Report: analysis of embodied carbon and sustainability strategy in existing building

Introduction

This report is intended to clarify and analyze different scenarios regarding embodied carbon and sustainability strategy related to an existing administrative building in Luzern analyzed as a case study.

The aim is to compare the advantages of different construction materials and of improving renewable energy strategies and to suggest which of these would be the interesting. I simulated different scenarios for comparison, proposing different alternatives for a discussion on the building impact. Concerning the importance of the CO2 emission and building impact:

Swiss Energy Strategy 2050 specifies that the country should gradually phase out nuclear energy. New renewable energy and energy efficiency should cover the resulting electricity deficit. The resulting target in electricity consumption per capita will be 3% lower by 2020 than in was in the year 2000, and 13% lower by 2035. The researchers found that thanks to greater household energy efficiency, fossil CO2 emissions from heating Swiss homes declined between 2000 and 2013, despite a 13% increase in the population. [...]

An accurate estimation method of carbon emissions in the embodied phase of low carbon building can help in the project phase and can do the difference in the future development of construction’s industry. [...]