Life-Cycle Costs - Optimizing Forms of Building Construction

It is not just the construction costs that are decisive when calculating the true costs and the economic sustainability of a building, but also the costs incurred during the building’s entire life cycle. The life cycle costs come from the total of the costs summarised in DIN 276 Part 1 (DIN is the German Institute for Standardisation) – original construction, modernisation, renovation, extension, abandonment, removal – together with the maintenance costs (capital and depreciation, property management, operation and repair costs), which are dealt with in DIN 18960 from February 2008. By analysing different roofing types, the article shows that the costs per m² per year vary according to their technical endurance and expected lifespan.