ISO 13315-4:2017

Environmental management for concrete and concrete structures - Part 4: Environmental design of concrete structures

ISO 13315-4:2017 provides the general framework, principles and requirements for carrying out an environmental design of concrete structures, based on a lifecycle assessment (LCA) method or other appropriate methods. ISO 13315-4:2017 is applicable to single concrete structures, as well as concrete structure complexes.

Management environnemental du béton et des structures en béton — Partie 4: Conception environnementale des structures en béton

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 22-Mar-2017
• ICS: 13.020.10 - Environmental management
• ICS: 91.080.40 - Concrete structures
• ICS: 91.100.30 - Concrete and concrete products
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 71/SC 8 - Environmental management for concrete and concrete structures
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 71/SC 8 - Environmental management for concrete and concrete structures
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 20-Jun-2022
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Overview

ISO 13315-4:2017 - Environmental management for concrete and concrete structures - Part 4: Environmental design of concrete structures - defines a practical framework for integrating environmental design into the design of concrete structures. The standard prescribes principles and requirements for carrying out an environmental design based primarily on life cycle assessment (LCA) or other appropriate methods. It applies to both single concrete structures and complex structure systems and emphasizes integration with structural and durability design.

Key topics and requirements

• Framework and scope: Establishes the environmental design process as part of overall structural design - from client briefing through design, estimation, verification and documentation.
• Client briefing & performance requirements: Requires documenting client needs, context and environmental performance goals (including life-cycle cost (LCC) and regulatory compliance). Environmental aspects can be specified at differing levels (inventory indicators, impact categories, category endpoints, objects of protection).
• LCA-based estimation: Calls for retained environmental performance to be estimated using LCA in accordance with ISO 14040 and system boundaries/inventory data per ISO 13315-2. Inventory analysis is used for quantification.
• Design measures: Specifies that designers must consider constituents, concrete mix proportions and structural details (member dimensions, reinforcement) to meet environmental performance requirements. Annex B lists example mitigation or optimization measures (e.g., use of blended cements, recycled aggregates, optimizing material quantities).
• Verification: Verification is required to confirm that the designed retained environmental performance meets the specified requirements; failure triggers redesign or reassessment of requirements.
• Documentation & records: All environmental design information must be recorded and retained for the service life of the structure; annexes provide example inventory structures and verification case studies (including a CO2 reduction example).

Practical applications and users

ISO 13315-4 is intended for:

• Structural engineers and concrete designers integrating sustainability and environmental performance targets
• LCA practitioners and sustainability consultants working on infrastructure and buildings
• Project owners, clients and asset managers defining environmental performance requirements
• Contractors and material suppliers advising on mix design, supplementary cementitious materials and recycled aggregates Practical uses include specifying environmental criteria in procurement, guiding mix-design choices to reduce embodied impacts, and documenting verification for regulatory or certification purposes.

Related standards

• ISO 13315-1 (principles for concrete environmental management)
• ISO 13315-2 (system boundary & inventory data for concrete LCAs)
• ISO 14040 / ISO 14044 (LCA principles and framework)
• ISO 14050 (environmental management - vocabulary)

Keywords: ISO 13315-4, environmental design, concrete structures, LCA, life cycle assessment, sustainability, environmental performance, design verification.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 13315-4
First edition
2017-03
Environmental management for
concrete and concrete structures —
Part 4:
Environmental design of concrete
structures
Management environnemental du béton et des structures en béton —
Partie 4: Conception environnementale des structures en béton
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
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the requester.
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ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Framework of environmental design . 2
5 Client briefing and environmental performance requirements . 3
6 Design . 4
7 Estimation . 4
8 Verification . 4
9 Documentation . 4
Annex A (informative) Example structure of inventory, impact category, category endpoints
and objects of protection . 5
Annex B (informative) Examples of measures to satisfy requirements for impact category
indicators in the “Design” stage . 6
Annex C (informative) Example of inventory analysis based on the LCA method and
verification (mix proportion of concrete) . 7
Bibliography . 9
Foreword
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electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
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URL: w w w . i s o .org/ iso/ foreword .html.
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee ISO/TC 71, Concrete, reinforced
concrete and pre-stressed concrete, Subcommittee SC 8, Environmental management for concrete and
concrete structures.
A list of all the parts in the ISO 13315 series can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Environmental management is essential for properly estimating the negative and positive
environmental impacts brought about by a construction project in order to reduce the environmental
burden and create environmental benefits. Environmental considerations for a structure, in particular,
are to be carried out at the design stage and be integrated with conventional structural design and
durability design. To this end, standardization of the design procedure for environmental design
becomes a necessity.
ISO 14040 stipulates the principles and framework of lifecycle assessment (LCA) for the environmental
management of products and services. However, it is somewhat difficult to apply this to structures with
extremely long lifecycles, such as infrastructures and building structures.
The use of concrete, a key construction material, accounts for a particularly large part of the
environmental impacts related to construction projects. If the environmental impacts related to
a concrete structure are accurately dealt with to achieve environmental design, this can enable a
dramatic reduction in the environmental burden for the construction project as a whole and increase
the environmental benefits. Therefore, a method of environmental design specifically for concrete
structures is essential and led to the development of this document.
In the environmental design of a concrete structure, appropriate specifications for materials and
structural details are established based on LCA. ISO 13315-1 stipulates the principles of environmental
consideration for concrete and concrete structures while ISO 13315-2 stipulates the system boundaries
necessary for carrying out LCA and the inventory data to be acquired.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 13315-4:2017(E)
Environmental management for concrete and concrete
structures —
Part 4:
Environmental design of concrete structures
1 Scope
This document provides the general framework, principles and requirements for carrying out an
environmental design of concrete structures, based on a lifecycle assessment (LCA) method or other
appropriate methods.
This document is applicable to single concrete structures, as well as concrete structure complexes.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 13315-2, Environmental management for concrete and concrete structures — Part 2: System boundary
and inventory data
ISO 14040, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 13315-1, ISO 13315-2,
ISO 14040 and ISO 14050, and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:// www .iso .org/ obp
3.1
client briefing
document which specifies at any point in time the relevant needs, aims and resources of the client and
user, the context of the project and any appropriate design requirements
3.2
durability design
design of a structure in which durability is considered
3.3
environmental design
design of a structure in which environmental impacts are considered
[SOURCE: ISO 13315-1:2012, 3.6]
3.4
structural design
design of a structure in which structural performances including safety, serviceability, restorability,
structural integrity and robustness are considered
4 Framework of environmental design
Figure 1 illustrates the positioning of environmental design in the entire design of concrete structures.
The environmental design of a concrete structure shall be carried out integrally with structural design
and durability design and be in harmony with the landscape and surrounding environment.
Environmental design includes client briefing, setting of environmental performance requirements,
design, estimation of retained environmental performances, verification and documentation.
Figure 1 — Environmental design of concrete structures
2 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

5 Client briefing and environmental performance requirements
A client’s brief on the environmental aspects of a project shall be prepared with consideration of
...