Michael Lommertz, CEO of Zero Emission Studio, has been working with Life Cycle Assessment since before it became an essential tool for the industry. Back in 2010, when a lot of the data was hard to find and much less in softwares. Today, the building industry accounts for almost 30% of global emissions. More tools have emerged in recent years to help fulfill requirements, but Lommertz believes the real value is when LCA becomes part of daily decision-making.
Discovering Reduzer through a need for comparability
Lommertz first encountered Reduzer during a competition where six teams were each working on different buildings and needed to be evaluated using the same methodology. To ensure comparable results, it required a single tool and Reduzer was selected. As Lommertz says:
"When I started using Reduzer I just quite quickly realized that this is a new approach to using an LCA tool. It really changed my everyday working flow in a positive way."
What began as a practical temporary need slowly became a part of his daily work.
A tool that fits naturally into the workflow
For Lommertz, the appeal of Reduzer comes down to speed and simplicity, and being able to get reliable results early, when design decisions are still changeable. Since that first use of Reduzer, he has used it across the majority of his projects. That includes projects where LCA is formally required such as those that need BREEAM or FutureBuilt certification but also projects where it isn't. In those cases, Reduzer is still useful as a research tool, helping him explore material options and inform clients before any formal requirement is needed.
Beyond compliance: research and comparison
At Zero Emission Studio, Reduzer feeds into material research, design comparisons, certification support, and early-phase decision making. Lommertz often runs calculations long before a formal LCA is on the agenda, just to understand the impact of different choices.
"Just a couple of weeks ago we had just a thing about looking into different kinds of insulations and how they would perform regarding CO2 emissions. And then we used Reduzer as a natural part as well."
LCA as a step into industry change
For Lommertz, LCA has never been about meeting requirements. It's about guiding the industry towards more sustainable production and that means looking beyond individual projects and their deliveries. When a high-emission material gets flagged through LCA calculations and architects start choosing more sustainable alternatives, it will naturally lead to change.
"If a material is not used that much anymore, after we find out that the emissions are quite high, then the producer will of course also have an intention of making this material more sustainable. So in a way you could see LCA is really changing the world, and the tools are helping us to do so."
About Zero Emission Studio: Zero Emission Studio offers environmental consultancy and LCA services across Norway and Europe. Email: michael@zems.no | Website: Zero Emission Studio | Sustainable Architecture & ZEB Design
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