A Systemic Investigation of the Use of Building Life Cycle Assessment Tools Supporting Whole-of-Life Emissions Reduction in Australian Buildings

This thesis develops a systemic explanation of Building LCA tool use for whole-of-life (WOL) emissions reduction in Australian buildings. A sequential design examines governance conditions, ‘best-in-practice’ project outcomes, tool–task functional fit, and practitioner experience and adoption, operationalised through the Combined Technology Acceptance Model–Task Technology Fit (TAM–TTF) framework. Findings show fragmented WOL carbon governance, making Green Star certification the de facto driver and pushing assessment toward late, compliance-oriented reporting with variable WOL outcomes. Although tools can calculate WOL impacts, they are misaligned with early, iterative decision tasks. Practitioner expertise compensates, yet integration and credibility bottlenecks persist, informing policy and tool-development interventions.