Integrating Urban Mining Index and Life Cycle Assessment for multi-perspective environmental assessment: the NAWAREUM museum as case study

The construction industry is one of the major sources of resource consumption and waste generation, primarily due to its linear workflow of production, operation, demolition, and disposal. Insufficient recycling management leads to resource waste, while producing new materials exacerbates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To address these challenges, this study examines the recycling potential and Global Warming Potential (GWP) of building to combat resource scarcity and mitigate the climate crisis. This study employed the Urban Mining Index (UMI) to quantify and evaluate the recycling potential of the building based on the quality of material sources and subsequent use. Additionally, the method, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), was applied to assess the GWP of the building over the whole life cycle. Through the four-quadrant analysis and scoring model, the UMI method is integrated with the LCA method, aiming at a comprehensive assessment of the building’s environmental impact. The renovation project “NAWAREUM”, a museum for sustainable materials and renewable energy in Straubing, Germany, was used as a case study for the implementation of the proposed methods. The results indicate that the dual-indicator approach prevents single-criterion pitfalls (“low-carbon but non-recyclable” or “recyclable but high-emission”). In addition, the policy preference parameters are introduced and their effect on construction design decisions is confirmed. This approach can provide a multi-perspective basis for decision-making to support the construction work of this heritage-protected building and other similar projects.     «

The construction industry is one of the major sources of resource consumption and waste generation, primarily due to its linear workflow of production, operation, demolition, and disposal. Insufficient recycling management leads to resource waste, while producing new materials exacerbates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To address these challenges, this study examines the recycling potential and Global Warming Potential (GWP) of building to combat resource scarcity and mitigate the climate crisi...     »