for an Aluminium Building

Introduction

The office building for the administration of the Alusuisse corporation company was built in 1957 as the first aluminium building in Switzerland. As an expression of the corporate identity aluminium was used in various details to represent its potential.

In the design studio of the winter term 2020 with Prof. Dr. Elli Mosayebi we investigated transformations of post-war office and commercial buildings into residential projects. First we analysed the current value of the building: Which room and material compositions appear particularly valuable and why? Do the buildings have a historical, conservation value? How much craftsmanship is embodied in the elements? How much CO2 did the production of certain building elements require?

The semester course was carried out in cooperation with the Chair for Sustainable Building of Prof. Dr. Guillaume Habert.

Considering sustainability, materials are to be used based on their properties. Nevertheless aesthetics and functionality remain as the main criteria in Architecture. Even though aesthetics and functionality remain one of the main topic in architecture. Started with the Club of Rome, there are several laws and directives these days which guide the architectural practice to a more energy-efficient and sustainable one.

This work will focus on the life-cycle assessment of the Alusuisse building. Along with the evaluation of the embodied CO2 of the existing office building, this papier aims to extend the lifespan of a building through minimal invasive design strategies.