Exploring Designer's Attitudes and Challenges in the Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings in Denmark

Requirements on building’s carbon footprint are being incorporated into various
European countries’ legislative frameworks. By 2023 the Danish legislation requires performing Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) for all new buildings. However, studies show that few designers have experience in LCA or are yet equipped to work with it, lacking research on designers’ attitudes and experienced challenges in LCA application. Through Activity Theory analytical framework, this study explores designers’ attitudes in LCA application, unfolding the perceived challenges. Semistructured interviews were conducted with six respondents involved in building design, including architectural technologists and engineers with various experiences in LCA. Results reveal that organisations use increased resources in an LCA, as it is a complex and demanding task. The main challenges were lack of LCA experience, lack of information, and data inconsistency. However, results indicate an overall green transition within the organisations, understanding the expected consequences of adapting LCA and the importance of materials choice. Establishing standards to support LCA in building regulations is necessary, designing buildings back wiser.