“LCA Volume” out now: Bringing carbon into the earliest design decisions
The new digital tool LCA Volume makes it easier for developers and architects to assess the carbon impact of new construction versus adaptive reuse – right from the earliest volume studies. It addresses a blind spot in early-stage planning, where the climate consequences of key decisions often remain unclear.
Developed by CEBRA and Aarhus University, LCA Volume is an open-source, Grasshopper-based tool for Rhino. It provides early CO₂ estimates directly from the building volumes and geometries architects develop, before detailed construction methods and materials are determined.
Bringing carbon into early investment decisions
Clients and developers often face a choice between demolition and new construction versus conservation and adaptive reuse early in a project. Yet detailed life cycle assessments are usually conducted later, when key decisions may already have been made.
LCA Volume brings carbon data into this initial process. It lets clients and design teams consider estimated climate impact alongside financial feasibility, building regulations, and other project requirements.
“Many clients want to know the carbon emissions early, both to meet existing or future regulations and to achieve their own targets. This tool allows them to set their ambitions from the outset, supported by reliable estimates,” says Stina Rask Jensen, Head of Transformation and Conservation at CEBRA.
The results can also inform early due diligence, providing a broader basis for assessing a development's feasibility and climate ambitions before committing to a particular approach.
Comparing building forms and conservation strategies
What is the carbon impact of building two storeys rather than twelve? Or choosing timber instead of concrete? And what if existing buildings are transformed rather than replaced?
LCA Volume helps design teams explore these questions through preliminary volume studies. Using research-based data, it estimates the carbon impact of different building forms, typologies, structural principles and conservation strategies.
“Many clients want to know the carbon emissions early, both to meet existing or future regulations and to achieve their own targets. This tool allows them to set their ambitions from the outset, supported by reliable estimates."
, Head of Transformation and Conservation, CEBRA
The results make it easier to compare alternatives and highlight where conserving and adapting existing buildings could reduce the need for new construction.
The tool integrates directly into Rhino and Grasshopper, adding carbon impact to the parameters architects already assess in their existing workflows.
“The advantage is that the tool works as a plugin rather than separate software. We have based it on our existing ways of working, so architects receive feedback on their volume studies directly in Rhino,” explains Stina Rask Jensen.
LCA Volume also includes benchmarks from the Paris Agreement-aligned Reduction Roadmap 2.0 and Danish building regulations. These provide reference points for discussing carbon targets with the developer.
Developed through research and existing case
The development team used CEBRA's Willemoesgade block in Aarhus as a retrospective case study. Hypothetical development scenarios were used to test how different degrees of conservation, transformation and new construction affect the estimated carbon impact.
LCA Volume is available as an open-source beta version. It is intended for preliminary screening and comparison, not detailed life cycle assessment. More detailed calculations are needed as projects progress.
The tool and the report “LCA Volume: Reducing Carbon Impact through Parametric Urban Modelling” are supported by AU Connect and Bevar Mere, a joint initiative by Grundejernes Investeringsfond, Dreyers Fond, Landsbyggefonden and Realdania.
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