LCA - Life Cycle Assessment
LCA vs LCCA
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has a lot of overlap and can be confused with Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA) due to the similar acronym. LCCA focuses on the economic costs (install, operation, etc) of the architectural system or product.
- LCCA = Economic Impact
- LCA = Environmental Impact
- Note: Assessment and analysis are used somewhat interchangeably in the titles.
Introduction
Life Cycle Assessment, or simply just known as LCA, is a method of evaluating the environmental impact of using a particular material or product in a building. It evaluates its effect on things such as global warming, by taking into account the energy needed, including initial raw material extraction to final recycling, reuse, and disposal.
- LCAs : Part of the Materials and Resources category of the LEED rating system. (see below)
- Also sometimes referred to as ‘whole building life-cycle assessment’
Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
A whole building LCA takes a building that is modeled or assumed to be a base case, and compares it against the design case. The models typically do not include interior finish work, site work, and only include structure and enclosure.
- Base Case: Reflects construction practices of a typical building for that size, program location, etc.
- Design Case: Reflects the building’s actual design/construction.