Life cycle design of building elements:selection criteria and case study application

In the last years there has been a multiplication of the International and European political interventions addressed to diffusion of environmental sustainability in the building sector. In this area the life cycle design of technical elements assumed particular relevance. The materials and construction techniques used, like their durability in use phase and their disposal strategies, tend to influence the environmental behaviour of a building during its whole life cycle. It is worth recalling the energy consumption connected with the extraction, production and assembly of the materials (initial embodied energy) and with maintenance, replacement, and dismantling activities (lifecycle-embodied energy). At the present time the rules focusing on the environmental certification of technical elements allow to meet these objectives only in part. The study that will be presented, based on eco-design and Life Cycle Assessment criteria, start to this knowledge to explain research work focused on a comparative evaluation of some technical elements, of which analyzes different end of life scenarios, for understand and improve their environmental impact.