What is the WLCA?

The WLCA was launched by RICS in 2017 and is a methodology by which the carbon impact of the entire life cycle of a built asset can be measured. In September 2023, RICS released the second edition of the WLCA, which came into force on 1 July 2024. The second edition expands the tool to include a broader range of built assets and infrastructure, and it now includes fit-out, retrofit and refurbishments. The second edition also provides a standardised measurement tool designed to be used globally, enabling stakeholders to accurately compare and contrast carbon impact wherever the asset may be.

Why is this important?

It is essential that there is a consistent approach to measure the impact or potential impact of each asset across its entire life cycle, not just at the initial construction stage.

What does the WLCA measure?

The WLCA takes a holistic approach to an asset’s environmental impact across its entire life cycle. To do this, it measures embodied carbon, operational carbon and user carbon to assess the different causes of emissions:

• Embodied carbon includes emissions linked to each stage of the asset’s life – initial construction, maintenance and the eventual decommissioning and demolition of a structure. Embodied carbon includes the production of raw materials, transportation of that material to the site, and waste processing and recycling of materials at the end of an asset’s life.
• Operational carbon measures the emissions while the asset is in use, including energy consumption, water use and wastewater treatment.
• User carbon is carbon emitted by the activities of people using an asset. For example, for an office, this would include the carbon output of commuting to and from the building or, for a new motorway, the greenhouse gases produced by vehicles driving on the road.

Which assets can have a WLCA?

All kinds of new and old built assets can be assessed. As well as commercial and residential developments, the assessment can also be used to measure the impact of infrastructure projects, such as highways or new railway stations.

What about retrofit/refurbishment?

The WLCA can also be used to measure the carbon impact of retrofitting and refurbishment of existing structures. This will prove particularly useful for investors and developers deciding whether to redevelop buildings entirely or make improvements to existing structure.

Is a WLCA compulsory, and must it be submitted as part of planning?

In the UK, WLCAs are required by some, but not all, local authorities as part of planning applications, primarily for larger developments. Local authorities which require a WLCA include London, Bristol, Dundee and Manchester. In London, for example, applications which are referable to the mayor require a WLCA and include residential developments of more than 150 flats and commercial buildings that are over 2,500 sq m. However, with the ever-growing focus on embodied carbon, and the debate about whether buildings should be reused instead of redeveloped from scratch, many applicants are choosing to submit WLCAs even where not required in order to justify their development strategy.

When is it best to carry out a WLCA?

Ideally, a WLCA will take place at the initial concept design phase to provide an early estimate of the carbon output of the asset and will be updated at the developed design stage and once the construction phase is completed.

However, as the WLCA can also be used for existing buildings, it could be used to assess the current carbon output of an asset to demonstrate areas where carbon efficiency can be improved, assisting with cutting costs, or prior to a redevelopment or refurbishment.

What are the advantages of a WLCA?

• Knowledge is power
  1. The whole-life approach of the WLCA allows stakeholders to measure whether the impact of the initial build can be offset by energy efficiencies across the life cycle of a building. This is useful when deciding whether to retrofit or refurbish a building or demolish and start again.
  2. Key stakeholders such as developers, investors, asset managers, designers and architects can make informed decisions about the construction and management of built assets, which in turn can assist with plans to reduce carbon emissions.
  3. The WLCA provides a consistent assessment framework that can be used across the sector. As investors continue to focus on ESG considerations, this provides consistent data so they can make informed decisions about the sustainability of existing and future investments.
• Encouraging sustainability The overarching principle of the WLCA is to reduce the carbon impact of assets, but specifically it encourages designers to focus on the whole-life outlook of the building and therefore to think and build more sustainably.
• Reducing costs The WLCA helps drive cost efficiency by assisting with identification of solutions to reduce emissions and areas where energy efficiency can be improved both in the short and long term.
• Meeting regulatory requirements As governments turn their focus towards reducing carbon emissions and increase regulatory requirements, often this includes requirements for developers to provide information in relation to carbon impact; WLCAs provide the necessary tools to provide such data.

What happens next?

The second edition of the WLCA provides the industry with a framework which can be used globally to assist with improving energy efficiency. It will be interesting to see how this is adopted by an industry in which the ESG agenda continues to grow rapidly in prominence across the globe.

An earlier version of the article appeared in EGi on 1 July 2024.

Authored by Hannah Quarterman,  Louise Cadman, Stella Bliss, and Ingrid Stables.