There is no actual “correct” answer with an LCA study, only relative points of comparison. An LCA in this case will lead to poor decision-making if applied to structural materials. In general, the ability to influence emissions by conducting an LCA for a building’s structural system will be less than about 1% of emissions over the life of a building-well outside the acceptable statistical limits of LCA methodology.

In this case, the vast majority of emissions are not due to the building material, but due to the operation of the building. In a building frame, for example, the emissions due to building materials represent at most 3% to 5% of the total emissions of the building during its life. LCA introduces new challenges when used to assess a building product’s impact in terms of its emissions into air and water and in terms of its effects on human health and the environment in general over the life of a building. It also may have benefits for products outside of building construction, where the use phase of a product’s life cycle is a much less dominant variable than with a building. In terms of overall usefulness, a LCA may be a perfectly legitimate tool for a manufacturer to use in assessing building products, and possibly to compare products within the same category. LCA Comes Up Short For Product Evaluation in Building Codes Unfortunately, they also create other complications that open the door to subjectivity and uncertainty. That’s because the basic requirements necessary to conduct a legitimate LCA study that adheres to ISO standards simply cannot be distilled into a convenient software program. Those limitations often are compounded by the use of computerized LCA tools. However, LCA studies-even unique ones that conform to International Standards Organization (ISO) standards-have significant limitations when applied to building construction codes and regulations. A well-designed LCA also incorporates an understanding of the unique local, regional, and global impacts and influences surrounding the product or process.

When done correctly, LCA has a clearly defined scope and objective. But how effective are LCA studies when applied to building codes? Essentially the goal of LCA is to compare the full range of effects to provide a sound basis for reducing a product or process’s impact on the environment.

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study can be a useful way to identify improvements to a product or process.

Openlca building study