Abstract

Utilizing appropriate materials and assemblies in building envelope components could lead to energy savings, increased durability, and sustainability gains. This study aims at providing an integrated assessment framework to compare three different types of exterior wall systems: wood frame, insulated concrete forms (ICFs), and pre-cast insulated concrete panel (PICP). The focus will be on assessing the building envelope performance, cost efficiency, and environmental impacts of these technologies. Such an assessment will influence the decisions on design characteristics of exterior walls as well as the selection of required materials. In doing so, first, the exterior wall technologies will be compared in terms of hygrothermal performance according to ASHREA standards and other relevant literature. Then, a life cost analysis is conducted in order to establish the cost profile of each technology in buildings including capital costs as well as space heating costs over their service life. Finally, we will turn to assessing the environmental footprints of each technology and its components through life cycle assessment (LCA) using Simapro software. The proposed framework incorporates multiple performance assessment criteria including well-being aspects, hygrothermal performance, life cycle assessment (LCA), and life cycle cost (LCC). Using these criteria, a decision making framework is developed to compare and rank the alternative exterior wall technologies, identifying the one that is best suited to particular case study buildings.