Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainable Construction: A Comprehensive Review from Theoretical Foundations to Practical Strategies and Innovative Methods

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 79 - 89, 15.03.2025

Gülsüm Taç , Şeyda Emekci

https://doi.org/10.54864/planarch.1527015

Abstract

The building sector significantly affects the environment through its reliance on natural resources and its role in driving greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings are responsible for a large portion of global energy consumption, and their construction and operation contribute heavily to environmental degradation. Implementing environmentally friendly building practices is critical to mitigate these adverse impacts and ensure sustainable development. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an approach to assess the environmental impacts of goods and services throughout their lifespan, from raw material extraction to disposal. This procedure includes resource use, energy consumption, waste generation, and carbon emissions. LCA’s evaluation of a building’s environmental impact includes energy usage and carbon emissions from material manufacturing, transportation, construction, operation, and end-of-life disposal. This literature review consolidates and synthesizes the current knowledge about LCA in the building sector. It addresses various methodological approaches to conducting LCA, categories of environmental impacts considered, and insights and limitations of previous studies. The aim of this review is to provide a better understanding of the position of life cycle analysis in the construction industry. It offers guidance for promoting sustainable building practices and informs future research, environmentally friendly design, construction, and policy-making. These considerations will guide future approaches towards a more sustainable environment.

Keywords

Construction Practices, Environmental Impact, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Methodological approaches, Sustainability

Yaşam Döngüsü Analizi ve Sürdürülebilir İnşaat: Teorik Temellerden Uygulamalı Stratejilere ve Yenilikçi Yöntemlere Kapsamlı Bir İnceleme

Abstract

İnşaat sektörü, doğal kaynaklara olan bağımlılığı ve sera gazı emisyonlarına katkısı nedeniyle çevre üzerinde önemli bir etkiye sahiptir. Binalar, küresel enerji tüketiminin büyük bir kısmından sorumludur ve inşaatı ve işletilmesi çevresel bozulmaya büyük ölçüde katkıda bulunmaktadır. Çevre dostu inşaat uygulamalarının hayata geçirilmesi, bu olumsuz etkilerin azaltılması ve sürdürülebilir kalkınmanın sağlanması açısından kritik öneme sahiptir. Yaşam Döngüsü Değerlendirmesi (LCA), malların ve hizmetlerin yaşamları boyunca çevresel etkilerini değerlendiren bir yaklaşımdır; bu süreç, ham madde çıkarımından atık bertarafına kadar tüm aşamaları kapsar. Bu prosedür, kaynak kullanımı, enerji tüketimi, atık üretimi ve karbon emisyonlarını içerir. LCA'nın bir binanın çevresel etkilerini değerlendirmesi, malzeme üretimi, taşınması, inşaatı, işletilmesi ve son atık yönetimi gibi aşamalarda enerji kullanımı ve karbon emisyonlarını içerir. Bu literatür taraması, inşaat sektöründe LCA hakkında mevcut bilgileri derleyip sentezlemektedir. LCA yapma yöntemleri, dikkate alınan çevresel etki kategorileri ve önceki çalışmaların sunduğu içgörüler ile sınırlamaları ele alınmaktadır. Bu incelemenin amacı, inşaat endüstrisindeki yaşam döngüsü analizinin yerini daha iyi anlamaktır. Ayrıca, sürdürülebilir inşaat uygulamalarını teşvik etmek için rehberlik sunar ve gelecekteki araştırmalar, çevre dostu tasarım, inşaat ve politika yapımına yönelik bilgilendirme sağlar. Bu hususlar, daha sürdürülebilir bir çevreye yönelik gelecekteki yaklaşımlara rehberlik ederek, daha verimli ve etkili uygulamaların uygulanmasına olanak tanıyacaktır. Bu süreç, aynı zamanda çevre bilincinin arttırılması ve sürdürülebilir yapıların yaygınlaştırılması için önemli fırsatlar sunmaktadır.

Keywords

İnşaat Uygulamaları, Çevresel Etki, Yaşam Döngüsü Analizi, Metodolojik Yaklaşımlar, Sürdürülebilirlik

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