DOE’s Building Technologies Office hosted a series of webinars in fall 2020 that explored the frameworks and techniques researchers use to evaluate the energy use of buildings over their entire lifespans, from construction to operation to eventual destruction. The Life Cycle Energy and Related Impacts of Buildings Webinar Series gave the public, national lab researchers, academics, and all members of the buildings industry a special opportunity to hear from leading experts who work at the cutting-edge of lifecycle analysis.
The series began with an overview of life cycle assessments as applied to buildings, and why we should care about them. Subsequent webinars will focus on the ways these impacts are measured, as well as what innovative materials and products are currently under development. The series will then explore how the buildings industry already uses life cycle assessments, as well as how the circular economy framework can be applied to the buildings sector.
Overview of Life Cycle Impacts of Buildings
October 16, 2020
This webinar provided an overview of the present work on life cycle assessment in buildings and why it matters, including both global and U.S. perspectives.
Challenges of Assessing Life Cycle Impacts of Buildings
October 29, 2020
This webinar discussed the importance of data and measuring life cycle impacts of buildings, as well as what analytical tools are available today, their merits and limitations, and who uses them.
Innovative Building Materials
November 12, 2020
This webinar examined innovative building materials (both structural and nonstructural) from a variety of perspectives and stages of development.
Wil Srubar presentation on Low-Carbon and Carbon-Storing Materials for the Built Environment
“Real Life” Buildings Striving to Minimize Life Cycle Impacts
December 3, 2020
This webinar discussed how the building sector is already incorporating life cycle impacts of buildings internationally and domestically in commercial building portfolios.
Intersection of Life Cycle Impacts and Circular Economy Potential for the Building Sector
December 17, 2020
This webinar will discuss the current impacts of construction and demolition waste and present means of addressing this challenge, such as recovering materials from waste and designing building materials for recovery and reuse.