Toward an Integrated Concrete Performance Prediction Tool

Published

February 19, 2017

Author(s)

Barbara C. Lippiatt

Abstract

Industrial engineers and construction specifiers are increasingly concerned about the implications of their material design and product selection decisions, respectively, for the environment and public health. How will a given concrete design affect global warming? Smog? Resource depletion? Human Health? These are complex issues that can only be answered by taking a cradle-to-grave approach that considers the full range of environmental impacts over the entire life of a product, from raw material acquisition to end-of-life waste management. This approach, known as life-cycle assessment (LCA), accounts for shifts of environmental problems from one life-cycle stage to another, or one environmental medium (land, air, water) to another, LCA supports a tradeoff analysis to achieve a genuine reduction in overall environmental impact rather than a simple shift of impact.

Citation

Environmental Council of Concrete Organizations

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

Building products, concrete, environmental performance, green buildings, life cycle assessemtn, performance prediction, sustainable developement

Citation

Lippiatt, B. (2017), Toward an Integrated Concrete Performance Prediction Tool, Environmental Council of Concrete Organizations (Accessed March 13, 2025)