Assessment of the environmental impacts of buildings in China

Context and challenges

Massive urban expansion is making the Chinese construction sector highly active. This is putting considerable pressure on resources, as well as leading to significant future environmental impacts linked to the consumption of energy and water at the stage of use of the buildings, and to the production of waste at the end of life. The greatest potential for reducing these impacts corresponds to the decisions made during the design phase. Assessing environmental impacts can help designers move towards sustainable construction by comparing alternatives and optimising architectural and urban projects.

Objectives

The thesis aims to develop a model based on life-cycle assessment and dynamic energy simulation. An existing tool is supplemented by the addition of features, for example, in order to take better account of microclimates and to be able to study heating and air conditioning systems, in particular, integrating exchanges with the ground. It is also necessary to take into account the indirect impacts of the building complexes on the background system: this may concern a variation in demand for certain products or services (positive or negative) or the modification of certain processes. The development over time of the territory and of the background system is also taken into account. The validation of the tool constitutes another objective which makes it possible to more accurately define the uncertainties of the model and its area of validity.

View and digital model of the buildings studied.The three boundary conditions addressed in the thesis: soil, the micro-climate and the background system for life-cycle assessment.