When it comes to designing buildings with the environment in mind, few tools are as valuable, or as comprehensive, as life cycle assessment (LCA). This method gives architects and building professionals a full picture of a structure’s environmental footprint, from the moment materials are sourced to the day the building is decommissioned.1
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Rather than focusing on just one phase of a building’s life, LCA looks at the entire journey—procurement, construction, operation, and end-of-life. It captures a wide range of impacts, including energy use, carbon emissions, resource depletion, habitat loss, and toxic outputs. That’s why it’s become one of the most trusted tools for evaluating sustainability in architecture.
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How LCA Works: A Step-by-Step Look
LCA is a structured process that helps you break down and quantify environmental impacts. It typically unfolds in four stages: goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation.2 Here’s how each step fits into the bigger picture:
1. Goal and Scope Definition
This first step sets the direction for the entire assessment. It defines what you're analyzing, what unit you'll use for comparison (like square meters of floor space), the boundaries of the system (what’s included or excluded), and what types of environmental impacts you'll focus on. Getting this part right is crucial as it sets the context for everything that follows.2
2. Inventory Analysis
Next, you build a detailed inventory of everything going into and coming out of your system: raw materials, energy use, emissions to air, water, and soil, plus land use and waste. All of these inputs and outputs are mapped to a process flow and linked to your defined functional unit. This stage gives you the raw data you’ll use to evaluate environmental impacts.2
Since tracking every single input and output manually would be overwhelming, LCA tools and databases play a huge role here. Some tools use spreadsheets for manual data entry, but most rely on automated systems that make the process faster and more reliable, kind of like cost-estimating software, but for sustainability.2
3. Impact Assessment
This is where things get more analytical. You take the emissions and resource data from your inventory and translate them into environmental impacts—things like global warming potential, ozone depletion, or human toxicity. These impacts are grouped into categories and can be weighted depending on what matters most to your project. Some tools even let you roll it all up into a single score, making comparisons easier.2
4. Interpretation
Finally, you interpret the results using visual tools like graphs and tables. This makes it easier to compare options and identify where improvements can be made. Whether you’re choosing between materials or evaluating design strategies, this step supports smart, eco-conscious decision-making.2
Taken together, these four stages create a clear, structured approach to understanding a building’s environmental impact, from concept to completion. LCA doesn’t just highlight problems; it shows where and how to design better, giving you the insight needed to make real, measurable progress on sustainability goals.
Choosing the Right LCA Tool: What’s Out There and How They Compare
With sustainability becoming a design priority, there’s a growing range of LCA tools built specifically for architecture and construction. While each has its own strengths, they all aim to make environmental analysis more accessible, accurate, and integrated into the design process. Here’s a look at some of the leading options—and how they stack up.3-9
One of the most versatile platforms on the market is LCA for Experts, developed by Sphera. Despite its name, it’s designed to be accessible to both seasoned professionals and those newer to LCA. What makes it stand out is its blend of usability and depth: the interface is intuitive, while behind the scenes, it draws from a massive database of 20,000+ regularly updated datasets. These cover every phase of a building's life, from raw material extraction and manufacturing to transport and end-of-life disposal, allowing for accurate, full-scope environmental assessments.3,4
Another major player is SimaPro, which was created by PRé Sustainability. Known for its depth and analytical power, SimaPro gives users the ability to conduct in-depth environmental modeling using a comprehensive database of materials and processes. One of its key features is scenario analysis—users can evaluate how changes in materials, processes, or design approaches will impact sustainability outcomes. This flexibility is particularly useful during early-stage design when multiple options are on the table. On top of that, SimaPro includes decision-support tools that help translate complex data into actionable insights.3,5
Then there’s Anavitor LCA, a newer tool developed by Nordic BIM Group that focuses heavily on integration and workflow compatibility. What really sets Anavitor apart is its two-way BIM connectivity. It can pull data from your BIM model into the LCA tool and push LCA results back into the model. This back-and-forth keeps sustainability data embedded within your design environment and supports real-time collaboration among project teams. Anavitor also features sbXML compatibility, allowing the import of structured construction-phase data from other tools, which ensures smoother coordination across different software platforms.3
For those looking for a broader, more global platform, One Click LCA is a standout. It’s used in over 170 countries and supports sustainability across the entire construction value chain, from buildings and infrastructure to renovation projects. It’s powered by AI, offers automated LCA and EPD generation, and goes beyond basic environmental metrics to include life-cycle cost analysis, circularity, and biodiversity impact.
With more than 300,000 datasets and integration with over 20 BIM tools, including Autodesk Revit® and Tekla Structures®, it’s no surprise that companies like AECOM, Foster + Partners, and ArcelorMittal rely on it. The platform also supports more than 80 certifications and standards, making it especially useful for teams navigating compliance and reporting requirements.6,7
Lastly, ATHENA Impact Estimator (IE), developed by the Athena Institute, is designed for full-building LCA and offers deep modeling capabilities tailored to real-world structures. It supports a wide range of building types, including industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential projects, and allows you to model over 1200 combinations of structural and envelope assemblies. ATHENA IE includes both construction-phase and operational impacts, along with material cost reporting for economic analysis. It’s particularly valuable when assessing design alternatives for their long-term environmental and financial trade-offs.⁸⁹
Why LCA Matters More Than Ever
Sustainability in architecture is no longer just about good intentions; it’s about making informed, measurable decisions. Life cycle assessment gives architects and designers the tools they need to reduce environmental impact at every stage of a building’s life. With the growing range of LCA software available, many of which integrate seamlessly with BIM, it's easier than ever to design with the planet in mind.
Curious about taking your sustainable design practices further? You might also want to explore topics like embodied carbon tracking, BIM-integrated modeling, or construction good practice standards.
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References and Further Reading
- Building Life Cycle Assessment in Practice [Online] Available at https://www.aia.org/resource-center/building-life-cycle-assessment-practice (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
- AIA Guide to Building Life Cycle Assessment in Practice [Online] Available at https://www.aia.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/Building-Life-Cycle-Assessment-Guide.pdf (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
- The best LCA software for architects and designers [Online] Available at https://anavitor.ai/en/ecobuild-lca-perspectives-for-the-built-environment/the-best-lca-software-for-architects-and-designers (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
- LCA For Experts [Online] Available at https://sphera.com/product-stewardship/life-cycle-assessment-software-and-data/lca-for-experts/?nab=0 (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
- LCA software for informed changemakers [Online] Available at https://simapro.com/ (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
- Life Cycle Assessment tools and other useful links [Online] Available at https://www.igbc.ie/life-cycle-assessment-tools/ (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
- One Click LCA [Online] Available at https://oneclicklca.com/en-gb/ (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
- Life-Cycle Assessment Tools for Building Analysis [Online] Available at https://www.phrc.psu.edu/assets/docs/Publications/RB0511.pdf (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
- Impact Estimator [Online] Available at https://www.athenasmi.org/our-software-data/impact-estimator/ (Accessed on 26 May 2025)
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