RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EMBODIED, OPERATIONAL, AND LIFE CYCLE CARBON IN PASSIVE HOUSE MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Abstract

The building sector is responsible for a significant portion of global CO2 emissions and any attempt to meet global climate change mitigation goals requires dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions from building construction and use. Among the many green building certification programs intended to reduce the environmental impact of buildings, the passive house standards are one of the most stringent certifications with respect to reducing operational energy. While there is significant research demonstrating the reductions in operational energy use in passive house and passive house inspired buildings, there is comparatively little research into the embodied energy and embodied carbon emissions associated with these buildings. The aim of this research was to evaluate the relationship between embodied carbon emissions, operational carbon emissions, and overall carbon use intensity in passive house certified residential buildings, using a recently completed, multifamily passive house as a case study. First, the case study building was defined, and a partial life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to evaluate the embodied and operational carbon emissions associated with this base case. Second, a catalog of alternative wall and roof assemblies were defined and the LCA of the case study was updated for each alternative assembly to assess the impact on the embodied carbon, operational carbon, and overall carbon use intensity. The results of this analysis indicate that the material composition of the exterior envelope assemblies can have significant impact on the overall, cumulative carbon impact of a particular building. Moreover, the results also indicate that there are clear scenarios in which operational energy efficiency should be sacrificed in favor of reducing upfront embodied carbon emissions, particularly when evaluated over critical time spans. Based on these results, this study recommends that green building standards and certifications, including passive house but also USGBC LEED, Living Building Challenge, and others, should place greater emphasis on embodied carbon and holistic carbon accounting in addition to operational efficiency.