The Governing Council of the University of Toronto

Published purpose

The Project will study the analysis of LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) for mass timber structures. The Project will include a comparative analysis of two actual buildings under construction at the University of Toronto. The Project will conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of the current variable whole building LCA (wbLCA) methodologies and tools. Findings will be examined on actual mass timber (MT) buildings one is considered a Tall MT (Mass Timber) building. Contrasting two MT buildings can provide insights into the relative importance of factors in LCA. The two buildings will be contrasted with another traditional building to further understand the true difference that MT buildings provide. Comparing the lifecycle costs of Tall MT buildings to conventional counterparts ultimately enables more informed decision-making about the choices of construction materials and methods.