Innovative study on the life cycle analysis of construction materials

Romania Green Building Council was part of the Open Educational Resource (OERCO2) project alongside Transilvania University of Brașov and partners from Italy, Spain, and Portugal, under the coordination of the University of Seville. The project spanned two years and was funded through the European Union's ERASMUS+ Program.

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The project's goal was to create an "open source" evaluation system for analyzing the life cycle of materials. The system includes data on calculating CO2 emissions for each phase of a construction project, allowing anyone to evaluate the environmental impact of a building, including its carbon footprint, and to make informed decisions about the materials used in the design and execution of a construction project.

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The evaluation system is available on an online platform with free access (https://co2tool.oerco2.eu/ro-RO), which also helps raise awareness about CO2 emissions and climate change among construction professionals, academics, researchers, students, public administration, and citizens.

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OERCO2 aims not only to raise awareness but also to ensure that all entities involved in the construction sector become aware of the impact of CO2 emissions—from the extraction of raw materials for construction to the demolition or deconstruction of buildings—taking into account the life cycle of materials and construction technologies.

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It is crucial to consider CO2 emissions from the earliest phases of construction, when decisions are made regarding the materials used, their transportation, implementation technologies, and how the building will be used throughout its life. This approach successfully contributes to reducing CO2 emissions in the construction sector.