EN
Name: Thomas Graabæk | @Thomas Graabaek
Company name: GRAPHISOFT Center Danmark
Web: https://www.graphisoft-danmark.dk/
Social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphisoft-center-danmark/
https://www.instagram.com/graphisoftdk/
https://www.facebook.com/GRAPHISOFTDK
Country / region: Denmark, Europe
Target audience: Architects, landscape architects, engineers, contractors and developers, e.g. everyone that uses BIM within the AEC-industry needs to conduct Life Cycle Assessment to document the climate impact of their projects.
Supported languages: English
Compatibility: DesignLCA is compatible with Archicad 26 and later.
Pricing model: DesignLCA is a free add-on to Archicad.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DESIGN LCA
Meet Thomas!
Who are you?
"I’m Thomas Graabæk, architect and since 2020 owner of GRAPHISOFT Center Danmark, the Danish reseller of Archicad, LAND4, Solibri and other BIM-tools that are part of Graphisoft Eco-system. Prior to that I was partner in a BIM consultancy company for seven years, and I’ve also worked as an architect for ten years. I’m a big fan of OpenBIM, and in 2019 I was in charge of creating the Danish Chapter of buildingSMART. "
What motivated you to start developing for Graphisoft products?
"Being a reseller I’m in on-going contact with our customers, learning about their needs, and trying to help them use BIM as an enabler that allows them to create great projects. Since starting my own company, sustainability has been a cornerstone for company, and when European frameworks and Danish legislation introduced new demands for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the built environment, it was a strong motivation to be able to provide tools for minimizing the climate footprint of the industry.
This year we have also collaborated with VELUX on their Project Development Guide – a hands-on BIM Guide for holistic building design that guides building designers through all phases – from initial sketches over detailing to project delivery measuring sustainability for both people and planet."
How long have you been active in the Graphisoft community / ecosystem?
"Working as an architect I was the main driver for transitioning the office where I worked from 2D CAD to BIM in 2005. I started blogging about BIM in 2008 and have been working as the Danish distributor for Graphisoft product for 13 years, so all together I’ve been part of the Graphisoft ecosystem for 21 years."
About DesignLCA
"DesignLCA is a 100% BIM-based LCA tool that estimates the climate impact from architectural and landscaping projects. The calculation includes CO₂-eq from building materials, heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, as well as transportation and resource consumption on the construction site.
This makes DesignLCA a practical tool that gives architects, landscape architects, and other consultants an understanding of the climate impact of buildings and landscape projects from the very earliest conceptual stages, where design and creative decisions have the greatest influence on the project’s overall carbon footprint. DesignLCA also supports landscape architecture projects giving landscape architects an overview of the climate footprint of their landscape projects."
What inspired the idea for your content?
"DesignLCA was initiated by a request from one of our customers that were looking for an easy way to reuse BIM data to automate LCA calculations. They wanted to get an overview of the climate footprint of their projects in the early phases, where design decisions have a big impact on the LCA-result.
This coincided with LCA becoming mandatory for all new buildings above 1.000 m2 in Denmark. The inclusion of mandatory LCA calculations in the Danish building codes have made Denmark a worldwide frontrunner in the journey towards a more sustainable building industry. The national demands are constantly being sharpened, and LCA is currently becoming mandatory throughout various countries."
What challenges did you face during development?
"Getting data from Archicad’s Energy Evaluation to be used in DesignLCA was not easy, but the clever developers at CAD Project made it work."
Any interesting learnings or behind-the-scenes insights?
"One aspect we found very interesting during the development process, was that 2/3 of the CO₂-eq from the AEC industry is from energy consumption, while only 1/3 is from the building materials. The design of the building has a huge impact on how energy from the sun can help heat the building during winter, and with proper exterior shading and natural or hybrid ventilation we can avoid mechanical cooling in the summer. At the same time there is a tight relation between the climate impact from energy consumption and building materials – if you lower the carbon footprint from one the other will often rise. These factors make it so much more interesting and important for architects and engineers to collaborate to make great architecture with a low climate impact."
How does your solution add value for Graphisoft users?
"DesignLCA gathers all relevant information with the “I” in BIM, and is, as far as we can tell, the only tool that let you estimate a complete LCA without leaving your BIM application. This means that users can monitor, and accordingly adjust, their designs in the early stages making LCA design tool that ultimately results in more climate friendly projects."
Do you collaborate with other community members or teams?
"DesignLCA is developed in collaboration with Lendager Architectsone of Denmark’s leading architectural offices within circular solutions and reuse, LYTT Architecture provided data for landscape architecture materials, and CAD Project did the programming."
Key features
DesignLCA
- Enables users to calculate and document the entire LCA process directly within their BIM software—from concept design to occupancy approval—without requiring additional programs.
- Automatically calculates LCA based on the building elements and materials in the 3D model, including energy simulations with automatic U-value calculations for all building components.
- Fully complies with Danish Building Regulation requirements for climate calculations, using CO₂-eq data from the regulations’ appendices and preconfigured documentation for occupancy permits.
- Is the only LCA calculator capable of estimating both the embodied carbon of building materials and the operational carbon emissions from building energy consumption.
- Presents the climate impact of building materials organized by drawing layers (e.g., foundations, heavy walls, lightweight walls, floor slabs, etc.) and broken down by individual materials. This makes it easy to identify the “low-hanging fruit” when replacing high-impact materials with lower-carbon alternatives.
- Can import IFC files from other 3D and BIM platforms, including Autodesk Revit, Rhinoceros 3D, and SketchUp, where comprehensive LCA calculations may not be available. This supports greater digital collaboration across disciplines and software platforms while allowing consultants to continue working in the tools that best fit their workflows. In other words, DesignLCA is 100% OpenBIM.
- Can export LCA calculations as PDF files for documentation purposes and as Excel files for further analysis, collaboration, or handover to other consultants, contractors, or clients.
How can we get your content?
"The international edition of DesignLCA is free to download at www.designlca.com"
Future plans or next steps for your development
"As regulations change, we will continue to adopt DesignLCA to meet legislation demands, and as LCA for landscape architecture continues to evolve, this is also something that we will focus on in the future."
