Buildings Within the Planetary Boundary for Climate Change - Investigation of the environmental impact of Danish single-family houses: Investigation of the environmental impact of Danish single-family houses
Authors
Nygaard, Esther Laugesen ; Saya, Brian
Term
4. term
Publication year
2023
Pages
59
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan man kan designe danske enfamiliehuse med lavere klimaaftryk. Målet er at holde sig inden for den planetære grænse for klimaændringer, svarende til 0,4 kg CO2 per kvadratmeter per år. Det klimaaftryk opgøres som Global Warming Potential (GWP), der samler husets drivhusgasudledninger over tid. Først gennemføres en caseundersøgelse af seks byggekoncepter ved hjælp af livscyklusvurderinger (LCA). Resultaterne sammenlignes indbyrdes og holdes op mod de foreslåede GWP-grænser i det danske Bygningsreglement og mod grænserne for at holde sig inden for den planetære grænse. For at sænke byggeriets GWP undersøges også, om den nuværende måleenhed kg CO2/m2 pr. år kan erstattes eller suppleres. Formålet er at finde en enhed, der fremmer mindre enfamiliehuse, så det samlede klimaaftryk falder – ikke kun pr. kvadratmeter. På den baggrund præsenteres alternative metoder til at vurdere bygningers miljøpåvirkning. Da ingen af de seks cases levede op til grænsen for den planetære grænse, gennemføres en lavemissions designvariation af én case for at undersøge, om og hvordan GWP kan reduceres. Designvariationen bygger på en EPD-database (miljøvaredeklarationer) og et udvalg af byggeelementer, der kan bruges i danske forhold. Resultatet viser, at det endnu ikke er muligt at holde sig inden for den planetære grænse. Til gengæld peger analysen på materialer og bygningsdele, hvor en målrettet indsats kan reducere GWP yderligere.
This thesis examines how to design Danish single-family houses with a lower climate impact. The goal is to stay within the planetary boundary for climate change, set here at 0.4 kg CO2 per square meter per year. This climate impact is measured as Global Warming Potential (GWP), which sums a building’s greenhouse gas emissions over time. The study begins with a case analysis of six building concepts using life cycle assessment (LCA). Their results are compared with each other and with the proposed GWP limits in the Danish Building Regulations, as well as with limits aligned with the planetary boundary. To help lower the sector’s GWP, the thesis also investigates alternatives to the current unit of kg CO2/m2 per year. The aim is to find a metric that encourages smaller single-family houses so that total emissions go down, not just emissions per square meter. On this basis, alternative ways to assess buildings’ environmental impacts are presented. Because none of the six cases met the planetary boundary limit, a low-emission design variation of one case building was carried out to test if and how GWP could be reduced. The redesign drew on an EPD database (environmental product declarations) and a set of building elements suitable for Danish conditions. The result shows that staying within the planetary boundary is not yet achievable. However, the analysis highlights materials and building components where targeted efforts can further cut GWP.
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