ECHO is a coalition convened jointly by five leading non-profit organizations: Architecture2030, Building Transparency, the Carbon Leadership Forum, the International Living Future Institute, and the US Green Building Council.
These organizations initiated the ECHO project to develop standards for improving the consistency and accuracy of data from project WBLCAs. The first version of this report is V1.0 released in September of 2024. The word “Schema” is used to describe a format for the structure of data for use by JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) data interchange format. Other existing tools and databases that have a schema of their own include EC3, tallyLCA, AIA ddx, and SE2050. Version 1.0 defines several categories of the data to be collected including required, recommended, and optional, allowing users to choose the level of data that best serves their purposes. The currently recommended use by the design community is to use the data defined as “required” as a minimum. The schema developed allows the data to be machine-read for analyzing and interpreting the metadata.
Version 1.0 of the schema includes the following sections:
• Project Data
o Project Name and Location
o Project Team and Contact Information
Owner information
Project Team Roster
o Project Schedule
o Building Occupancy Information
o Project Use and Construction Type
o Project Size
o Project Costs
o Structural System Information
• Life Cycle Assessment Information
• Methodology, QA/QC, and Uncertainty
• Assessment Compliance and Verification
• Assessment Inclusions
• Life Cycle Assessment Results
o Reduction Strategies
Version 1.0 of the schema includes the following recommendations for 10 LCA areas using their “absolute minimum” descriptor:
1. Impact Categories and Indicators – Global Warming Potential
2. Life Cycle Stages – A1-A3, A4, A5
3. Reference Study Period – 60-year RSP
4. Normalization Unit – kgCO2e/m2
5. Area Definitions – provide clear definition of floor area, is attached parking included, is the measurement to the exterior or interior faces of the exterior walls
6. Project Elements – Structure and Enclosure
7. Building Element Classification System – Use the checklist to describe the inclusions
8. Data Sources, Tools, and Uncertainty – comply with existing standard
9. Building and Material Reuse Approach – define how salvaged materials should be modeled
10. Biogenic Carbon Calculation and Reporting Guidance – report biogenic carbon separately
The version 1.0 documentation published by CLF has been uploaded to our Documents page on the CECC website.