Life-cycle assessment applied to buildings: gaps in knowledge

Abstract

Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive method for environmental product evaluation. This study aims to analyse the development of the research on the use of the LCA methodology in buildings and to identify the knowledge gaps in this field. For this, articles were selected through a systematic review of the literature. The results show that LCA is only a simplification of reality. The application of the methodology in buildings is recent and requires more research to face the remaining challenges, such as standardising of methodology and inventories; optimising data acquisition and comparing studies; new methodologies aimed at reducing the limitations of traditional LCA, including other parameters such as the dynamic characteristics, so as to establish benchmarks for different buildings.