Comparative environmental life cycle assessment of partition walls: Innovative prefabricated systems vs conventional construction

Abstract

Prefabrication is increasingly recognized as an alternative to conventional on-site construction, offering potential environmental benefits. However, these benefits are context-specific, requiring precise studies for optimal solutions. This paper presents the life-cycle environmental performance of an innovative prefabricated interior partition wall and benchmarks it against a conventional system, providing a replicable model for other novel partition walls. Detailed data collected directly from direct sources were utilized to conduct a cradle-to-gate with options Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), presenting a conveniently described method that can be widely replicated in the construction sector. The adapted LCA method presented in this study contributes to sustainable construction, providing a straightforward and robust approach to assessing the environmental impacts of innovative partition walls compared to conventional walls. For the specific scenario studied, the life-cycle impact assessment results generally indicate a superior environmental performance of the innovative prefabricated interior partition wall compared to the conventional system, resulting in impact reductions ranging from 10 to 60% across evaluated categories. For both systems, the production of materials plays a predominant role in the impact contributions. Furthermore, exploring alternative scenarios yielded significant environmental benefits, particularly in cases considering higher incorporation of recycled materials. Therefore, the direct comparison of the environmental performance of innovative partition walls against traditional solutions emerges as an environmentally sustainable path in the short and medium term. This aligns with the ongoing progress towards decarbonizing the building sector, not only in choosing more environmentally friendly solutions but also in improving the environmental performance of products through assertive changes.