POD | LCA — Parametric Open Data for Life Cycle Assessment
Open-source ecosystem for dynamic whole-building life cycle assessment.
Funded by a $3.7M ARPA-E award (HESTIA program), POD | LCA is an open-source Python ecosystem for dynamic Life Cycle Assessment of buildings. Instead of static, one-off carbon accounting, the framework connects parametric building models with open material data, time-dependent grid emissions and end-of-life scenarios — so that designers can compare embodied and operational carbon consequences of design decisions as they are being made. The project also supports research into the tool requirements for assessing novel carbon-storing construction materials.
Collaborators
- Kate Simonen — Carbon Leadership Forum, UW
- Christopher Meek — UW Integrated Design Lab
- Indroneil Ganguly — UW CINTRAFOR
- Isuru Nanayakkara, Hasibul Hossain, Mohammad Tabatabaei Manesh — UW
Publications
- Tool requirements for life cycle assessment in the innovation of novel carbon-storing construction materials
- A call for organized open-source software infrastructure for the AEC industry (AIA Practice Management Digest)