Environmental impacts assessment for conversion of an old mill building into a modern apartment building through reconstruction

• Published in: Building and environment Vol. 172; p. 106734
• Main Authors: Sedláková, Anna, Vilčeková, Silvia, Burák, Dušan, Tomková, Želmíra, Moňoková, Andrea, Doroudiani, Saeed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Acidification; Antimony; Apartment buildings; Brownfields; Buildings; Carbon dioxide; Chlorofluorocarbons; Climate change; Construction; Demolition; Energy consumption; Environmental assessment; Environmental effects; Environmental impact; Environmental impacts; Global warming; Greenhouse gases; Life cycle analysis; Life cycle assessment; Life cycle assessment (LCA); Life cycles; Ozone depletion; Quality of life; Reconstruction; Regeneration; Renovation & restoration; Residential buildings; Sulfur; Sulfur dioxide; Sustainability; Reconstruction; ADP–FF; GWP; Life cycle assessment (LCA); EoL; Residential buildings; Environmental impacts; ADP–E; POCP; EP; LCA; Greenhouse gases; AP; equiv; PE; Sustainability; ODP; PENRT
• ISSN: 0360-1323; 1873-684X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106734

We select an old mill building to illustrate the significance of its reconstruction into a residential building underline the architecture of the reconstructed building while retaining the original characters and to analyze its life cycle. Located in Humenné, east of Slovakia, the old mill was denoted as a brownfield. The reconstruction of the old building and the surrounding area is a major cause contributing to decrease in environmental impacts. The environmental effects of the building reconstruction are determined through the standard method of life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis for the system boundary of cradle-to-gate with options. Environmental impact categories, including global warming potential, ozone depletion potential, acidification potential, and some other categories are expressed in the equivalent amounts of emissions and release of carbon dioxide (CO2), trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11), sulfur dioxide (SO2), phosphate ((PO4)3–), ethylene (C2H4), element antimony (Sb), and energy consumption. Analysis of LCA is performed using a computer software. The observations show that the reconstruction of old buildings is usually preferable to construction of new ones after demolition of the old building. This research work confirms new rational regarding the revitalization of territories in connection with the improvement of quality of life, increase in the value of the given locality and creation of new economic opportunities. [Display omitted] •Studied environmental impacts for reconstruction of an old mill into an apartment building.•Used a systematic approach to analyze LCA for reconstruction of building.•LCA analysis revealed that reconstruction of old building is preferable to its demolition.•Reconstructed building consumes half embodied energy compared with similar houses.•Found mineral insulation and steel as the most influential materials on environment.