LCA methodology to compare alternative retrofit scenarios for historic buildings: a review

According to the latest Directives related to energy efficiency, retrofitting the existing built environment is fundamental. In this context, historic buildings represent the 30% of the existing stock and require a special attention for planning retrofit solutions, considering protection needs and constraints given by the Authorities. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is adopted to assess both the environmental and energy impact of retrofit scenarios, guiding the design choice. However, in the case of historic buildings, this method involves different results in relation to the chosen parameters (goal and scope definition, functional unit, life span, system boundaries and impact categories), conservation constraints and protection goals. This work presents a literature review on a selection of publications related to the LCA method applied on heritage buildings. The final goal is to identify differences on assumptions or simplifications and define finally, some key findings for the next future.