The work of this thesis concerns an explo- ration of low-emission building combinations of single-family houses in Denmark. The aim is to reach a GWP within the planetary bound- ary for climate change of 0.4 kgCO2/m2 year. First, the current state of the industry is inves- tigated through a case study of LCA calcula- tions of six building concepts. The results are compared mutually and afterwards related to the proposed GWP-limits of the Danish Build- ing Regulations and other limits towards stay- ing within the planetary boundary.
As a means to reduce the GWP of the build- ing industry, alternatives to the current unit kgCO2/m2 year are investigated. The aim is to find a unit that promotes smaller single- family houses to ensure a reduction of the total GWP, not only per square meter. As a result, alternative methods to assess the environmen- tal impact of buildings are presented.
As the case studies did not meet the GWP- limit of the planetary boundary, a low- emission design variation is performed to in- vestigate if and how the GWP of one of the case buildings can be reduced. The design variation is based on an EPD Database and a variety of building elements applicable to the building design of the case study in the Danish context.
The design variation concluded that it is not yet possible to stay within the planetary boundary. Concluding the thesis, the results of the design variation shed light on areas where a focus can help reduce the GWP of buildings and building materials further.