Measuring the sustainability through a life cycle perspective: the case of Sunslice, a ZEB for high density urban environment

The ecological optimization of construction and disposal of nearly zero-energy buildings is the crucial step for the future. In order to confront the main challenges of the building sector, limited resources as well as the energy-efficiency and a sustainable building stock, a life cycle view is required. The life cycle perspective draws boundaries to include all phases of the building lifetime – materials, construction, use (including operating energy), replacement, end of life - and allows a representative characterization of cumulative environmental impacts over the life of the building. Coupling an LCA model in SimaPro with a detailed energy simulation model carried out with EnergyPlus, it is possible to adopt a comprehensive approach that focuses on the the impact of a set of Sunslice technical features: a dry reversible construction system with an aluminium structure, an eco-efficient envelope, passive design strategies, photovoltaic power generation.