PULSE-AT (“Prospective Upscaling of Life cycle Scenarios and Environmental impacts of Austrian buildings”) is a model that was developed as part of Nicolas Alaux’s PhD work and with the programming support of Benedict Schwark from the Institute of Structural Design–Sustainable Construction. It can be used to predict the future development and environmental impact of the Austrian building sector on the basis of various scenarios. The model provides information on the environmental benefits of different construction methods, choices of materials, renovation strategies, living arrangements, or circular economy measures on a large scale. Due to its modular structure, it can track the origin of the emissions throughout the life cycle of buildings at different aggregation levels. The insights provided by the model help to inform design decisions and future policies. It can be used to simulate the implementation of innovative ideas across the country, such as the 3D printing of concrete or hemp insulation. It can also simulate different circular economy measures, either through reuse, recycling, or substitution. These strategies may additionally be combined to identify future decarbonization pathways. Our analysis has shown that the most important actions to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings involve using renewable energy and increasing the density of built space. In particular, designing buildings to support sufficiency, such as using less energy for heating, has a huge potential to reduce emissions. Further information can be found in an article on the model: https://doi. org/10.1111/jiec.13558.
