Dynamic life cycle assessment of buildings and building stocks – A review

Although life cycle assessment (LCA) as a method and framework has been extensively examined in the scientific literature, a new emphasis is put on integrating evolving spatiotemporal conditions of the analysed system, aiming to promote a more robust assessment through dynamic LCA. However, dynamic LCA methodologies remain inconsistent across multiple aspects, including on time-dependency, dynamic parameters, and links with other widely applied tools, such as material stocks and flows analysis or geographic information systems. Focusing on the four main phases of the LCA framework, this work presents a systematic review of the latest scientific literature reporting on prospective LCA modelling of buildings, while covering at least one dynamic parameter, such as the decarbonisation of the energy mix. First, this research presents the bibliometric structure of 64 published documents on the dynamic LCA of buildings, through four network visualisation maps. Then, it identifies a sample of 218 documents through the literature review method, and deeply analyses a sub-sample of 34 documents to systematise the emerging knowledge on dynamism in LCA as applied to buildings. We need a more comprehensive dynamic LCA modelling framework that can assess environmental performance of multiple building types, at a high level of spatial and temporal detail. Such framework should be able to integrate dynamic parameters in a simplified manner, and allow flexible time horizons and spatial scopes. Such framework should be able to quickly provide modelling results that may inform decision-making processes in finding solutions towards the challenges of resource depletion and climate change.