Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Comparative life cycle assessment and life cycle costing of lodging in the Himalaya

  • PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY IN EMERGING ECONOMIES VIA LIFE CYCLE THINKING
  • Published:
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The main aim of the study is to assess the environmental and economic impacts of the lodging sector located in the Himalayan region of Nepal, from a life cycle perspective. The assessment should support decision making in technology and material selection for minimal environmental and economic burden in future construction projects.

Methods

The study consists of the life cycle assessment and life cycle costing of lodging in three building types: traditional, semi-modern and modern. The life cycle stages under analysis include raw material acquisition, manufacturing, construction, use, maintenance and material replacement. The study includes a sensitivity analysis focusing on the lifespan of buildings, occupancy rate and discount and inflation rates. The functional unit was formulated as the ‘Lodging of one additional guest per night’, and the time horizon is 50 years of building lifespan. Both primary and secondary data were used in the life cycle inventory.

Results and discussion

The modern building has the highest global warming potential (kg CO2-eq) as well as higher costs over 50 years of building lifespan. The results show that the use stage is responsible for the largest share of environmental impacts and costs, which are related to energy use for different household activities. The use of commercial materials in the modern building, which have to be transported mostly from the capital in the buildings, makes the higher GWP in the construction and replacement stages. Furthermore, a breakdown of the building components shows that the roof and wall of the building are the largest contributors to the production-related environmental impact.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that the main improvement opportunities in the lodging sector lie in the reduction of impacts on the use stage and in the choice of materials for wall and roof.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adhikari R (1987) Estimation of economic discount rate for practical project appraisal: the case of Nepal. Proj Apprais 2:113–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asdrubali F, Baldassarri C, Fthenakis V (2013) Life cycle analysis in the construction sector: guiding the optimization of conventional Italian buildings. Energy Build 64:73–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asif M, Muneer T, Kelley R (2007) Life cycle assessment: a case study of a dwelling home in Scotland. Build Environ 42:1391–1394

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ATD Home Inspection (2015) Average life span of Homes, applicances, and mechanicals. http://www.atdhomeinspection.com/advice/average-product-life. Accessed 23 May 2015

  • Becken S, Frampton C, Simmons D (2001) Energy consumption patterns in the accommodation sector—the New Zealand case. Ecol Econ 39:371–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharya SC, Salam AP (2002) Low greenhouse gas biomass options for cooking in the developing countries. Biomass Bioenerg 22:305–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhochhibhoya S, Cavalli R (2016) Global warming assessment of Himalayan buildings. In: Balkau F, Massari S, Sonnemann G (eds) Life cycle approaches to sustainable regional development. Taylor & Francis/Routledge

  • Brown KL, Greer DC, Schwegler B (2011) Life cycle management approach to the design of large-scale resorts. Towar Life Cycle Sustain Manag. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1899-9_22

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen GQ, Chen H, Chen ZM et al (2011) Low-carbon building assessment and multi-scale input–output analysis. Commun Nonlinear Sci Numer Simul 16:583–595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chenoweth J (2009) Is tourism with a low impact on climate possible? In: Worldwide hospitality and tourism themes, pp 274–287

  • Cuéllar-Franca RM, Azapagic A (2012) Environmental impacts of the UK residential sector: life cycle assessment of houses. Build Environ 54:86–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira J, Duarte Pinheiro M, de Brito J (2015) Economic and environmental savings of structural buildings refurbishment with demolition and reconstruction-a Portuguese benchmarking. J Build Eng 3:114–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filimonau V, Dickinson J, Robbins D, Huijbregts MAJ (2011) Reviewing the carbon footprint analysis of hotels: life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) as a holistic method for carbon impact appraisal of tourist accommodation. J Clean Prod 19:1917–1930

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frischknecht R, Editors NJ, Althaus H, et al (2007) Overview and methodology ecoinvent report. No. 1. 77

  • Frischknecht R, Jungbluth N, Althaus H-J et al (2004) The ecoinvent database: overview and methodological framework (7 pp). Int J Life Cycle Assess 10:3–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentle P, Maraseni TN (2012) Climate change, poverty and livelihoods: adaptation practices by rural mountain communities in Nepal. Environ Sci Pol 21:24–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gluch P, Baumann H (2003) The life cycle costing (LCC) approach : a conceptual discussion of its usefulness for environmental decision-making. Build Environ 39:571–580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gu L, Lin B, Zhu Y et al (2008) Integrated assessment method for building life cycle environmental and economic performance. Build Simul 1:169–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2013) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. In: Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner GK, Tignor M, Allen SK, Boschung J, Nauels A, Xia Y, Bex V,  Midgley PM (eds) Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, p 1535

  • Khasreen MM, Banfill PFG, Menzies GF (2009) Life-cycle assessment and the environmental impact of buildings: a review. Sustainability 1:674–701

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kirk SJ, Dell’Isola AJ (1995) Life cycle costing for design professionals. Mc Graw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Knauf M (2015) Applying opportunity costs to correctly interpret resource efficiency in LCA studies and environmental product declarations. Eur J Wood Wood Prod 73:251–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Little MA, Hanna JM (1978) Responses of high-altitude populations to cold and other stresses, 1st edn. The syndics of Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Mearig T, Coffee N, Morgan M (1999) Life Cycle Cost Analysis Handbook

  • Moschetti R, Mazzarella L, Nord N (2015) An overall methodology to define reference values for building sustainability parameters. Energy Build 88:413–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nepal Oil Corporation Limited (2015) Retail selling price based on Kathmandu

  • Ortiz O, Castells F, Sonnemann G (2009) Sustainability in the construction industry: a review of recent developments based on LCA. Constr Build Mater 23:28–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pandit M (2013) The Himalayas must be protected. Int Weekely J Sci 501:283

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pittet D, Jagadish KS, Kotak T et al (2012) Environmental impact of building technologies: a comparative study in Kutch District, Gujarat state, India, 1st edn. Springer, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Pokharel MR, Parajuli BK (2000) Retrofitting traditional buildings by passive solar concepts in Jumla and Solukhubu, 1st edn. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu

    Google Scholar 

  • Pouliotte J, Smit B, Westerhoff L (2009) Adaptation and development: livelihoods and climate change in Subarnabad, Bangladesh. Clim Dev 1:31–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rathcliffe J, Stubbs M (2005) Urban planning and real estate development, 2nd edn. The Natural and Built Environment Series, Taylor and Francis

  • Raymond J, Cole ES (2000) Reconciling theory and practice of life-cycle costing. Build Res Inf 28:368–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ristimäki M, Säynäjoki A, Heinonen J, Junnila S (2013) Combining life cycle costing and life cycle assessment for an analysis of a new residential district energy system design. Energy 63:168–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheuer C, Keoleian GA, Reppe P (2003) Life cycle energy and environmental performance of a new university building: modeling challenges and design implications. Energy Build 35:1049–1064

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seebach D, Adell A, Tepper P (2011) ENG_SMART_SPP_LCC_CO2_tool_v2

  • Sonnemann G, Castells F, Schuhmacher G (2003) Integrated life–cycle and risk assessment for industrial processes. Advanced methods in resource and waste management series, Volume 2. Advanced Methods in Reserouce and Waste Management, Lewis Publishers

  • Sterner E (2002) Green procurement of buildings estimation of environmental impact and life-cycle cost. Civ Min Eng Div Steel Struct PhD:185

  • UNEP (2009) Buildings and climate change: a summary for decision-makers. 15 Rue de Milan, 75441 Paris CEDEX 09, France

  • Weidema B, Bauer C, Hischier R et al (2013) Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories overview and methodology (final)(v3)

  • World Bank (2015) Inflation, consumer prices (annual %). In: World Bank Gr. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG/countries/NP?display=graph. Accessed 20 Sep 2015

  • Zabalza Bribián I, Aranda Usón A, Scarpellini S (2009) Life cycle assessment in buildings: state-of-the-art and simplified LCA methodology as a complement for building certification. Build and Environ 44(12):2510–2520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang W, Tan S, Lei Y, Wang S (2014) Life cycle assessment of a single-family residential building in Canada: a case study. Build Simul 7:429–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Silu Bhochhibhoya, Michela Zanetti & Raffaele Cavalli

  2. Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Massimo Pizzol

  3. Institute for Environmental Management and Land-Use Planning, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium

    Wouter M. J. Achten

  4. School of Engineering, Kathmandu University, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Ramesh Kumar Maskey

Authors
  1. Silu Bhochhibhoya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Massimo Pizzol
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wouter M. J. Achten
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ramesh Kumar Maskey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Michela Zanetti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Raffaele Cavalli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Silu Bhochhibhoya.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Pomthong Malakul

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOCX 43 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bhochhibhoya, S., Pizzol, M., Achten, W.M.J. et al. Comparative life cycle assessment and life cycle costing of lodging in the Himalaya. Int J Life Cycle Assess 22, 1851–1863 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-016-1212-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-016-1212-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation