Free web app for exploring embodied carbon
The Embodied Carbon PathFinder is a free web app for experimenting with design variables and viewing pre-calculated life cycle assessment (LCA) results for three typical multi-family residential building types in British Columbia. The tool was created to help understand the building performance impacts of design decisions.
As an introductory LCA-based educational resource, it can also be useful for rough estimates in early design, when a custom life cycle assessment (LCA) study may not yet be feasible. The tool uses results from parametric LCA analysis of three residential building types: stacked townhouse, mid-rise and high-rise. The tool includes thousands of data points in the background that allow users to find “pathways” through design choices to land on a target embodied carbon result.
This project is a collaboration of Morrison Hershfield, OPEN Technologies and the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, and was partially funded by the City of Vancouver.
Who is this guide for?
PathFinder is primarily an educational tool that will introduce users to life cycle assessment and will help them gain a high-level understanding of the embodied carbon implications associated with various combinations of design decisions for the archetype buildings.
This tool is a companion to the Operational Energy PathFinder (found in the same link below), which explores the design variables that affect energy use and greenhouse gas emissions due to building operation.
