Economic Allocation in LCA: A Case Study About Aluminium Window Frames

A traditional problem in LCA is how to deal with processes where recycled material is used as an input or where the output of a process is further used as raw material in another product system (open-loop recycling). Allocation is needed to partition the responsibility for the environmental impacts caused by the raw material extraction, the recycling and the final disposal of a material over different product systems in some proportional shares. The norm ISO/DIS 14'04T. 1998 now explicitly allows the use of an economic value as a basis for the allocation of open-loop product systems, where material is recycled into other product systems while undergoing a change in its inherent properties. In a case study for aluminium window frames, an economic allocation procedure for aluminium is developed based on different market prices for secondary materials with different alloy content. Market prices are assumed to reflect the functionality of a material quality within a techno-economic system. Therefore, market prices permit the qualitative description of the degradation of a material over a product system. Based on this qualitative degradation, a ‘relative resource consumption' can be defined. This relative resource consumption is used to allocate the environmental impacts related to recycled material entering or leaving the product system under study. The results of the new allocation principle are compared to results of a former study on window frames out of various materials, elaborated by EMPA in 1996. The conclusions underline the importance of the recycling of aluminium with a high quality and give some criteria for a more ecological design of aluminium windows. Finally, methodological advantages and obstacles of the presented economic allocation procedure are pointed ou

A Study Of Aluminium Window Frames Preference Materials Among Property Buyers

The characteristics of the frame materials have significant impacts on the properties of a window. A window itself plays a crucial role in determining the overall energy performance of the building. This study analyses frame types of aluminium. Letting light into a cave or crude structure allowed its inhabitants to better perform tasks and navigate their surroundings, alerting them to the day’s cycle and keeping them in sync with it something that we understand is vital to human health and emotional health and wellbeing. Aluminium window frames are valued for their slim profile but durability, along with their low maintenance and strength. Due to their lightweight construction and strength, aluminium window frames are able to be configured in a variety of ways. This makes them beneficial for multi-panel systems or large windows. However, aluminium frames are not recommended in wet areas or areas that have high levels of salty water and air due to their corrosion. There was a time when choosing the right window frames meant you had to make a trade-off between strength and aesthetics. If you wanted a more resilient, stronger frame, you would almost always be presented with a bulky exterior. Well, that was until aluminium frame windows appeared on the scene. In no time, aluminium has climbed popularity charts in interior design and is now one of the most preferred materials for window frames. In fact, aluminium frame windows are just perfect for giving your personal spaces a facelift with a sleek, neat look

Cataloguing of the defects existing in aluminium window frames and their recurrence according to pluvio-climatic zones

The sustainability of building envelopes is affected by its windows, since these establish the connection/separation between the indoor rooms and the external environment. They can also lead to problems if they do not offer sufficient protection against external agents. The data source in this research is unprecedented, as it is based on records of court sentences. There is a significant number of cases (1615), which provides high representativeness for the functional reality of windows. The methodology that was developed classifies the defects and the causes that were found, also analysing correspondence with their recurrence according to aspects of climatological location. In the results, the cases pertaining to water infiltration, air permeability and humidity by condensation are highlighted. This study provides a vision that categorizes problems related to aluminium windows that may be useful for future interventions by agents participating in the construction process.MUSAAT Foundatio

Issues of energy retrofitting of a modern public housing estates. The ‘Giorgio Morandi’ complex at Tor Sapienza, Rome, 1975-1979

Energy retrofitting of historical residential buildings represents today an interesting challenge of the building sector. This is true especially in Italy where great part of the national buildingstock dates back to pre-modern and modern times and, especially, to the decades between the 1960s and the 1980s. Most of these buildings, in fact, offerthermal performances that are inadequate to current requirements in terms of energy efficiency, human comfort as well as to seismic safety. This study focuses on the energy retrofitting of public housing estatessuch as the“Giorgio Morandi” complex at Tor Sapienza in Rome. The upgrading of this complex is outlined, taking into account issues of energy saving but, also, constraints related to the historical values of the buildings. Intervention options able to improve energy efficiency are therefore foreseeable only in strict observance of cultural heritage values, which entails a deep analysis and survey of the existence in order to identify respectful, correct and feasiblesolutions

Watertightness of window frames: experience of notified bodies

The research facility for testing building envelope elements at Ghent University has been testing the air- and watertightness of windows for over 30 years. As a certified lab a lot of tests are done for the industry according to standard procedures. This paper presents the results and analysis of about 200 tests that were carried out throughout the last 10 years. Is the overall performance of the window correlated with the construction material? And does a good airtightness guarantee a corresponding watertightness? All too often the test samples delivered by the industry are an exception to the rule: while a grade A window is delivered to the lab, poor quality is general practice. Clients, architects and contractors need clear-cut specifications concerning performance assessment in order to obtain a high-quality product, and if there are apparent indications of defects or flaws the specifications should provide the possibility to put a randomly chosen window to the test. Based on the experience of the test lab as notified body guidelines for quality management in low-rise and high-rise buildings are developed

Every Increased Possession Loads Us with New Weariness

Every Increased Possession Loads Us with New Weariness (2017), Steel, concrete, glass, aluminium, copper, cast iron, Caithness stone, 184 x 135 x 87 cm Every Increased Possession Loads Us with New Weariness (2017) is a public sculpture for Ruskin Square in Croydon commissioned by muf architecture/art and Stanhope Schroders. Ruskin Square is a large scale development near East-Croydon station. The artefact aims to reverse the supply chains that led to the development of the site; 'unmaking' the building and remaking constituent materials into an artificial mineral of steel, concrete, glass, aluminium, copper, cast iron and Caithness stone. The research develops ‘situated practice’ as a method, with the translation of data generated through fieldwork into a well resolved design outcome. It also entails appropriate translation of a theoretical interest in the politics of development and supply chains into a public sculpture. Additionally the project effectively manages a mix of stakeholders including practice researchers, the estate developer, a commissioning body and a variety of manufacturers and suppliers. The design and its underlying methods have been presented internationally through invited lectures, with hosts that include MoMA R&D Salon (New York, 2020) Artists’ Talks Series, The Architectural Association (London, 2019), Zurich University of the Arts (Zurich 2019), and the Institute of Contemporary Art (London, 2017) The sculpture makes an intrinsic contribution to the broader development of Ruskin Square, which has been awarded a range of international accolades, including a prize at the 11th International Landscape Biennial 2020. The project is documented at https://everyincreasedpossession.com and published through Goldsmiths Research Online (GRO) at http://research.gold.ac.uk/19984/