Environmental impact and thermo energy performance of recycled materials: life cycle assessment, applied to an office building in Biskra city, Algeria.

Abstract

In order to reduce energy consumption of building s and their environmental impacts, it’s important to improve their energy performance, and to have and evaluate sufficiently reliable multi criteria tools, to highlight their origins, throughout the building life cycle . Such impacts may be resulting from their construction, during exploit , renovation and at the end of life. This work relates to a part of this action and seek s to derive results from a life cycle analysis comparing an office building envelope configuration, located in Biskra, a city south East Algeria characterized by hot and dry climate. Life Cycle Assesment method was applied according to a standardized protocol ( ISO14000 & 14040), promoting a better understanding of a building environmental impact throughout its life cycle . More , such method, allows designers to make the most appropriate choice ( recycled materials, energy systems HVAC ) in relation to their objectives.