What does "life cycle assessment" refer to in the context of LEED?

In the context of LEED, "life cycle assessment" refers to the comprehensive evaluation of a product or system's environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and eventual disposal or recycling. This assessment includes looking at energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other ecological effects associated with building energy use.

By focusing on the entire span of a building's life, from inception to demolition, this approach allows for a more holistic view of sustainability and helps to identify opportunities for reducing the environmental footprint of buildings. It encourages the selection of materials and processes that contribute to energy efficiency and reduced environmental degradation over the long term.

The other options do not encapsulate the broader scope of life cycle assessment. For example, calculating construction costs focuses primarily on financial metrics rather than environmental impacts. Measuring indoor air quality improvements pertains specifically to health considerations within the built environment, while assessing material durability is concerned more with the longevity of materials rather than their environmental assessment throughout their life cycle. Thus, evaluating the environmental impact of building energy use is the focus that aligns with the definition and objectives of life cycle assessment in the LEED framework.