The Centre of Excellence for Construction Life Cycle Assessment

The Centre of Excellence for Construction Life Cycle Assessment, part of our Construction Research Centre's Platform to Decarbonize the Construction Sector at Scale, is a specialized R&D hub that offers expertise in life cycle assessment (LCA) for Canadian buildings and infrastructure and associated construction materials.

Our experts work with industry, academia and governments to conduct research, as well as produce LCA guidelines and technical tools to help the Canadian construction sector develop and promote low-carbon materials and solutions. Our research will also provide municipal, provincial, territorial and federal government departments with access to new knowledge that can inform policies and practices for reducing life cycle carbon emissions in construction.

Activities and deliverables

Developing national data sets and updating practices

We are collaborating with industry stakeholders, academic institutions and other government departments to create the comprehensive data sets and benchmarks that are needed to assess the life cycle of buildings and infrastructure in Canada. This also includes reviewing Canadian carbon accounting practices to ensure they are up to date.

Developing a national database of construction materials

We are partnering with the construction industry to establish an online national database that will support consistent and efficient decision-making based on validated carbon intensity. The database will be tailored specifically for use in Canada and will cover various construction materials such as cement, concrete, steel, wood, aluminum, insulation, asphalt and biogenic materials.

Integrating R&D into digital tools

Building on our past R&D initiatives, including the low-carbon assets through life cycle assessment (LCA²) initiative, we will create new guidelines and work with industry to include our findings in Canadian software for life cycle carbon accounting. These tools will support a common approach to carbon accounting for a variety of buildings, including housing and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, highways and transit systems as well as water and wastewater systems.

Harmonizing practices and tools

We are developing and aim to harmonize LCA practices, tools and databases across Canada. This will help produce more accurate and comparable results across all aspects and components of a construction project for both buildings and infrastructure.

Capabilities

• Life cycle assessments for Canadian construction materials and projects to support accurate and comprehensive evaluations
• Peer review services for full, publicly available life cycle assessments of Canadian construction materials and projects
• Support for industry to integrate our R&D results into specifications and standards and to adopt Canadian-produced tools for life cycle carbon accounting of buildings and infrastructure
• Technical support for other government departments to inform the development and implementation of low carbon policies and construction practices