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The buildings sector accounts for nearly 41% of the United States' primary energy usage. Various lifecycle analysis (LCA)-based tools are available for facilitating sustainable material selection and energy usage estimation, especially during the material production and construction phases of a building. However, for the use and maintenance phase, there is a lack of a comprehensive framework that can monitor and quantify the effects of various factors such as building system and material deterioration and dynamic occupant behavior patterns on the energy consumption. This research propose a lifecycle energy monitoring framework that couples LCA and energy simulation analysis using a system dynamics modeling framework to enable a distributed simulation platform that can monitor and control the energy requirements during all phases of a building's lifecycle. Experimental results indicate that the proposed framework can help understand the optimal maintenance and replacement period of major building materials, thereby providing options for limiting the overall energy usage and environmental impacts from a building during its entire lifecycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare facilities undergoing renovation have specific concerns that are exacerbated when the restoration requires asbestos abatement of aged floor tile and mastic. The current state of the art for removal of these materials involves manual removal of floor tile and chemical stripping of mastic. Utilization of these stripping chemicals is a concern for facilities whose perception is based on a safe, caring, and healthy environment. In this study, wet grinding is evaluated as an alternative to chemical stripping of asbestos-containing floor tile mastic. This study endeavors to answer the question; what is the difference between these two methodologies in terms of their operational efficacy and suitability in the healthcare setting. Wet grinding and chemical stripping are evaluated in a side-by-side comparison using a mixed methods approach. The data shows that the methodologies are statistically similar in terms of their cost and emissions data. The data indicates that the benefits associated with the wet grinding method offer advantages that are not present using the chemical stripping method. This study also demonstrates that wet grinding is a viable alternative to chemical stripping especially in healthcare facilities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]