Environmental Impact Analysis of Sustainable Facades: A Case Study in Building Industry

The importance of assessing the environmental impact of buildings lies in their significant contribution to energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource depletion. Understanding and addressing the environmental impact of buildings is essential for promoting sustainable development, reducing carbon footprints, and mitigating climate change. By implementing environmentally-friendly practices in building design, construction, and operation, engineers can create more sustainable and resilient built environments that benefit both the planet and its inhabitants. This study aims to compare two categories of building facades: conventional facades typically observed in Iranian architecture, primarily composed of stone and brick, and sustainable facades that incorporate alternative materials. The sustainable facades employ sandwich panels and wood. By examining the carbon footprint, notable differences between these two types were discovered, highlighting the environmental advantages of sustainable facades over traditional ones. The analysis compares common facades and sustainable facades in five environmental categories: abiotic depletion, acidification, eutrophication, ozone layer depletion, and marine aquatic ecotoxicity. Sustainable facades exhibit lower impacts in abiotic depletion (۱۷۲.۴۳ vs. ۲۸۶.۸۷) and eutrophication (۵۵.۶۹ vs. ۷۱.۰۸), indicating reduced resource depletion and nutrient enrichment. Acidification shows a slightly higher impact on sustainable facades (۱۹۵.۲۰ vs. ۱۸۸.۳۱) due to the use of steel. Both types have negligible impacts on ozone layer depletion. In terms of marine aquatic ecotoxicity, sustainable facades have a slightly lower impact (۲۳,۱۶۸,۰۶۴ vs. ۲۵,۷۹۶,۶۱۶). Overall, sustainable facades demonstrate lower environmental impacts in abiotic depletion, eutrophication, and marine aquatic ecotoxicity. The variation in impacts ranges from around ۲۹% lower to ۲% higher in comparison to common facades.

کلیدواژه ها:

Life cycle assessment ، Eco-friendly façade ، Ecosystem ، Human health ، Resources.