Environmental footprints as an environmental assessment tool - an application to wall construction

Ecological footprinting is a value-free method of converting human impacts into an equivalent land area. The paper extends the concept to include both air and water regimes, and as such proposes a methodology that links life cycle analysis to `environmental footprinting' for undertaking a broad-based approach to engineering design. To illustrate the approach, wall units in building construction fabricated from wood and from steel are compared. Results from the analysis suggest that wood construction causes lesser impacts on our air and water compartments than does steel construction. On the other hand, criteria that recognize the damage done to ecosystems through current clear-cutting practices, suggest that steel wall units may incur smaller land footprints than do wood assemblies.