Data infrastructure for whole-life carbon emissions baselines of buildings in Spain
Reducing whole-life carbon (WLC) emissions in buildings across Mediterranean regions is an urgent priority. In Spain, despite various initiatives, the lack of a harmonised national life cycle assessment (LCA) method and a standardised database of construction products with environmental data hinders...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| Repositorio: | idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:idus.us.es:11441/176981 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/11441/176981 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.116307 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Whole-life carbon (WLC) emissions Buildings Spain |
| Sumario: | Reducing whole-life carbon (WLC) emissions in buildings across Mediterranean regions is an urgent priority. In Spain, despite various initiatives, the lack of a harmonised national life cycle assessment (LCA) method and a standardised database of construction products with environmental data hinders comparability, accessibility, and transparency. This gap prevents policymakers from establishing a robust basis for action. To address this challenge, we developed an innovative data infrastructure based on three key pillars: co-creation, the development of new data, and the compilation of existing data. This research was conducted within the framework of the INDICATE project, which aims to establish agreed-upon baseline values and benchmarks, contributing to a broader understanding of the integration of WLC considerations into policy decisions, existing regulations, and market-driven innovations. This study includes real LCA results from industry partners (such as LCA consultants) and LCA results from synthetic cases generated using a BIM-based LCA workflow, developed following a co-created LCA method, to determine the reference values. Using data from 179 case studies, baseline values for residential buildings range from 171 to 1,587 kg CO2e/m2 GFA, while for non-residential buildings (offices and parking), values range from 128 to 1,499 kg CO2e/m2 GFA. While average values are similar between real and synthetic cases, an in-depth analysis reveals methodological differences that significantly influence the results. The results demonstrate that this data infrastructure enabled the establishment of reference values and benchmarks for the sector, while highlighting the critical factors to consider when translating these values into regulations and guiding future moves toward decarbonising the sector in Spain. |
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