Whole Life Carbon Assessment For The Built Environment
Whole life carbon refers to the carbon impacts over the entire life cycle of a built asset, from its construction through to its end of life. A whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) is the calculation and reporting of the quantity of carbon impacts expected throughout all life cycle stages of a project, but also includes an assessment of the potential benefits and loads
occurring beyond the system boundary.
WLCAs should be integrated into project planning and cost planning from the outset, developed in collaboration with the wider project team and updated as the project evolves. WLCAs can be carried out during any project phase, using generic information in the early design phases before evolving to more specific data as the design becomes more developed.
This standard sets out an RICS-approved technical methodology for assessing the carbon impacts from buildings and related infrastructure assets/civil engineering works throughout their life cycle.