Whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) standard 2nd edition webinar

This webinar features:

Simon Rawlinson - Partner, Head of strategic insight Arcadis

Amit Patel, RICS Head of professional practice –construction

Alan Northen – Managing director, Northen Surveying Services

Christopher Seymour FRICS – Head of strategy and investments, Mott Macdonald Middle East, Africa and Southern Asia

Jane Andersone – PhD director Construction LCA Ltd and co-author of the updated RICS professional statement on whole life carbon assessment.

The experts discuss the application of the whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) standard globally and explore how the 2nd edition of the WLCA standard will impact industry and different practice areas within the built environment.

Providing a holistic view of carbon emissions through a consistent and comprehensive methodology, the standard addresses the management and mitigation of carbon emissions during the entire lifecycle of a built asset.

Currently the world’s only comprehensive standard for WLCA methodology, it integrates both cost and carbon reporting, giving insights to the assessor through the consistent and comprehensive calculation of carbon emissions.

Whole life carbon assessment 2nd edition and other frameworks

The WLCA 2nd edition places particular emphasis on the need for accurate, quality, and consistent carbon intensity and materials quantity data. This allows assessors to create emissions estimates that can be benchmarked against other frameworks such as the built environment carbon database (BECD). It also enables project teams to support early cost and carbon advice. As a methodology encompassing the measurement of carbon, the data collected through WLCA can be fed into global reporting frameworks such as ICMS3 (International Cost Management Standards).

The role of the surveyor

The webinar panellists also highlight the role quantity surveyors can play to help project sponsors and asset owners make better informed decisions on cost through material substitutions and prudent design choices. This approach will transform the way SMEs and other professionals use the standard to provide services to their clients, providing accurate whole life carbon and cost estimates. It will positively enhance the scope of the work carried out by independent carbon and cost advisors and, through providing visibility to the carbon cost of different design choices, the standard will aid reduction of lifetime emissions and support the delivery of a net-zero future for the built environment.

What’s next?

Looking forward, RICS is in the process of developing accredited training for members globally to support the adoption and use of this standard as a tool to achieve carbon reduction targets, to support the goal of decarbonising the built environment.