How the building construction characteristics can affect whole life carbon embodied emissions results: The INDICATE Spain project

Abstract The need to reduce whole-life carbon (WLC) embodied emissions in buildings across Mediterranean regions is growing importance. To implement effective reduction strategies, it is essential to understand how different building typologies and construction characteristic influence carbon embodied emissions. While it is generally recognized which building systems and material choices contribute most significantly to embodied impacts, specific factors, such as the additional material demands driven by thermal transmittance requirements or seismic considerations, have not been thoroughly examined in previous studies in Spain. This research addresses these gaps by analysing the influence of key variables, including thermal transmittance, seismic design requirements, construction materials, and building typologies, on LCA outcomes. Leveraging building archetypes and a BIM-based LCA workflow, the study offers practical insights and recommendations to better integrate WLC principles into design processes and regulatory frameworks, advancing the decarbonization of Spain’s built environment.