ENVIRONMENTAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF OFFICE BUILDINGS - ANALYSIS OF DETERMINANTS

The rising amount and diversification of green building rating systems causes environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) at the same extent. The definition of ambitious and accomplishable threshold and target values for various LCA indicators is quite difficult, due to relatively small data sets. The Austrian Green Building Council (OGNI), which adapted the DGNB system to Austrian requirements, has certified several buildings within the different system schemes. An analysis of certified office and administrative buildings should indicate first tendency and give suggestions for improvement. The investigation focuses on the share of the construction and utilisation phase in the defined ecological indicators. Beside the environmental impact of used materials an analysis of relevant determinants (surface-to-volume ratio, building size, energy efficiency class, basement garage, etc.) highlight further steering parameters and possible benchmarks.