A practical guide on assessing and reducing environmental impact across all building life cycle stages

As sustainability becomes central to design and construction practices, professionals must go beyond intuition and embrace Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to measure and minimize embodied carbon. Life Cycle Driven Structures is a much-needed bridge between theory and application for assessing environmental performance across the full span of a building's life. Integrating life cycle thinking directly into structural design decision-making, this timely book equips readers with the essential knowledge and tools to perform robust LCA to meet growing regulatory and market demands for environmentally conscious design.

Alper Kanyilmaz, a leading expert in sustainable construction and LCA education, provides a structured, methodical approach supported by practical exercises and real-world case studies. The author addresses a critical knowledge gap in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) curricula and practice by demonstrating how LCA can inform material selection, structural systems, and construction methods. In-depth chapters cover steel, reinforced concrete, and mass timber structures—offering nuanced comparisons and clear guidance on using environmental product declarations (EPDs), carbon databases, and reduction strategies.

Delivering a comprehensive, hands-on learning experience that directly supports the AEC sector's shift toward lower-carbon, more sustainable building practices, Life Cycle Driven Structures:

• Covers the full building life cycle, including material sourcing, construction, operation, and end-of-life stages
• Presents comparative LCA results for different structural systems and material choices
• Features real-world case studies to illustrate the practical application of theory
• Includes hands-on exercises to reinforce understanding and build applied skills
• Discusses key tools, databases, and environmental product declarations (EPDs) used in LCA
• Provides insights drawn from cutting-edge European research projects and teaching experience

Aligned with ISO 14000 standards for environmental management, Life Cycle Driven Structures is ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in civil engineering, architecture, and construction management programs, and is also a valuable reference for AEC professionals pursuing sustainable practices in industry.

Alper Kanyilmaz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. A leader in sustainable construction and structural engineering, he coordinates major EU and industry-funded research projects exploring topics such as expert systems for optimizing construction processes, multi-objective conceptual design and reuse strategies, and fiber optic interferometry for post-earthquake monitoring, all focused on optimizing cost, embodied carbon and structural performance in construction industry.

He is an Expert Advisor for the European Commission Steel Advisory Group, and a project monitoring expert for future low-emission industries. Kanyilmaz teaches and trains more than 300 students and professionals annually on life-cycle-driven structures. He is the founder of the acclaimed course, “Life-Cycle Driven Structures.”