Life-cycle analysis for design of the Sydney Olympic Stadium

For the first time, design of a major new public building in Australia has been subjected to Life-Cycle Assessment - with the aim of minimising overall environmental impact of the development. Resource depletion, emissions, and waste products were quantified from construction, use and demolition of three alternative design options: a ‘Base Case’, with little environmental innovation; the ‘Offer’, including existing, available reduced-impact technologies; and an ‘Enhanced Environmental Case’, including ‘cutting-edge’ technologies, which are expected to become available within the development programme. Results showed significant reductions in energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and air and water pollution, for both the ‘Offer’ and ‘Enhanced’ cases. Greenhouse gas emissions from construction of the Stadium were also shown to be of the same order of magnitude as those from its operation.