Embodied Energy as Indicator of Building Environmental Behavior. Taking into Account Building Elements Durability

The paper deals with a complete procedure for the calculation of material embodied energy inthe building sector using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach; the calculation of embodied energy for building material and components during the design phase takes into account both material durability and frequency of maintenance interventions. As a case study an evaluation of embodied energy for three different types of external walls is reported: external insulation coated, single stratum and multi strata. The described methodology has been developed as a part of BEEPS (Building Environmental and Energetic Performance System) programme, in cooperation with Italian Environmental Ministry.