Towards a truly sustainable future

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an in-depth approach to sustainability that goes past looking at efficiency and use-life to examine the entire life of a product from cradle to grave, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, use, and disposal. This type of strategy is the only option for our future if we truly want to become more sustainable. In my and Taylor's project, we opted to make 85% of our facades out of glass to give visibility to our social client and blur the transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. While glassmaking is extremely energy intensive, glass can be made from recycled material and can be recycled after its use. This makes the life cycle of glass lengthier than other materials we could have selected and, in turn, a more sustainable option, in addition to being the best choice for our client.

By using LCA to inform material and system selection, designers and architects can create buildings that have a lower environmental impact and reduce waste. Additionally, LCA can help identify potential environmental risks associated with building materials and systems, such as carbon emissions, water usage, and chemical pollutants. By addressing these risks, we can create buildings that are more environmentally responsible and contribute to a more sustainable future.