Material input per service unit

Material Input per Service Unit (MIPS ) is a fundamental measure to estimate the environmental impact is that through the product The concept was developed by the lead Prof. Dr. Friedrich Schmidt- Bleek of the Wuppertal Institute in 1992.

Concept

In the MIPS concept any energy and material flows are measured, which are used within the life cycle of a product or service. MIPS is a quantitative measure for the natural use of a product or service. The use of materials ( material input ) is doing in SI -compliant units, such as reported kg and the Service Unit ( Service Unit ), such as one cubic meter of enclosed space, based.

The material input per service unit (MIPS ) is a simple and manageable approach to assessing the environmental impact intensity. Because of a product or process outgoing output flows, such as emissions and waste production are often very difficult to detect, is the simplifying assumption that the environmental impact can be reduced by a reduction of material inputs.

As a material input in this case the total input for the production of a good minus the net mass of the goods is considered. Does the material input to a unit of the commodity, then one speaks of the material intensity. The material input per service unit is derived by reference to the material intensity on a service unit that corresponds to the desired benefits or expected service. The material inputs determined are shown separately in this method according to five categories:

An aggregation of the determined values ​​is due to the diversity of categories and related problems in the weighting deliberately avoided. For ease of presentation of the results, however, abiotic material, biotic material and soil movement in the agriculture and forestry as Total Material Requirement ( TMR ) can be combined.

MIPS - house

Mipshaus is a commonly used term for a resource- optimized for the MIPS concept building. He describes a resource standard of a building, making it the further development of existing buildings for energy standards such as the low-energy house or passive house. In contrast to these standards an assessment is not made solely by the energy consumption in the use phase, but extended to the production phase and subsequent dismantling. Thus, the observation is extended to the entire life cycle of a building. Basis of the evaluation is not only energy consumption but to the complete consumption of natural resources. Starting from the thesis that the resulting materials in a manufacturing process are very diverse and in your impact and interaction hardly manageable therefore an assessment according to the quantity of substances used is made ​​when Mipshausstandard. (Input Output consideration instead of viewing ). The materials used for this are divided into the five categories listed above.

"Resource efficiency " is a building, when as little nature is used by the construction, maintenance, use and disposal. One approach to increase resource efficiency can consist, for example, also include savings through well-executed thermal insulation measures on the building envelope comprehensive heating energy. Also for energy supply is engaged in the extraction of energy sources in the natural cycles. So taste the manufacture of insulation materials nature. Here it should be, whether by action in the sum of nature could be saved ( cf. LCA ). Only rarely is immediate, that is, without a more detailed analysis to see how much material for the production of a certain product was taken directly and indirectly in claim - the product is not to be considered.

The most important requirement of a " Mipshaus " is therefore the consideration of the life- cycle-wide resource efficiency " from the cradle to the grave" already during the planning phase.

MipsHAUS Institute

The mipsHAUS Institute ( MHI) is a nonprofit research institute in Wuppertal to promote resource- efficient construction. 2004, the Institute was established by an interdisciplinary working group of architects, civil engineers, and safety and scientists, the seat is in Kolkmannhaus in the Wuppertal Hofaue.

It developed on the basis the MIPS concept strategies, evaluation criteria and instruments for the transmission of this rating scale to the field of construction, it is a platform for all involved in the construction process, such as builders, artisans, building materials industry and the standards and legislators. It leads both by public institutions funded contract research as well as through general donations funded their own development of adaptation of the MIPS concept to the construction sector.