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AEC Technology Glossary

Sustainability & Performance

What is LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)?

A life cycle assessment quantifies a building's environmental impact across its whole life — material production, construction, operation, maintenance, and end of life. Whole-life carbon combines embodied and operational emissions into one accounting.

In practice

LCAs used to be end-of-design reports; current tools run them live during design so material and system choices show their carbon consequences immediately, and many certifications and regulations now require them.

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