Abstract. In the developed countries, the construction sector now accounts for 20 to 40% of the total energy consumption. This sector is a key factor in national economies, and it not only represents a critical consumption of resources, but also creates the built environment. These are some of the reasons why researchers around the world have recently developed procedures to determine the environmental impacts of whole buildings. In this context, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a useful tool to analyze buildings from the environmental point of view. This article shows the results obtained by applying the LCA methodology to three residential buildings. Each studied dwelling is located in different urban context and is different from a typological and constructive point of view. This article discusses the importance of the choice for a building location and selection of source materials relating to the total environmental impact. All the studied buildings were designed and built by researchers from the Architecture School of Seville.

Article in: English

Article published: 2012-05-11