LCA Volume – A Digital Tool for Visualising the Climate Impact of Construction at an Early Stage
An open-source tool enables the assessment of environmental impacts already during the conceptual planning of urban developments, with a particular focus on preserving existing buildings.
How can the climate impact be reduced from the very first stages of urban planning and design? This question lies at the heart of the development of LCA Volume - a digital tool that integrates preliminary environmental impact assessments into the design process.
The tool enables users to compare different design scenarios and visualise the environmental consequences of design decisions. It provides consultants, architects, and developers with a stronger basis for making informed decisions, including by highlighting the potential of preserving and adapting existing building structures.
LCA Volume has been developed as an open-source script for Grasshopper in Rhino, a widely used digital platform in architectural practice.
The project was carried out in collaboration between Aarhus University, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, and CEBRA architects. It was supported by AU Connect and Bevar Mere , an industry initiative involving Grundejernes Investeringsfond, Dreyers Foundation, Landsbyggefonden, and Realdania.
The tool is freely available and can be downloaded online.
