Available for $25, free through subscribing institution. In order to create an environmentally-conscious building, the environmental impacts of the entire service life must be known. Life-cycle assessment (LCA), which evaluates the impacts from all life-cycle phases, from "cradle to grave," is the best method to achieve this goal. In this paper, LCA is used to quantify the energy use and the environmental emissions during the construction phase of two typical office buildings, one with a structural steel frame and one with a cast-in-place concrete frame, and then these are put in the perspective of the overall service life of each building. The concrete structural-frame construction has more associated energy use, CO2, CO, NO2, particulate matter, SO2, and hydrocarbon emissions due to more formwork used, larger transportation impacts due to a larger mass of materials, and longer equipment use due to the longer installation process. In contrast, the steel-frame construction has more volatile organic compound (VOC) and heavy metal (Cr, Ni, Mn) emissions due to the painting, torch cutting, and welding of the steel members. The energy use and the environmental emissions of the two buildings are comparable if the total impacts from materials' manufacturing, construction, transportation, use, maintenance, and demolition are considered. Energy use and environmental emissions from office buildings can be reduced through a careful selection of embedded and temporary materials and construction equipment.

Available for download for free This report presents the results of the LCI of three concrete products: ready mixed concrete, concrete masonry, and precast concrete.

Available for free download. This report is an update of Life Cycle Assessment of an Concrete Masonry House Compared to a Wood Frame House (Marceau and VanGeem 2002). It presents the results of an assessment of the environmental attributes of concrete construction compared to wood-framed construction. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted on a house modeled with two types of exterior walls: a wood-framed wall and a CMU wall. The LCA was carried out according to the guidelines in International Standard ISO 14044, Environmental Management - Life Cycle Assessment - Requirements and Guidelines. The house was modeled in five cities, representing a range of U.S. climates: Lake Charles, Tucson, St. Louis, Denver, and Minneapolis. The 228-square meter (2450-square foot), two-story, single family house has four bedrooms and a two-car garage. The system boundary includes the inputs and outputs of energy, materials, and emissions to air, soil, and water from extraction of raw materials though construction, maintenance, and occupancy. The house energy use was modeled using DOE-2.1E and the life cycle impact assessment was modeled using SimaPro. The results show that for a given climate, the life cycle environmental impacts are similar for the wood and CMU houses. The most significant environmental impacts are not from construction materials but from the production of electricity and natural gas and the use of electricity and natural gas in the houses by the occupants.

Free to download. This report is an update of Life Cycle Assessment of an Insulating Concrete Form House Compared to a Wood Frame House (Marceau and VanGeem 2002). It presents the results of an assessment of the environmental attributes of concrete construction compared to wood-framed construction. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted on a house modeled with two types of exterior walls: a wood-framed wall and an ICF wall. The LCA was carried out according to the guidelines in International Standard ISO 14044, Environmental Management - Life Cycle Assessment - Requirements and Guidelines. The house was modeled in five cities, representing a range of U.S. climates: Miami, Phoenix, Seattle, Washington (DC), and Chicago. The 228-square meter (2450-square foot), two-story, single family house has four bedrooms and a two-car garage. The system boundary includes the inputs and outputs of energy, materials, and emissions to air, soil, and water from extraction of raw materials though construction, maintenance, and occupancy. The house energy use was modeled using DOE-2.1E and the life cycle impact assessment was modeled using SimaPro. The results show that for a given climate, the life cycle environmental impacts are greater for the wood house than for the ICF house.

Available for free download courtesy of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. Sustainability is often defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.1 While other building materials may have to alter their configurations, properties, or both to be applicable to sustainable structures, precast concrete’s inherent properties make it a natural choice for achieving sustainability with today’s new buildings. In this paper, sustainability concepts are outlined and different rating systems for evaluating sustainable design are introduced. Finally, ways are provided in which precast concrete meets or exceeds one rating system’s requirements to achieve sustainability.

Available for free. Life cycle cost analysis is currently a valuable tool in the construction industry and will become more so as resources become more scarce. Selecting the materials and components of structures and pavements based on a life cycle cost analysis can significantly decrease the lifetime cost of construction, maintenance and repair. This literature survey gathers life cycle cost information for concrete and competing materials from a variety of sources, summarizes the results, and describes the resulting searchable database. The database is a resourceful tool for those who would like to obtain additional information on life cycle cost analysis and results. The searchable life cycle cost database with abstracts, in Filemaker Pro® format, is available to Portland Cement Association (PCA) member companies, PCA staff, and cement promotion groups.

Available for free. Technical papers providing background and references for life cycle inventory data on slag cement and concrete made with slag cement.

Available for free. The safe and beneficial use of scrap tires as an alternative fuel source for cement kilns is highlighted in this 4 page color brochure.

Concrete is the most widely used building material on earth. It has a 2, 000 year track record ofhelping build the Roman Empire to building today's modern societies. As a result ofits versatility, beauty, strength,·and durability, concrete is used in most types ofconstruction, including homes, buildings, roads, bridges, airports, subways, and water resource structures. And with today's heightened awareness and demandfor sustainable construction, concrete performs well when compared to other building materials. Concrete is a sustainable building material due to its many eco{riendly features. The production ofconcrete is resource efficient and the ingredients require little processing. Most materials for concrete are acquired and manufactured locally which minimizes transportation energy. Concrete building systems combine insulation with high thermal mass and low air infiltration to make homes and buildings more energy efficient. Concrete has a long service life for buildings and transportation infrastructure, thereby increasing the period between reconstruction, repair, and maintenance and the associated environmental impact. Concrete, when used as pavement or exterior cladding, helps minimize the urban heat island effect, thus reducing the energy required to heat and cool our homes and buildings. Concrete incorporates recycled industrial byproducts such as fly ash, slag, and silica fume that helps reduce embodied energy, carbon footprint, and waste.