The Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) changes the benchmarks, metrics and performance indicators of a building. Consequently, changes the way we design, build, refurbish and operate our buildings. With the commitments made by many countries and the impacts related to climate change, global efforts are being put in place to ensure the achievement of net zero and the mitigation of carbon emissions for the built environment.

This lecture presents the concept, the methodology used for the assessment of the WLC (the embodied carbon + the operational carbon) through the life cycle analysis (LCA), which considers the impacts throughout the life cycle of a material accounting from the Upfront Carbon to its disposal. In addition to presenting the concept of Circular Economy.

Morover presents carbon accounting tools and holistic carbon reduction strategies as part of the design process (whether for new buildings or retrofits). With the aim of contributing to the dissemination and accelerating the qualification of professionals to reach the goals set for 2050 for the construction sector.

In the current context of climate change and the post-pandemic world, there is an awareness of the importance of discussing sustainability and decarbonization of the built environment, as well the indoor environment quality for occupants.

This lecture presents concepts related to these topics, understanding the role, the necessary integration and the holistic approach among all multidisciplinary stakeholders involved in the design process.

Furthermore, it presents the tools and methods that have been used to achieve these goals, which need to be implemented since the beginning of the design stages (early design), to be successful for achieving a high-performance building.