Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a standardized process for quantifying the lifecycle environmental impacts of materials or processes in terms of environmental impact indicators like global warming potential, embodied energy and embodied water from cradle to grave. This intensive seminar will focus on the tools and skills designers and builders need to use existing LCA data and studies in making design decisions with particular emphasis on modeling the environmental impacts of construction materials. Topics Concepts, definitions and practices Software tools (SimaPro, Sustainable Minds, Athena) Environmental context of key indicators Critical issues