In this thesis project a concrete sandwich wall element of 250 mm insulation of Kooltherm has been resulted to have U-values and ψ-values closer to the passive housing recommendations. However, by using 180 mm thick insulation, no significant difference in the annual energy consumption is observed. Using a metal sheet in the window connection and small concrete brackets, low thermal bridge values are achieved. Low thermal bridge coefficient values were also observed with thick insulation in the foundation and the roof structure, although, it is impossible to achieve values below 0,01 W/mK in the corner connections. Airtightness of the building envelope is more important than the thickness of the wall in the energy consumption simulations. Therefore, the thermal bridging and the U-values of the wall are, in most cases, dependent on the thickness of the element. No conclusions on the structural reliability of the solutions can be extracted from this thesis project. In order to conclude the statements above, this thesis project has been focused on the evaluation and design of a concrete sandwich wall panel. The design of the wall element, including its reinforcement and connectors, while achieving values according to passive housing regulations, is the initial goal of this project. Subsequently, connections between the building components and the wall element are analyzed and designed through several simulations according to the passive housing regulations respectively. Simulation tests took place in Sweco Structures AB offices with the valuable contribution of experts. An existing building project was used and evaluated in order to present the simulation results in a more realistic manner. Several insulation materials have been tested for the thermal and moisture reliability. Using the existing building as a base for information, energy simulations generated the energy consumption results in order to compare different wall thicknesses, and thermal bridging effects. This project is inspired by the needs of building sustainability and efficiency, which has become a significant part of the worldwide effort on reducing the energy consumption on the planet. Regulations regarding building technology have been completely changed and adjusted in the passive housing design. Particular effort has been put on the commercial and multi-residential buildings, in which the energy consumption is usually higher than in small family houses. Concrete sandwich wall panels have been introduced in the building market as an alternative and more efficient way of constructing. Prefabrication has been proved to be less time consuming, although issues on the thermal behavior appear in this kind of structure. The evaluation of the thermal efficiency of the concrete sandwich wall elements has been a significant issue in the civil engineering society and research.

I Sverige står bygg- och fastighetssektorn för nära en femtedel av koldioxidutsläppen och en tredjedel av energianvändningen varav en stor del kommer från uppvärmning av byggnader. Ett tillvägagångssätt för att minska energibehovet i bostäder är genom krav på energieffektivitet. Där spelar isoleringsmaterial stor roll för att minska värmeförlusterna i byggnaden. Ett problem med för tjock isolering är att isoleringsmaterialen i sig har viss kvantifierbar miljöpåverkan. I denna studie bestäms livscykelpåverkan från olika isoleringsmaterial med avseende på primärenergianvändning, växthuspotential, kostnad samt övrig miljöpåverkan. Studien undersöker även hur tjockleken av olika isoleringsmaterial påverkar driftenergin i byggnaden Backåkra 2, belägen i centrala Stockholm. Syftet är att bestämma den optimala tjockleken för varje isoleringsmaterial i byggnaden med avseende att minimera primärenergianvändningen, växthuspotentialen samt kostnaderna under en tidsperiod på 50 år. Övrig miljöpåverkan fastställs även. Materialen som utvärderats är glasull, cellulosaisolering, polyuretan/polyisocyanurat, vakuumisolering, aerogel, grafitcellplast, samt fenolbaserad isolering. Två olika avfallsscenarier implementeras varav ett scenario har hög materialåtervinning och ett annat har hög energiåtervinning. I en känslighetsanalys studeras inverkan av primärenergifaktorn, isoleringsmaterialens livslängd, koldioxidfaktorn, U-värden i byggnadens fönster samt andra värden för livscykelpåverkan. Resultaten visar att vald tjocklek av isoleringsmaterial i byggnaden i dag ligger nära den optimala tjockleken med avseende på minimal primärenergianvändning. Om isoleringsmaterialet har lägre koldioxidutsläpp under sin livscykel hamnar tjockleken i dagsläget nära den optimala tjockleken med avseende att minimera växthuspotentialen. Materialet aerogel har högst värden i alla påverkanskategorier i båda avfallsscenarierna. Lägst primärenergianvändning har vakuum- och cellulosaisolering vid optimala tjockleka på . Cellulosaisolering ger även upphov till lägst växthuspotential medan grafitcellplast har lägst kostnad för de optimala tjocklekarna i båda avfallsscenarier. Hög material-återvinningsgrad ger upphov till tjockare isolering och högre värden för påverkansfaktorerna. En hög energiåtervinningsgrad leder däremot till tunnare isolering och lägre värden. Att optimera isoleringsmaterialens tjocklek utifrån alla tre kriterier (primärenergianvändning, växthuspotential och kostnad) kan innebära svårigheter eftersom skillnaden mellan optimala tjocklekar är stor. Resultatet är känsligast för förändringar av livslängden och denna bör utvärderas noggrannare i framtida studier för att i högre utsträckning likna den verkliga byggnaden. Framtida studier kan även kretsa kring mer generell tillämpning av liknande analys för olika typer av byggnader i olika geografiska regioner. I vissa typer av byggnader är isoleringsmaterialens påverkan gällande primärenergianvändning och växthuspotential i förhållande till den totala byggnaden signifikant. I sådana fall har optimering av isoleringstjocklek stor betydelse för byggnadens totala prestanda och kan bidra till att minska byggnadens miljöpåverkan. Avslutningsvis kan denna studie bidra till en minskning av primärenergianvändningen, miljöpåverkan och kostnaderna i en energieffektiv byggnad. Därmed erhålls ett hållbarhetsperspektiv under hela livscykeln. / In Sweden, the construction and real estate sector accounts for approximately one fifth of the carbon dioxide emissions and one third of the total energy use, mainly due to heating. In order to reduce both energy requirement and environmental impact, energy efficient measures are of great importance. Insulation materials play a major role in reducing heat losses. However, manufacturing of insulation materials is an energy-intensive process with impact on the environment. In this study, the life cycle impact of seven different insulation materials was determined. The study considers the energy efficient building “Backåkra 2” in Sweden, planned to be completed next year, as a case study for evaluating lifecycle environmental and economic performances. It is investigated how the operating energy in “Backåkra 2” is affected by the choice of different insulation materials and their thicknesses. The optimal thickness of each insulation material in the building was determined in order to minimize primary energy use, global warming potential and cost over a period of 50 years. For the determined thicknesses, other environmental impacts were also investigated. The evaluated insulation materials are glass wool, cellulose insulation, polyuretan/polyisocyanurat, vacuum insulation, aerogel, graphite foam insulation, and phenolic based insulation. In the lifecycle analysis, two different waste scenarios are also implemented, of which one has high material recycling and the other has high energy recovery. A sensitivity analysis examines the impact of the primary energy factor, the lifespan of the insulation materials, the carbon dioxide factor, the U-values in the building's windows and other values for the life cycle impact. The results show that the selected thickness of insulation material in the building today of 19 cm is close to the optimal thickness with respect to minimal primary energy use. If the insulation material has lower carbon dioxide emissions during its lifecycle, the thickness is at present close to the optimal thickness in terms of minimizing the global warming potential. Aerogel has the highest values in all impact categories in both waste scenarios. Vacuum insulation will achieve the lowest primary energy use at its optimal thicknesses of 11,26 cm for waste scenario 0 while cellulose will achieve the lowest primary energy use of all materials at a thickness of 64,5 cm for waste scenario 50. Cellulose insulation also has the lowest global warming potential, while graphite foam insulation has the lowest cost for the optimal thicknesses in both waste scenarios. Higher material recovery rates give optimum at larger thicknesses, while high energy recovery rates lead to thinner insulation thickness. Optimizing the thickness of insulation materials based on all three criteria (primary energy use, global warming potential and cost) can cause difficulties due to a high difference in results. The result in the analysis is sensitive to changes in lifespan, and this should be more carefully evaluated in future studies to resemble the real building. Future studies can also revolve around more general application of similar analysis for different types of buildings in different geographic regions. In some types of buildings, the impact of insulation materials on primary energy use and global warming potential compared to the total building is significant. In such cases, optimization of insulation thickness has a significant impact on the overall performance and can reduce the environmental impact generated by the building. In conclusion, this study can contribute to a reduction of the primary energy use, the environmental impact and the costs in an energy efficient building throughout the whole life cycle.