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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. Cays, An Environmental Life Cycle Approach to Design,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63802-3_7
Chapter 7
LCI Data and Design
Abstract LCA gathers and presents facts that can appeal to both those who aspire
to save the planet while not materially impacting the financial bottom line.
Steady and relentless fact-based reporting can counteract the worst effects of
climate denialism. Data-driven actions are especially effective when aligned with
major stakeholder interests. LCA systems thinking is predicated on the quality and
quantity of available foundational life cycle inventory (LCI) information. It is transparent in how it arrives at its conclusions and qualifies its findings. Thus, even a
result with a relatively low level of certainty, when accurately stated, is superior to
an unquantified assertion.
LCA data quality improvements in recent years create the foundation for a trustworthy evaluation system. More public and private service providers are leveraging
statistically more accurate environmental impact reporting. Verified quality data
provides a continuity that compensates for the vagaries of changing political decisions such as the funding or defunding of any particular nation’s environmental
protection agency.
When armed with “good” data, designers are in a unique position to present
options, early in decision-making stages, that simultaneously provide elegant solutions and improve the environmental profile of a project. Multiplying these effects
by all of the projects of even a single designer who employs LCA over the course of
a career creates a material environmental benefit. This chapter presents an overview
of the LCI data and the environmental impact assessment tools available to designers working at the building scale.
7.1 Designers Engaging with LCI Data
Following the initial study boundaries laid out in the goal and scope phase, the LCA
expert turns her attention to life cycle inventory (LCI) data. Ensuring the quality of
LCI data is critical to the validity and success of any LCA study, as data quality and
relevance directly impact the results of a study (Saade et al. 2018). However, it is
also not something that the average designer will typically engage with. It is one of
the hardest and longest parts of conducting a full LCA on even a small single product system and requires a much different way of thinking and skill set than designers
are typically trained in Curran (2012). Furthermore, the sheer volume of data
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. Cays, An Environmental Life Cycle Approach to Design,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63802-3_7
Chapter 7
LCI Data and Design
Abstract LCA gathers and presents facts that can appeal to both those who aspire
to save the planet while not materially impacting the financial bottom line.
Steady and relentless fact-based reporting can counteract the worst effects of
climate denialism. Data-driven actions are especially effective when aligned with
major stakeholder interests. LCA systems thinking is predicated on the quality and
quantity of available foundational life cycle inventory (LCI) information. It is transparent in how it arrives at its conclusions and qualifies its findings. Thus, even a
result with a relatively low level of certainty, when accurately stated, is superior to
an unquantified assertion.
LCA data quality improvements in recent years create the foundation for a trustworthy evaluation system. More public and private service providers are leveraging
statistically more accurate environmental impact reporting. Verified quality data
provides a continuity that compensates for the vagaries of changing political decisions such as the funding or defunding of any particular nation’s environmental
protection agency.
When armed with “good” data, designers are in a unique position to present
options, early in decision-making stages, that simultaneously provide elegant solutions and improve the environmental profile of a project. Multiplying these effects
by all of the projects of even a single designer who employs LCA over the course of
a career creates a material environmental benefit. This chapter presents an overview
of the LCI data and the environmental impact assessment tools available to designers working at the building scale.
7.1 Designers Engaging with LCI Data
Following the initial study boundaries laid out in the goal and scope phase, the LCA
expert turns her attention to life cycle inventory (LCI) data. Ensuring the quality of
LCI data is critical to the validity and success of any LCA study, as data quality and
relevance directly impact the results of a study (Saade et al. 2018). However, it is
also not something that the average designer will typically engage with. It is one of
the hardest and longest parts of conducting a full LCA on even a small single product system and requires a much different way of thinking and skill set than designers
are typically trained in Curran (2012). Furthermore, the sheer volume of data