Data from: A review of building-scale LCA tools: recent trends, gaps and future directions

In response to global climate targets and the growing need for a more
sustainable built environment, the building industry is undergoing a rapid
transition toward low-carbon, zero-carbon, and increasingly
carbon-negative design strategies. This shift is driven by the development
of new materials and technologies that enable carbon reduction and
sequestration within the built environment. However, current Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) tools have not evolved at the same pace and often rely on
conventional materials, assumptions, and datasets. As a result, questions
remain regarding the extent to which existing tools support net-zero and
carbon-positive design. Moreover, the increasing number of tools with
varying scopes, datasets, and analytical capabilities presents a challenge
for users in selecting the most appropriate tool for their needs. To
address these gaps, an extensive review of building-scale LCA tools has
been conducted, providing information on active tools that are widely used
in North America. For data collection, a structured characterization
framework was developed by combining insights from a targeted literature
review with input from relevant stakeholders to identify key features that
support net-zero and carbon-positive building design. Using this
framework, data were systematically collected for thirteen actively
maintained and widely used building-scale LCA tools. Information on tools
was compiled and organized to enable consistent comparison across tools.
The collected data were reviewed and validated in collaboration with tool
developers and owners to ensure accuracy, completeness, and to provide an
up-to-date representation of each tool’s capabilities. This dataset can
help LCA practitioners and sustainability analysts make informed decisions
when selecting appropriate LCA tools based on project scope and expected
functionalities. It may also support tool developers and researchers in
identifying gaps in existing tools and developing more advanced methods
and tools to better integrate LCA into building design and performance
assessment. This dataset was developed as part of the Parametric Open Data
for Life Cycle Assessment Project (POD|LCA) Project which contains a suite
of open-source methods, models, data, and a variety of tools for
screening-level (early-stage) building sector life cycle assessments
(LCAs). This dataset can be used to fill data gaps in LCA studies. It
provides a characterization of building-scale LCA tools, enabling the
identification of gaps within the LCA tool ecosystem and their capacity to
support carbon-positive design. The dataset can also inform tool selection
for LCA practitioners across the building industry. Please refer to the
corresponding article for additional details. For more information on the
POD|LCA project, please visit
https://www.lifecyclelab.org/project/pod-lca/