The Lab publishes a variety of technical resources, structured analyses, white papers, and tools for design professionals and policy makers. These publications are the product of Lab research projects.
Life Cycle Lab publications are designed to improve availability, quality and quantity of data, the methodology used to evaluate and compare that data, the tools needed to drive reduction of embodied carbon in materials, design, and construction, and the policies required to drive change.
Past publications and resources developed by the research group have been published under the auspices of the Carbon Leadership Forum and can be found and searched for in this resource library.
Books and Book Chapters
De Wolf, C., Simonen, K., Ochsendorf, J. (2018). Initiatives to Report and Reduce Embodied Carbon in Buildings in North America. In C. De Wolf, F. Pomponi, & A. Moncaster (Eds.), Embodied Carbon in Buildings: Measurement, Management, and Mitigation. Springer.
De Wolf, C., Rodriguez, B.X., Simonen, K. (2017) Counting Carbon: What We Know and How We Know It. In King, B (Ed.). The New Carbon Architecture: Building to Cool the Climate. New Society Press.
Simonen, K. (2014). Life Cycle Assessment: Pocket Architecture Technical Design Series. Routledge.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications
Ashtiani, M.Z, Huang, M., Lewis, M, Palmeri, J., Simonen, K. (2024). “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory from Roadway Construction: Case Study for the Washington State Department of Transportation,” Transportation Research Record, 0(0) https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241233278
Waldman, B., Huang, M., Simonen, K. (2020). “Embodied carbon in building materials: A framework for quantifying EPD data quality”, Buildings and Cities, https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/10.5334/bc.31/
Rodriguez, B.X., Huang, M., Lee, H.W., Simonen, K., Ditto, J. (2020), “Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Tenant Improvements Over the Building Lifetime: Estimating Material Quantities and Embodied Carbon for Climate Change Mitigation”, Energy and Buildings
Adhikari, P., Mahmoud, H., Xie, A., Simonen, K., Ellingwood, B. (2020), “Life-cycle cost and carbon footprint analysis for light-framed residential buildings subjected to tornado hazard”, Journal of Building Engineering
Ianchenko, A., Simonen, K., Barnes, C. (2020), Residential Building Lifespan and Community Turnover,” Journal of Architectural Engineering.
Huang, M., Simonen, K. (2020) “Comparative environmental analysis of seismic damage in buildings,” Journal of Structural Engineering, 146, Issue 2 (February 2020). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0002481
Ganguly, I., Pierobon, F., Huang, M., Simonen, K. (2019), “Environmental benefits of using hybrid CLT structure in midrise non-residential construction: An LCA based comparative case study in the US PNW,” Journal of Building Engineering, Volume 26, November 2019, p. 100862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2019.100862
Rodriguez, B.X, Simonen, K., Huang, M., De Wolf, C. (2019), “A Taxonomy for Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA),” Smart and Sustainable Built Environments, Volume 8, No. 3, pp. 190-205. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-06-2018-0034
Simonen, K., Huang, M., Aicher, C., Morris, P. (2018), “Embodied Carbon as a Proxy for the Environmental Impact of Earthquake Damage Repair,” Energy and Buildings, Volume 164, 1 April 2018, pp. 131-139 https://10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.12.065
Simonen, K., Rodriguez, B.X., De Wolf, C. (2017), “Benchmarking the Embodied Carbon of Buildings”, Technology | Architecture + Design, 1(2).
Simonen, K. (2014), “Iterating Structures: Teaching Engineering as Design”, Journal of Architectural Engineering, 10.1060/(ASCE).1943-5568.0000152,05014003.
Cooper, J., Fava, J., Simonen, K., Boyd, S., Baer, S. (2012), “Status of North American Life Cycle Inventory Data,” Journal of Industrial Ecology, 16(3), 287-289.
Peer-Reviewed Conference Publications
Adhikari, P., Mahmoud, H., Xie, A., Simonen, K., Ellingwood, B. (2020), “Life-Cycle Cost and Carbon Footprint Analysis for Light-Framed Residential Buildings Subjected to Tornado Hazard,” 5th Residential Building Design and Construction Conference March 4-6, 2020 State College, PA.//Presentation by others.
Rodriguez, B.X., Amany, L., Simonen, K. (2019), “Embodied and Operational Carbon of Typical Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems in Office Buildings in Washington State: A study of buildings registered under LEED v3 2009,” Sustainable Built Environment Conference, August 6-7, Tokyo, Japan//Presentation by B.X. Rodriguez
Rodriguez, B.X., Simonen, K., Lee, H.W., Huang, M. (2018), “Embodied Carbon in MEP Systems: A Simplified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Method for MEP systems in Standard Commercial Office Buildings of the Pacific Northwest,” 3rd International Graduate Student Symposium of the PhD Program IIT College of Architecture, November 16-18, 2018, Chicago, IL. //Presentation by B.X. Rodriguez.
Ianchenko, A., Wang, Y., Simonen, K., Wang, N. (2018), “Residential Building Lifespan and Community Resilience,” 4th Residential Building Design and Construction Conference, February 28 – March 1, 2018, State College, PA.//Presentation by A. Ianchenko
Masoomi, H., van de Lindt, J., Peek, L., Tobin-Gurley, J., Simonen, K. (2017), “Predicting Tornado Damage and Recovery Through Coarse Modeling of Physical-Socio-Economic Interactions at the Community Level,” Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) Conference 2017, April 11-13, Oklahoma City, OK.//Presentation by others
Simonen, K., Almufti, I., Merrifield, S., Strobel, K., Tipler, J. (2015), “Integrating Environmental Impacts as Another Measure of Earthquake Performance for Tall Buildings in High Seismic Zones” ASCE 2015 Structures Congress, April 23-25, 2015, Portland, OR.//Presentation by K. Simonen and I.Almufti.
Simonen, K. (2015), “Testing Whole Building LCA: Research and Practice,” AIA/ACSA Intersections Conference, May 13, 2015 Atlanta, GA.//Presentation by K. Simonen
Simonen, K.(2014), “Life Cycle Assessment Challenges and Structural Materials,” Sustainable Structures Symposium, April 17-18, 2014, Portland, OR.//Presentation by K. Simonen
Simonen, K., Dossick, C. (2013), “Iteration for Integration: Techniques for integrating building technology and design,” Building Technology Educators Symposium, July 12-13, 2013, Bristol, RI.//Presntation by K. Simonen
Simonen, K., Haselbach, L. (2012), “Environmental Product Declarations for Building Materials and Products: U.S. Policy and Market Drivers,” International Symposium on Life Cycle Assessment and Construction, July 10-12, Nantes, France.//Presentation by K. Simonen
Court, A., Simonen, K., Webster, M., Trusty, W., Morris, P. (2012), “Linking Next-Generation Performance-Based Seismic Design Criteria to Environmental Performance,” ASCE SEI 2012 Structures Congress, March 29-31, Chicago, IL.
Simonen, K., Dossick, C., Peña, R. (2012), “Reaching for Sustainability Using Technology and Teamwork: Testing Integrated Project Delivery in Multi- Disciplinary Studio Teaching,” Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, 100th Annual Meeting, March 1-4, Boston, MA.//Presentation by K. Simonen
Simonen, K., Moore, E., Cooper, J., Sianchuk, R. (2011), “Teaching Building Life Cycle Assessment: LCA in Architecture and Engineering Education,” Building Technology Educators Society Conference, August 4-7, Toronto, ON.//Presentation by K. Simonen
Simonen, K. (2011), “Steel Detailing Practices: Using Global Variation to Envision Innovation,” ASCI SEI 2011 Structures Congress, April 14-16, Las Vegas, NV.//Presentation by K. Simonen
Simonen, K. (2010), “Engineering Culture and Collaboration: a Global Perspective,” International Conference on Structures in Architecture, July 21-23, Guimaraes, Portugal.//Presentation by K. Simonen
Simonen, K. (2004), “Systems-Built Housing: Current trends and potential for architectural innovation/digital prefabrication for wood panelized construction,” Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) Conference, November 8-13, Toronto, ON.//Presentation by K. Simonen
Select Media about Prof. Simonen and the Carbon Leadership Forum
Podcasts/Radio
Built on Sand, 99% Invisible: Episode 361, Interviewed by Roman Mars, July 9, 2019
Print/Online
“Profile: Kate Simonen,” The Structural Engineer, Vol. 98, Issue 6, June 2020
“Construction Causes Major Pollution. Here’s How We Can Build Better,” Huffington Post, April 25, 2020
“How the new EC3 tool raises the bar on collective action,” Building Design + Construction, Jan. 10, 2020
“For Sustainable Building Products and Materials, It Can’t be Business as Usual,” Metropolis online, Sept. 17, 2019
“Understanding embodied carbon, a key solution in sustainable architecture,” University of Washington (UW) Daily, Aug. 2, 2019
“Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Embodied Carbon of Buildings,” The Institute for Market Transformation, Jan. 25, 2019
“Universities should lead efforts to slow climate change, if the federal government won’t,” The Washington Post, September 17, 2018
“The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do about It,” Building Green, Sept. 10, 2018
“Forum revises EPD-underpinning Product Category Rules for Concrete,” Concrete Products, Jan. 16, 2014
“Researchers make ‘concrete’ contribution to environment,” Daily Journal of Commerce–Oregon, April 25, 2013
“Family Heirloom: A Modern Prefab Addition to a Mid-Century California Classic,” Publication of completed built work: Marin Residence, Dwell magazine, December/ January 2013
“Forum releases environmental standards for concrete mixes,” Concrete Products, Vol. 115, No. 12, December 2012
“Setting Carbon Footprint Rules for Concrete,”Environmental Building News, Nov. 1, 2012
“Green Building Leaders Press Industry to Half CO2 of Building Materials: Advocates are challenging the global building sector to cut the carbon footprint of concrete and other products by 30% by 2014 and 50% by 2030,” Solve Climate News, March 31, 2011
“2030 Challenge for Products Unveiled,” Architecture 2030, Feb. 14, 2011
Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) Reports and Publications
Staff of the Life Cycle Lab publish a variety of reports and documents in the CLF Resource Library.