Aspect | C-01 Demolition/deconstruction – screening and simplified LCA | |||||
Description![]() |
The deconstruction and demolition stage involves quantification of the impact related to the end of life of the constructed system. For example, if it is a reinforced concrete building, deconstruction activity will consist mainly in separating the reinforcing steel from the concrete. During this operation, energy is consumed, and pollutants are emitted to the air. In this context, should the demolition and deconstruction stage be considered in the context of a screening or simplified LCA? | |||||
related study objective |
☒ stand-alone LCA | ☒ comparative assertion | ||||
related study phase |
☒ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
goal and scope definition | inventory analysis (LCI) | impact assessment (LCIA) | interpretation | reporting | ||
relevant for |
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new buildings | existing buildings | construction products | screening LCA | simplified LCA | complete LCA | |
Provisions![]() |
The demolition and deconstruction aspects may be included for screening and simplified LCA. Generic data should be taken from LCA databases if available. | |||||
Rules from:![]() |
EN 15978:
8.7.2 Scenarios for deconstruction – Module C1 EN 15804: 6.2.6 C1-C4 End-of-life stage information modules |
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Guidance![]() |
Depending on the goal and scope of the study, this aspect may be neglected, owing to its minor relevance.The practitioner may use ratios based on the materials impact (e.g. 3% for GWP in the case of concrete) if the purpose of the assessment is to obtain a rough estimate of the end of life for specific impact categories.Very few LCA data are currently available in every national context. One option is to use existing generic LCA data on the impact of demolition and the deconstruction process (e.g. the impact of sorting the reinforcing steel from the concrete at the end of life of the building). Such generic LCA data can be found e.g. in the Ecoinvent database.
The practitioner should be aware that the data on demolition process may not be fully adapted to the context. Another option is to define generic data with stakeholders (collection of specific data). |