Successful Building Using Ecodesign (Sustainable Cities Research Series)

The notion of ecodesign has now clearly become part of the building sector. It involves taking into consideration environmental issues that are indispensible in constructing our living environment. However, this method, which is industrial in origin, clearly shows that buildings are not the result of simply adding up technical rules. A much more demanding process underpins their development, one that engages all stakeholders in the industry and leads them towards using a new practice involving multi-criteria choices that are never unique.

The object of this work is to review each of the stages in a building operation to illustrate the necessity of optimization and to observe the useful contribution that ecodesign and its tools can make. Ecodesign has been tackled from the professional point of view of those involved in construction work. In this perspective, the central tool is clearly that of the life cycle analysis (LCA). This book therefore describes the different steps of a project management cycle in accordance with a functional analysis. The product achievement is evaluated with the life cycle analysis which can be used as a measurement of its efficiency.

Christophe Gobin is a civil engineer graduated from ESTP. He also obtained his Ph.D in Economics from Sorbonne University (Paris). After nine years in the automative industry as plant designer he joined VINCI. He is now R&D projects advisor for construction within VINCI Construction France. His activity also focuses on progress actions to modernise the methods and tools of the company. Christophe Gobin is Professor at the civil engineering school of ESTP and a partner of the construction training team at La Villette School of Architecture in Paris. He is a member of the expert team that developed the LCA software EQUER and former president of AFAV (French Association on Value Management). He is member of VINCI sustainable development Committee.