A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) and Conventional Plastering with Paint Finish for Commercial Buildings in Calicut, India.

ABSTRACT The construction industry plays a significant role in worldwide energy usage and carbon emissions, highlighting the necessity of sustainable building envelope systems. This research work focuses on the evaluation of environmental and economic performances of exterior insulation and finishing systems with traditional sand-cement plaster and paint finishes for commercial structures in Calicut, Kerala. An approach of conducting an integrated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) of both systems has been considered for their performance throughout a 50 years of service period. The research work will be done using ISO 14040/14044 standard in case of LCA and ASTM standards in the case of LCCA, keeping into account the climate of tropical Kerala. Initial results suggest that the EIFS provides better thermal insulation, cooling energy requirements and low maintenance cost although having high initial cost.