Results from the INDICATE Pilot

WHY DID WE NEED THE INDICATE PILOT?

The INDICATE Pilot aimed to meet one of the most fundamental challenges to decarbonise buildings – the lack of data to support policymaking and strategic business decision-making.

The INDICATE pilot pushed for policy and industry to tackle both operational and embodied carbon -‘Whole Life Carbon’ (WLC).

WHAT WAS THE INDICATE PILOT?

From 2022 to 2024, the INDICATE pilot offered a project framework and co-funding to support efforts to generate much-needed building-level WLC data in Europe. The data had to be generated if industry and policy action on decarbonising buildings were to be brought in line with the 1.5 °C target from the 2015 Paris COP21 agreement.

National partnerships were forged between industry, academia, and national government. This co-creation approach promised to ensure the stakeholders would act on the data and the outcomes to accelerate policy and industry change.

The generated data aimed to support:

The INDICATE pilot offered a combination of financial support and technical advice on both LCA data and policy advocacy.

The financial support was targeted at generating the data foundation, whilst INDICATE’s co-creation approach and advocacy support were designed to ensure the all-important buy-in of industry and policy makers to take and use the data to accelerate progress towards a fully decarbonised building stock.

HOW DID THE INDICATE PILOT HELP?

With grants up to €250,000, the INDICATE pilot supported the collection of systemised and improved data of new or existing building LCA results. It directly enabled generation of insights into the state of the respective national building stock and carbon reduction potential of different national strategies. To ensure buy-in from supported consortiums there was a requirement of public co-funding.

PILOT COUNTRIES

INDICATE pilot supported 3 selected EU countries to increase the quality, quantity, and application of building-level LCA data, to manage and minimise the WLC footprint of buildings.

  • NATIONAL CONTEXT:

    Although several initiatives existed in Spain before the start of the INDICATE pilot, such as the IETcc CSIC OpenDAP, ITEC BEDEC and Cype Environmental databases, there was no national harmonised LCA methodology or database of construction products with associated environmental data. 

    The fragmented data infrastructure, comprising various software and data sources (e.g., IteC, OneClickLCA, Cype, etc), posed a significant barrier to advancing WLC policy. Additionally, limited comparability, data accessibility, and transparency in existing building LCA data meant policymakers lacked a solid foundation to drive regulatory action. 

    ADVOCACY AND INDUSTRY PROGRESS:

    The national INDICATE Pilot project increased engagement, raised awareness, and supported the creation of a national LCA data infrastructure for buildings in Spain. The project developed WLC data for 250 buildings using real and synthetic ‘archetypes’ reflecting regional climate, seismic, and material differences, and laying the groundwork for WLC baselines and policy targets. 

     An inclusive, participatory approach fostered strong stakeholder engagement and collaboration between the University of Seville, GBC España, ITEC, and the national government, paving the way for future WLC policy development. 

    THE CONSORTIUM PARTNERS:

    University of Seville, The Green Building Council España and the Government of Spain (as observers). 
    For more information on the Spanish INDICATE project, please contact Antonio García Martínez (University of Seville) by e-mail: agarcia6@us.es

  • NATIONAL CONTEXT:

    In the two years before the INDICATE Pilot, the private sector in Ireland rapidly increased efforts to quantify WLC. However, without a national methodology or centralised database, measurements varied widely in methodology, time frames, and scope, making them incomparable and misaligned with the Europe-wide Level(s) Framework. It was also unclear whether the generic data used was an accurate representation of Ireland’s WLC status. 

    ADVOCACY AND INDUSTRY PROGRESS:

    The INDICATE Pilot project accelerated Ireland’s transition toward WLC regulation by developing a national data collection template with an integrated WLC calculator, an approach later adapted by the Spanish INDICATE Pilot team. 20 WLC building cases, including two renovation projects, were assessed to validate the methodology and improve data quality.  

    The project’s engagement strategies attracted interest from organisations aligned with the EU Taxonomy, driving demand for building LCAs and encouraging government representatives, such as those from SEAI, to closely follow its progress, demonstrating growing public-sector support for advancing WLC assessments. The project also launched the ‘INDICATE Champions’ programme to engage practitioners and explore integrating the methodology with tools such as One Click LCA. 

    THE CONSORTIUM PARTNERS:

    The project will be delivered through Construct Innovate, Ireland's national research centre for construction technology and innovation with core personnel from University of Galway, Irish Green Building Council and University College Dublin in the project delivery team, supported by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

    For more information on the Irish INDICATE project, please contact Stephen Barrett (Irish Green Building Council) by e-mail: stephen@igbc.ie

  • NATIONAL CONTEXT: 

    Before the INDICATE Pilot project, the Czech Republic faced several challenges relating to WLC and LCA within the built environment, including low consumer awareness, limited LCA data, weak market demand, insufficient capacity, and partial government reluctance. The country lacked a decarbonisation strategy for the built environment, with construction regulation divided among multiple ministries which required improved coordination. Overall, policy makers had little awareness of WLC, and government support was limited.

    ADVOCACY AND INDUSTRY PROGRESS: 

    The INDICATE Pilot project significantly advanced WLC knowledge and practice in the Czech Republic by analysing 50 WLC building cases, including 10 renovation cases. These case studies provided critical insights that have begun to influence public tenders and green public procurement practices. The project actively engaged stakeholders through live events and bilateral meetings with policymakers, successfully securing political and industry support despite a complex political landscape. By developing a narrative that balanced environmental and social considerations, INDICATE Pilot built momentum for WLC action and strengthened alignment among key stakeholders. 

    THE CONSORTIUM PARTNERS:

    University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings of Czech Technical University in Prague, The Czech Green Building Council, Chance for Buildings with the support of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. 

    For more information on the Czech INDICATE project, please contact Licia Felicioni (Czech Technical University in Prague) by e-mail: licia.felicioni@cvut.cz