Author(s): Rodrigues, Carla ; Rodrigues, Eugénio ; Fernandes, Marco S. ; Tadeu, Sérgio
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/115563
Origin: Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra
Subject(s): Climate change; Greenhouse gas emissions; Life cycle assessment; Thermal dynamic simulation; imulation Retrofit strategies; Sensitivity analysis
The existing building stock is crucial for enhancing decarbonization targets and mitigating climate change. This article delves into a methodological approach that combines prospective life cycle assessment, building thermal simulation using projected future climate data, and global sensitivity analysis to pinpoint the most influential parameters under current climate conditions and future scenarios. The methodology covers plausible decarbonization pathways for the electricity mix, considering the growing utilization of renewable sources, which are influenced by the building locations. An adaptive reuse process involves converting a historic residence into an office building to validate the proposed methodology. Several retrofit strategies are assessed, such as exterior wall insulation, roof insulation, and window replacement. The findings reveal a 12% rise in average usage impacts and a 7% increase in cradle-to-use impacts from the base scenario to future climate projections. Embodied impacts surpass use-phase impacts by 23% in future climates and 33% in certain baseline scenarios. Utilizing future climate data in the life cycle analysis to estimate energy requirements can aid in forecasting building performance under climate change, especially in adapting the existing building stock for enhanced thermal comfort with minimal environmental impact.
8617-2E18-19EE | EUGÉNIO MIGUEL DE SOUSA RODRIGUES
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
