A Systematic Review on Life Cycle Assessment of Prefabricated Buildings

Abstract

The construction sector has a significant impact on the environment, highlighting the need for sustainable building practices to decrease the emissions and propose alternative construction solutions. In this framework, prefabricated construction methods offer a promising solution, providing benefits such as reduced material waste, improved energy efficiency, and alignment with net-zero principles. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach represents a key tool for evaluating the environmental performance of buildings throughout their entire life cycle, enabling a direct comparison between prefabricated and traditional construction methods. This systematic review examines the application of LCA methodologies to assess the environmental impacts of modular and prefabricated buildings. By analysing recent peer-reviewed articles, this study investigates the use of key LCA elements, including software, databases, System Boundaries, Functional Unit, and environmental impact categories. The impact categories analysis indicates that, in terms of global warming potential, 1 m² of structure impacts an average of 325, 327, and 389 kg CO₂ eq for steel, wood, and concrete, respectively, for phases A and C. Furthermore, this review highlights and discusses the main limitations and the research gaps of the current studies of LCA methodology applied to modular construction, emphasising the need to intervene on five potential improvement areas: (i) methodological development, (ii) policy implications, (iii) stakeholder engagement and awareness, (iv) digital tools and innovation and (v) Circular Economy (CE) integration.