Publication of the Building Sustainable Development guide "Carrying out the LCA of a construction project - 2nd edition"

This guide addresses LCA in the context of RE2020 and highlights the steps to follow to design buildings capable of meeting these regulations.

Life cycle analysis (LCA) has become a mandatory tool for designing and optimizing buildings, allowing teams to comprehensively assess their architectural choices and then, further downstream, the choice of equipment, energy vectors, construction products, etc.

Since January 1, 2022, LCA has taken on new momentum since it has become mandatory within the framework of the RE2020 regulations, applicable to new buildings.

Labels, environmental certifications, and now regulations, increasingly integrate this environmental performance measurement tool that is LCA: for example, it is now used to calculate the carbon component of RE2020 for new buildings.

This guide aims to support each stakeholder in understanding LCA. It covers the entire subject from the description of the method to its application to a building as well as the application to products and materials.

It explains the FDES (Environmental and Health Declaration Sheet) and DEP (Environmental Product Declaration).

This new edition addresses LCA in the context of RE2020 and highlights the steps to follow to design buildings capable of meeting these regulations.

It was written by Alexandra LEBERT, Director of the Strategic Research Action Area at CSTB and leader of two research programs: "Buildings and Cities in the Face of Climate Change" and "Circular Economy and Resources for Buildings". Before joining the CSTB Research Department, she contributed for over 10 years to developing and making reliable the life cycle analysis method for the building scale, which now forms the basis of RE2020. Jean-Luc CHEVALIER, PhD – engineer in physics, former head of the CSTB Environment team, now retired, also contributed to this guide. Gwenn LE SEAC'H, building project manager, facilitator of the environmental indicators theme at the HQE-GBC Alliance, updated it.

To find out more, consult the extract from the guide and order it: CSTBoutique