ALCBT Launches Groundbreaking Building Emission Assessment Tool (BEAT) to Transform Construction Sector

New Web-Based Platform Set to Revolutionize Whole Life Carbon Assessment Across Asia

GLOBAL, June 24, 2025 – The Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) Project, together with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), launched the Building Emission Assessment Tool (BEAT), a web-based platform developed to quantify and reduce embodied and operational carbon emissions throughout a building’s life cycle.

Developed by HEAT GmbH, a consortium partner of the ALCBT Project led by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), BEAT represents a significant advancement in bringing sophisticated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies to building practitioners in rapidly urbanising Asian countries. The tool is specifically designed for implementation in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam – regions experiencing unprecedented construction growth.

The construction sector currently contributes approximately 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions, making it a critical focus for climate action. BEAT addresses this challenge by providing a comprehensive solution for quantifying carbon emissions across the entire building lifecycle, with particular emphasis on embodied carbon, which has traditionally lacked sufficient data and standardised methodologies in many Asian countries.

The launch event brought together over 100 government representatives, technical experts, and key stakeholders from the project countries. In addition to unveiling the platform, the session also served as a regional consultation, inviting feedback from participants to help guide ongoing improvements and ensure BEAT is tailored to local contexts and needs. 

Malle Fofana, GGGI’s Regional Director for Asia, emphasized the significance of the launch, stating in his welcome remarks: “Today’s event marks a significant milestone in our regional effort to decarbonize the building sector across Asia. Buildings are major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. And yet, they also represent one of the most cost-effective opportunities for emission reductions. ALCBT’s BEAT platform has been developed to support in unlocking this potential, by empowering policymakers, developers, and practitioners with data-driven insights to assess and reduce building emissions. BEAT’s added value is that it offers a policy-oriented, full life cycle carbon assessment-based platform tailored for ALCBT project countries, with country-specific benchmarks, adaptable EPD adjustments, and free access to support integration into national climate and building policies.”

Julie Robles, ALCBT Project Manager at GGGI, emphasized the tool’s transformative potential: “The building sector urgently needs to address whole life carbon if we are to meet our climate goals. Until now, the focus has primarily been on operational emissions, while embodied carbon have often been overlooked. BEAT changes this paradigm by providing a comprehensive assessment framework that captures the carbon footprint of buildings from construction materials and building use where significant emissions are generated.“

Dietram Oppelt, Managing Director of HEAT GmbH, highlighted the tool’s practical applications: “BEAT serves as a crucial instrument for capturing whole life carbon assessment, particularly embodied carbon, with a unique feature of integrating labeling for key materials such as cement and concrete. This empowers architects and building developers to select low and eventually net-zero carbon materials in their designs. Moreover, government procurers can incorporate these standards into their Green Public Procurement frameworks, while financial institutions can align their taxonomies with these metrics. The tool represents a significant step toward decarbonising the building sector in Asia and beyond.“

Dr. Andrew Minson, Director Concrete and Sustainable Construction at Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) added: “The cement and concrete industry is committed to reducing its carbon footprint in line with global climate goals. We recently launched a global Low Carbon Ratings (LCR) system for cement and concrete which can be adapted regionally or nationally. The LCR is a key building block of  BEAT’s transparent and data-driven approach. Enabling accurate assessment of building materials’ environmental impact is crucial to supporting the transition to low-carbon construction across Asia and the world.“

Key Features of BEAT

• Open-source web-based platform eliminating barriers to adoption such as specialized software requirements
• Localised building material database with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
• Comprehensive carbon benchmarking for different building types
• Whole life cycle assessment methodology covering both embodied and operational carbon
• User-friendly interface guiding users through a structured data input workflow
• Integration potential with government tools, certification systems, and financial taxonomies

BEAT is designed with a modular structure that allows for ongoing updates and future expansion. Phase II will focus on further enhancing the online web platform’s functionality, including features that will allow users to export their assessment.

For more information about BEAT and to access the tool, please visit https://beat-alcbt.gggi.org/