Life cycle thinking strategies for constructing nZEB schools|Strategie life cycle thinking per la realizzazione di scuole nZEB

By 2050, Italy, too, will have to achieve climate neutrality. Compared to current standards,almost 75% of the existing building stock is energy inefficient, and since 17% consists ofschool buildings, intervening in this type of building is essential to develop virtuous pathsto achieve 2030 decarbonisation targets. Vertical envelopes are among the technologicalunits that contribute the most to achieving better energy-environmental performance ofthe building, but at the same time, they have a certain weight in terms of carbon and em-bodied energy; moreover, LCA studies dealing with the vertical building envelope mainlyfocus on ‘cradle-to-grave’ impacts, neglecting end-of-life scenarios based on the recyclingof selective demolition materials. This study explores the effects of adopting circular designstrategies as LCA-based environmental impacts in an nZEB school.