Where is Carbon Designer 3D available?

Carbon Designer 3D is available globally and supports nearly all of One Click LCA’s compliance modules. Localized versions are currently available for Ireland, Germany, and Hungary, with more coming. Users can also create custom templates for different regions or materials.

Does Carbon Designer 3D work with all licence levels?

Carbon Designer 3D is available as an add-on for any licence from Business and above. Some packages include it by default, though functionality may vary. Contact the One Click LCA team to choose the best option for your needs.

Which LCA tools is Carbon Designer 3D compatible with?

Carbon Designer 3D supports all One Click LCA building compliance modules, except Dutch MPG/NMD, British IMPACT, and Swiss Graue Energie. It is not available for infrastructure use.

Can I use Carbon Designer 3D if I don't have a BIM model or material quantities?

Yes — Carbon Designer 3D is built for early-stage use without a BIM model or detailed material data. Simply input the building type, gross floor area, and number of storeys. The tool then creates a shoebox model using typical assemblies, allowing fast carbon scenario comparisons and refinements as more data becomes available.

Is the 3D model a fully detailed representation of a building?

The model shows accurate positioning of major elements like columns and beams, but does not include features like windows, balconies, or stairs. It is a simplified but accurate representation for early carbon analysis.

Is Carbon Designer 3D only for use at the beginning of a project?

No. While ideal for early-stage carbon optimization, Carbon Designer 3D also accelerates assessments at later design phases.

Which structural systems can Carbon Designer 3D be used with?

It supports various structural systems such as precast and cast-in-place beam-column frameworks. You can easily switch systems to explore different design outcomes.

Who developed Carbon Designer 3D?

Carbon Designer 3D was developed by One Click LCA Ltd. Its predecessor, Carbon Designer, was created in collaboration with the Norwegian government in 2018 and has since expanded with support from national bodies in Ireland, France, Finland, and others.

What is the difference between the existing Carbon Designer tool and Carbon Designer 3D?

Carbon Designer 3D builds on the core functionality of the original Carbon Designer but introduces enhanced features based on user feedback for better accuracy, usability, and flexibility.

Why focus on early carbon design? Can I reduce carbon significantly?

Yes. Early-stage design decisions can influence over 50% of a building’s embodied carbon. Carbon Designer 3D enables early scenario modeling, allowing carbon reductions of up to 50% through informed material and design choices.

Does Carbon Designer work for my region and building type?

Yes — it is globally applicable with regional templates for over 15 locations, including the UK, Ireland, and North America. It supports most building types and early-stage compliance with schemes like BREEAM, LEED, and DGNB.

Carbon Designer 3D

Cut carbon at concept stage, when changes cost least

Generate a building from its type and size, compare up to four options side by side, and move the results straight into your full LCA. No BIM model needed.

Book a demo

4.5/5

Trusted by the world's top firms

Know your carbon before BIM

Get whole-building results at concept stage, with no model or material quantities to prepare.

Total carbon impact
Carbon hotspots
Change against your baseline

See where the carbon sits

Break results down to find the elements that drive the total.

By building parts
By classification
By material
By component

Answer questions clients ask

Back every early design choice with numbers, not assumptions.

Build tall or compact
Timber, steel, or concrete frame
Retain or rebuild
Construction systems
Supplier choice

From blank page to baseline in minutes

Start with no data and get a carbon baseline straight away.

Choose a standard shape, draw your own floor plan, or import an IFC model.
Material quantities generate automatically from regional reference buildings that reflect typical local construction.
Drag to adjust dimensions and hit target areas and volumes without modeling tools.

Move from sketch to carbon results in minutes, not hours.

Carbon Designer 3D - Generative Design - Generate the geometry

Generative design tailored to your site

Set your constraints and generate several massing options to compare.

Enter your site boundaries and floor area targets to generate multiple optimized building massings.
Compare the carbon of each option and set a low-carbon baseline at concept stage.
Explore massing and density options that balance carbon goals with site constraints.

Start every project from a low-carbon option.

Compare embodied and operational carbon together

See the carbon impact of every decision before the design is locked in.

Compare up to four options side by side, like timber vs. concrete or tall vs. compact.
See which structural systems and assemblies drive embodied carbon.
Add operational energy and carbon to the comparison with adjustable regional scenarios.

Make design decisions on evidence, not assumptions.

Retain, reuse, or rebuild: decide with evidence

Assess what already exists before you start anew.

Model existing structures and compare retention, hybrid reuse, and demolition options.
Switch between structural systems to see the embodied carbon trade-offs.
Give clients quantified evidence for adaptive reuse. Ramboll used Carbon Designer 3D to show that rehabilitating Bergen City Hall would emit less carbon than replacing it.

Retain where possible, quantify when not.

Regional data your team can rely on

Start from reference buildings built with local codes, partners, and experts.

Draw on 500,000+ datasets and reference buildings for 20+ regions, developed with partners such as Statsbygg and the Irish Green Building Council.
Share private templates so every team starts from the same verified assumptions.
Use construction types aligned with LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, and Level(s) from day one.

Consistent data, comparable results, credible outcomes.

One workflow from concept to compliance

Carry early design work into your full LCA without rework.

Carbon Designer 3D uses the same calculation method as your One Click LCA tool, so concept results carry through to detailed design.
Save designs straight into your project and set one as the project baseline.
Share results and 3D visuals with clients and partners to agree carbon goals early.

No dead ends and no rework, from concept to compliance.

Image Bergen Rådhus Bygg og Anlegg Media AS, Ole Harald Dale-1

Ramboll cuts carbon by 60% and extends Bergen City Hall's lifespan by 50 years

"One Click LCA's Carbon Designer 3D helped us create reference buildings for both options, allowing us to compare materials, carbon emissions, and costs. The software's database also enabled us to evaluate different energy systems. The results showed that rehabilitating the City Hall would generate less carbon emissions than replacing the building with a new one."

Vegard Selvåg Ulvan
Head of LCA at Ramboll Norway

Maximizing value through early-stage carbon optioneering

"Why is early-stage carbon optioneering important? We've seen an increasing prevalence across all industry standards from operational carbon to embodied carbon, and that could follow through to the increasing cost to carbon offset. Optimising early provides the biggest impact."

Holly Wheeler
Senior Environmental Consultant at Chapmanbdsp

Aiguasol uses One Click LCA from design stage to execution

"In the sustainable building department, we provide LCA and carbon expertise across markets. We intervene from the design stage to the execution of the project, and we work on new construction and rehabilitation projects, depending on the environmental goal of it. This is why we choose One Click LCA as the motor to handle our carbon assessments."

Lissette Campoverde
LCA Built Environment Specialist at Aiguasol

Ready to maximize carbon reductions?

Talk to our experts to see Carbon Designer 3D in action.

Book a demo Contact us

Frequently asked questions

Learn more about Carbon Designer 3D

Can I use Carbon Designer 3D without a BIM model?

Yes. You only need the building type, gross floor area, and number of floors. Carbon Designer 3D generates the geometry and material quantities from a regional reference building. If you already have an early BIM model, you can import an IFC file instead.

How reliable are the early results?

Each reference building represents a typical building for its region, building type, and structural frame, built with local codes, partners, and experts. The 3D model is a simplified massing model for concept-stage decisions, not a detailed representation of the building. Carbon Designer 3D uses the same calculation method as your One Click LCA tool, so the same inputs give the same results in your full LCA.

Does Carbon Designer 3D work for my region and building type?

Carbon Designer 3D includes reference buildings for 20+ regions, plus International versions for regions without their own. Each region covers common building types, and the available structural frames vary by region. It works with nearly all of One Click LCA's compliance tools for buildings, including LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, and Level(s).

Does Carbon Designer 3D include operational carbon?

Yes, in Norway, Finland, Ireland, and the UK. Carbon Designer 3D assigns a regional energy scenario to your design, and you can adjust its assumptions to compare energy strategies. Support for the rest is coming.

Is Carbon Designer 3D only for the start of a project?

No. It is built for concept and early design, including renovation and retrofit projects, and it can also speed up assessments at later stages. As your design develops, save it to your project and continue in your full LCA without starting over.

Why focus on early design?

Decisions about structure, form, and size happen at concept stage, when changes cost least. In AECOM's work for the City of Montréal, embodied carbon made up the largest share of emissions and varied significantly between design options, so early choices had the greatest effect.

How can I get Carbon Designer 3D?

Carbon Designer 3D is included in most One Click LCA plans for buildings and available as an add-on to others. Book a demo to see which option fits your team.

Software

Industries

Why us

Resources

Company

Pricing