LCA in Early Design Phases

What was the design process?

We designed the house using LCA in two steps:

First, we looked at criteria for low climate impact in the program and sketch phase. How can we optimize material use and lifespan? Which parameters have the biggest impact on lowering climate impact?

Next, we studied the impact of different materials, their quantities, and their lifespan. We used One Click LCA to compare constructions for the building foundation, frame, and envelope.

An important starting point for the study was to question the concept of building area as a neutral functional unit when analyzing climate impact – i.e., simply measuring a building’s performance in kg C2Oe/m2 building area. Disregarding the actual size of the building may even be contradictory to the purpose of minimizing climate impact. Basically, a 40 % smaller building reduces the climate impact by 40 % before we even start adjusting and fine-tuning construction and material selection. In addition to optimizing the numbers per m2, we therefore need to consider the impact of housing area itself.

In addition to designing a long-life, flexible, and adaptable house, our main challenge was to design a house which also uses a significantly smaller amount of building material. Our analysis led us to aim for a smaller house which would retain the qualities of usability, flexibility, adaptability, daylight, and space normally associated with larger houses. Despite its size, the house should be able to adapt to the changing needs of its inhabitants over time, without the need for rebuilding.