Where modelling bespoke construction products gets demanding

Facades and insulation systems cover a very wide world of materials and assemblies: external thermal insulation composite systems and rear-ventilated curtain walls, internal and perimeter insulation, and flat and pitched roof assemblies. Depending on the system this involves mineral insulation such as mineral wool or foam glass, organic insulation such as EPS, XPS or PUR/PIR, or bio-based insulation such as wood fibre, hemp, cellulose and cork.

On top of that come very different claddings, from brick slips and fibre cement through metal panels and HPL to mineral-coated carrier boards. The assemblies are completed by renders, reinforcing meshes, fixings and underlays. The variant matrix grows quickly as a result. Family or average EPDs only work cleanly here when the background data sets genuinely stay comparable.

Fire protection products and fire-related technical textiles are shaped strongly by standards, approvals and testing requirements. They include passive intumescent coatings, fire protection boards based on calcium silicate, vermiculite or special gypsum, penetration seals for cable and pipe runs, collars and wraps, fire sealants and fillers, fire protection adhesives, intumescent strips for doors and joints, fire protection foams, and steel coatings for defined fire resistance classes such as R30, R60 or R90.

Fire protection textiles form an assembly class of their own: glass fabrics, coated aramid and carbon membranes, intumescent pillows, textile penetration seals and welding protection layers that delay fire transmission paths across several layers in a controlled way. The verification and approval route, such as an ETA or EN 13501, runs in parallel with producing the EPD and has to be thought through together with the LCA modelling. Other technical textiles, such as render and reinforcing meshes or facade-integrated membranes without a fire protection function, we assign methodologically to the facades and insulation systems industry.

Construction chemicals and waterproofing cover closely interlinked ranges: bitumen-based and polymer-based roof waterproofing such as PVC, EPDM, FPO or TPO, liquid-applied membranes such as PUR, PMMA or polyurea, polymer-modified mineral waterproofing, mineral slurries, joint sealants and adhesives, reactive resins, tile, laying and reactive resin adhesives, renders, fillers and grouts, screed binders, impregnations, water repellents, concrete admixtures, and paints, varnishes and wood preservatives.

The LCA modelling has to separate reactive and non-reactive constituents cleanly. At the same time the use phase differs considerably by product class: curing, cleaning, maintenance intervals or renewal cycles can shape the modelling and have to be represented so they can be followed.

Floor and ceiling systems often consist of several components and layers. Drywall board materials such as plasterboard, gypsum fibreboard, calcium silicate fire protection boards and acoustic functional panels are combined with supporting profiles, fixings, joint tape, fillers and linings into complete wall, ceiling and floor systems.

The material basis raises questions of its own. For gypsum, the data basis for recycled and FGD gypsum shares matters a great deal. Suspended acoustic ceilings can contain mineral wool, wood-based or polyester ceiling elements. Cavity and raised floors extend the range further. Many manufacturers need the LCA data basis not only for EPDs but also for ESRS E1 data points in ongoing reporting.

Building services covers multi-component technical systems such as heat pumps, ventilation and air conditioning, pumps and hydraulic components, pre-wall sanitary installations, fittings and water treatment technology, along with electrical components such as distribution boards, switchgear, cable trays and low-voltage distribution.

The LCA complexity comes above all from the high number of components per unit, the long use phase and the regulatory requirements. For heat pumps, for example, energy consumption over 15 to 25 years, fluorinated refrigerants with a climate effect of their own, and rapidly changing EU ecodesign and F-gas rules all play a central part. The heat pump market is growing strongly, and EPDs are becoming steadily more relevant in tenders, in the BAFA and KfW funding programmes and under the EU requirements still to come.

Functional building elements are ready-to-install components with a clearly defined building physics function. They include doors, gates, windows, glass building elements, solar and weather protection systems, roof lights and continuous rooflights, partition wall modules, acoustic elements, pre-wall sanitary installations, stair and balustrade elements, and precast wall and ceiling modules.

The complexity comes from the multi-component construction: profile, glass, seal, hardware and coating have to be considered together. The long use phase matters too, through maintenance, cleaning, replacement cycles and service life assumptions.