Challenges in developing a holistic Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) software tool: developers’ goals

Abstract

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released a report emphasizing the importance of reducing carbon emissions, indicating that the construction industry is a key player in this process. Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) is the most efficient method for evaluating buildings’ environmental impacts. It considers the effects of energy consumption during operation and the environmental impacts of extracting, manufacturing, transporting, assembling, and maintaining the building’s components. However, numerous obstacles prevent WBLCA from being fully applied by decision-makers during the building project process (BPP). This paper discusses and suggests improvements to the challenges of integrating WBLCA and BPP. An online survey was performed with nine WBLCA software developers worldwide, examining the critical challenges and how to overcome them. Most participants agreed that increasing WBLCA demand is the most pressing issue. It would encourage the entire construction sector to adopt a life-cycle mindset, pushing WBLCA software developers to improve software tool integration with the BPP. Results from this study will assist software companies and policymakers develop tools and regulations more aligned with the interests of designers.