LCA and energy efficiency in buildings: mapping more than twenty years of research

TL;DR

This paper reviews over twenty years of research on Life Cycle Assessment in buildings, using innovative methods to identify key themes, trends, and future directions in building materials and energy efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a novel combination of social network analysis and text mining to comprehensively map LCA research in the building sector over two decades.

Findings

Identified seven key thematic groups in LCA research

Tracked trends in building materials and energy efficiency topics

Highlighted emerging and underexplored research areas

Abstract

Research on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is being conducted in various sectors, from analyzing building materials and components to comprehensive evaluations of entire structures. However, reviews of the existing literature have been unable to provide a comprehensive overview of research in this field, leaving scholars without a definitive guideline for future investigations. This paper aims to fill this gap, mapping more than twenty years of research. Using an innovative methodology that combines social network analysis and text mining, the paper examined 8024 scientific abstracts. The authors identified seven key thematic groups, building and sustainability clusters (BSCs). To assess their significance in the broader discourse on building and sustainability, the semantic brand score (SBS) indicator was applied. Additionally, building and sustainability trends were tracked, focusing on the LCA concept. The major research topics mainly relate to building materials and energy efficiency. In addition to presenting an innovative approach to reviewing extensive literature domains, the article also provides insights into emerging and underdeveloped themes, outlining crucial future research directions.