WholeBuilding LCA Tools for LEED v 4 and

Whole-Building LCA Tools for LEED v 4 and v 4. 1 Presented by: Grant Finlayson Paula Melton Roderick Bates

Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment Basics

Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) “A Life Cycle Assessment is defined as the systematic analysis of the environmental impact of products during their entire life cycle. ” –Thinkstep

Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) • A life-cycle assessment performed on a whole building • Incentivized in LEED v 4 and v 4. 1 • Different requirements between these two rating systems

Impact Categories for LEED • Global warming potential (embodied carbon) • Ozone depletion • Acidification • Eutrophication • Smog formation • Depletion of non-renewable energy sources

Points for LEED v 4 • Compare design building with a baseline building • Show 10% improvement in at least three categories • Don’t slip more that 5% in any of the other three categories • Get three points

Points for LEED v 4. 1 1. Conduct a WBLCA: one point 2. Show 5% improvement in three categories, including GWP: two points 3. Same as LEED v 4 4. Include reused materials; show 20% improvement in GWP; show 10% improvement in two other categories: four points

How to Do WBLCA • Use a whole-building LCA software tool • Select from several common tools • Learn about Athena & Tally today