Edwards S
Year:
1997
Bibliographic info:
France, Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment, proceedings of the Second International Conference on Buildings and the Environment, held Paris, June 9-12 1997, Volume 1, pp 165-172.

How should environmental profiles be used for construction materials? An environmental profile is a graphical presentation of environmental burdens. The concept may be used to present the results from a number of different stages within an LCA. The most effective use of profiles for materials and products in buildings has yet to be established; whether they should present raw data or data which have been interpreted and to what stage in the life of the material they should be applied. They can be used to assess the effects of extraction, processing and manufacture of a material until the factory gate, but their suitability to show the burdens created over the life of the material in the building is less certain. The challenge is to design profiles that allow architects and their clients to make the most informed choices when designing or refurbishing a building. The approach that BRE is taking to develop profiles which may be used in the best interests of the client and the promotion of sustainable construction is discussed.