Environmental and economic performance of residential buildings: LCA|LCC tool and case study in Colombia

Abstract

Although life cycle environmental and economic assessment frameworks for buildings exist worldwide, Colombia lacks a tool adapted to the local context and regulations, that provides well-founded and proven results. The present work aims to bridge this research gap and develops a Colombia-specific software tool intended to facilitate the assessment of the environmental and economic performance of residential buildings in an intuitive and user-friendly manner, using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Microsoft Excel. The tool is based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodologies and aligned with EN 15978, evaluating all building life cycle stages (A1–A3, A4–A5, B1–B7, C1–C4), plus two additional modules (B8 and B9) beyond the scope of the standard. This approach emphasises the need for a tool that addresses Colombia's typical construction materials, assemblies, processes and treatments while providing an accessible interface for non-technical stakeholders, facilitating informed decision-making. The paper details the method and theoretical basis used for the LCA|LCC tool design, emphasising the development of a comprehensive database, including both environmental and economic factors. The tool is applied to a residential building in Mosquera (Colombia) and provides results both graphically and numerically — as well as disaggregated by life cycle stages, building elements, and material groups. The findings contribute users and stakeholders to make informed decisions with transparency and to make progress in the development of environmental and building stock renovation policies in Colombia. © 2024 The Authors