ENVIRONMENTAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF ECOLODGE
[ GSAPP | Architectural Technology elective ]
[ GSAPP | Architectural Technology elective ]
YEAR Fall 2020
ADVISOR(S) David Benjamin
PROJECT Ecolodge, designed during BSc. Arch.
Keywords | life cycle assessment, carbon footprint
This exercise assessed the carbon footprint of Ecolodge, a “sustainable” project designed during my bachelor of science in architecture at the University of Montreal. Designed to be an eco-friendly project, the lodge takes into account solar orientation, natural ventilation, thermal mass, and an optimized layout to reduce the operational needs of the project. But what about its embodied carbon?
The outcome of its LCA was surprising: the first design decision made on this project was by far the worst when considering environmental footprint. The project required an extensive retaining wall to work with the site topography to create two distinct atmospheres between the private areas on the ground floor and the common areas on the top floor. This single decision accounts for almost 50% of the total carbon footprint of the project. Additional design iterations could look into replacing the steel structure of the upper floor with CLT, and replacing the ground floor’s concrete walls with alternative materials.