OVERVIEW
Life-cycle assessment, or LCA, is the science of quantifying environmental impacts through the entire process of creating, transporting, using, and disposing of a product or material. The methods are well developed, but there are blind spots.
The creator of life-cycle assessment famously stated, “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” That’s important to keep in mind as you attempt to compare the impacts of two different building designs or two different products.
These resources about LCA help explain:
-
what types of data are usually reliable in an LCA
-
how to get the info you need from an environmental product declaration
-
where LCA can go wrong
- the politics of LCA and how it relates to product and building certifications
IN-DEPTH
Filter results:
- Feature Article (5) Apply Feature Article filter
- Feature Short (2) Apply Feature Short filter
- Infographic (2) Apply Infographic filter
- News Analysis (7) Apply News Analysis filter
- News Brief (12) Apply News Brief filter
- Op-Ed (4) Apply Op-Ed filter
- Primer (3) Apply Primer filter
- Spotlight Report (1) Apply Spotlight Report filter
- Webcast (1) Apply Webcast filter
-
Life-Cycle Assessment "A Powerful Tool When Used Right"
Op-Ed
A leading voice on life-cycle assessment offers a call to action for responsible use of LCA for sustainable design.
-
Retrofits (Usually) Greener Than New Construction, Study Says
News Analysis
Building reuse has environmental benefits over new construction, but there are important exceptions and caveats.
-
Air Dryer Claims Lower Impact Than Paper Towels
News Analysis
If you thought paper towels were a better option than the hand dryer, think again.
-
Life-Cycle Buzz: BEES Now Available for All Operating Systems
News Brief
-
More Comprehensive LCA Models for Buildings, Pavement
News Brief
-
Reuse or Build New? Group to Gather Hard Environmental Data
News Brief
A report quantifying the respect impacts of value building reuse versus demolition and new construction-including life-cycle assessments (LCA) and examination of building materials and methods-is due to be released in 2011 by The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Green Building Services, and the Cascadia Green Building Council.
-
Life-Cycle Assessment: Tracing a Product's Impacts
Primer
Life-cycle assessment-accounting for all of the environmental impacts of a product from its manufacture to its disposal-is a simple concept, but using it to compare products in practice can be difficult.
