A free Archicad plugin that reads your model and shows your building's carbon footprint from the first sketch. No EPDs to wrangle, no LCA expertise needed.
What DesignLCA calculates
DesignLCA works out the Global Warming Potential of your building and gives you an early-stage LCA directly in Archicad. It counts the CO2e from building materials, doors and windows, plus the energy your building uses in operation over a set period.
It reads the quantities straight from your 3D model, so there is nothing to type in by hand. It also calculates U-values and simulates operational energy on the model itself, which most LCA calculators cannot do.
Embodied carbon is the footprint of making and building with your materials. Operational carbon is the footprint of running the building. DesignLCA gives you a read on both, early enough to act on it.
LCA without the EPD work
DesignLCA comes with pre-set materials that already carry sustainability data, so you do not have to handle EPDs or be an LCA expert to get a result. That turns LCA into a design tool you can use from the first sketches, not a report someone writes once the design is locked.
Change a material or adjust the design, and you see how the carbon picture moves while you work. The point is to choose better, earlier, while the decisions are still open.
Good to know
Works with Archicad
DesignLCA runs in Archicad 26 and later, on Mac and Windows. The current version is 6.0, and it works with Design Options in Archicad 27, 28 and 29.
Read results or export
Read your LCA result inside Archicad, or save it to Excel. Version 6.0 also reports carbon at the element level, so you can add a single object like a tree or a dishwasher to the calculation.
Free, and made by Lendager and Formfaktor
DesignLCA is a free Archicad plugin developed by Lendager Architects and Formfaktor. It won the 2023 Danish Building Award for Best Digitalization Project. The developer offers no end-user support, and use is at your own risk.
From early estimate to climate declaration
DesignLCA is built for the early stages, where a fast carbon read helps you make better calls before the design sets. A formal climate declaration, with full detail and documentation, is a different job.
When a project reaches that point, Anavitor LCA, our own LCA software for Archicad, takes it the rest of the way. Nordic BIM Group also trains teams on early-stage LCA in Archicad, including how to get the most out of DesignLCA.