Life Cycle Assessment in Historic Buildings: A Bibliometric Exploration of Global Research Trends

Abstract

Efforts to mitigate the environmental impact of the construction sector increasingly rely on analytical tools aligned with sustainability principles. Among these, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) plays a critical role by quantitatively evaluating the environmental effects of buildings across all life stages, thereby informing design and decision-making processes. However, existing literature predominantly focuses on LCA applications in new constructions, while historic buildings—often recognized as cultural heritage assets—remain underrepresented in this context. This study systematically investigates global academic trends in LCA applications within historic buildings through bibliometric analysis. 310 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection between 2001 and 2025 were examined, based on the keywords “historic building” and “life cycle assessment.” Bibliometric tools such as VOSviewer and the Bibliometrix R package were employed to visualize keyword co-occurrence, source coupling, and author collaboration networks. Thematic classification was conducted semi-automatically using high-frequency keywords. Findings reveal that topics such as energy efficiency, carbon emissions, adaptive reuse, and sustainable restoration dominate the literature, whereas significant research gaps persist in areas like social sustainability, traditional material data, and policy support. The study aims to contribute to interdisciplinary scholarship by promoting scientifically grounded evaluations of the environmental performance of historic buildings and advancing sustainable conservation strategies.

Keywords

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Historic Buildings
• Sustainable Conservation
• Bibliometric Analysis
• Cultural Heritage
• Environmental Impact

Tarihi Binalarda Yaşam Döngüsü Değerlendirmesi: Küresel Araştırma Eğilimlerinin Bibliyometrik Analizi

Abstract

İnşaat sektörünün çevresel etkilerinin azaltılmasına yönelik çabalar, sürdürülebilirlik ilkeleriyle uyumlu analitik araçlara giderek daha fazla dayanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, Yaşam Döngüsü Değerlendirmesi (YDD), binaların tüm yaşam evrelerindeki çevresel etkilerini niceliksel olarak değerlendirmesiyle kritik bir rol üstlenmekte ve tasarım ile karar alma süreçlerine rehberlik etmektedir. Ancak mevcut literatürün büyük bir kısmı YDD uygulamalarını ağırlıklı olarak yeni yapılar üzerinde yoğunlaştırmakta; kültürel miras niteliği taşıyan tarihi yapılar ise bu bağlamda yeterince temsil edilmemektedir. Bu çalışma, tarihî binalarda YDD uygulamalarına ilişkin küresel akademik eğilimleri bibliyometrik analiz yöntemiyle sistematik olarak incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Web of Science Core Collection veri tabanında 2001-2025 yılları arasında yayımlanmış ve “tarihi bina” ile “yaşam döngüsü değerlendirmesi” anahtar kelimeleriyle belirlenen 310 yayın taranmıştır. Anahtar kelime birlikteliği, kaynak bağlantısı ve yazar işbirliği ağlarının görselleştirilmesi için VOSviewer ve Bibliometrix R paketi gibi bibliyometrik araçlar kullanılmıştır. Tematik sınıflandırma ise yüksek frekanslı anahtar kelimeler temelinde yarı otomatik olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bulgular, enerji verimliliği, karbon emisyonları, uyarlanabilir yeniden kullanım ve sürdürülebilir restorasyon gibi konuların literatürde baskın olduğunu ortaya koyarken, sosyal sürdürülebilirlik, geleneksel malzeme verileri ve politika desteği gibi alanlarda kayda değer araştırma boşluklarının bulunduğunu göstermektedir. Çalışmanın, tarihî yapıların çevresel performanslarının bilimsel temelli değerlendirilmesini teşvik ederek disiplinlerarası akademik bilgiye katkı sağlaması ve sürdürülebilir koruma stratejilerinin geliştirilmesine öncülük etmesi hedeflenmektedir.

Keywords

• Yaşam Döngüsü Değerlendirmesi (YDD)
• Tarihi Binalar
• Sürdürülebilir Koruma
• Bibliyometrik Analiz
• Kültürel Miras
• Çevresel Etki

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