Beyond Carbon Footprint: A parametric tool for early-stage multi-impact life cycle assessment in building design

This paper presents a parametric LCA tool for early-stage architectural design. Integrated into the Rhino/Grasshopper employing Ecoinvent EFv3.10 LCIA data, it allows real-time multi-impact analysis of 25 environmental impact categories across embodied (A1-A3) and operational (B6) stages of LCA. It provides dynamic material selection, includes regionalized impact data, and offers automatic unit conversion, hence instant visual feedback, as well as CSV reporting and interactive graphs. The tool helps overcome major drawbacks in existing LCA tools such as complexity, single-impact focus, and unintuitive workflow—by supporting design variant comparison and instant geometry color-coding in Rhino viewport. A case study demonstrates its ability to enable iterative, performance-driven decision-making procedures. Future enhancement will focus on the extension of life cycle phases, the addition of uncertainty analysis, and streamlining workflows to extend its use across the industry.