Researcher: Urjwan Alkamil
Edinburgh Napier University
Participant Information and Consent:
This questionnaire is part of a Master's dissertation research project on how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be integrated into Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)-based project planning workflows. The research aims to develop a practical integrated framework linking LCA methodology, MMC planning decisions, and Building Information Modelling (BIM)-enabled workflows to support sustainable building delivery in the UK.

Your responses will contribute to understanding current practices, identifying barriers, and defining requirements for an integrated LCA–MMC–BIM framework. It takes 16–17 minutes to complete.

Participation is entirely voluntary. You may skip any question or withdraw at any time. All responses are anonymised and data will be processed in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. If, for any reason, you cannot answer a question or an entire section, please skip.

By continuing, I confirm I have read the Participant Information Sheet and consent to participate.

Question Title

1. Name of Participant (Required.)

Question Title

2. Current or most recent employer (Required.)

Question Title

3. Email address

Section A: Participant Background and Professional Experience
This section establishes your professional context and relevant experience. Please select the most appropriate answer for each question.

Question Title

4. What is your primary professional role?

Question Title

5. How many years of professional experience do you have in your primary domain?

Question Title

6. Which MMC typologies have you worked with professionally? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

7. What is your level of experience with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

Question Title

8. Which LCA tools or software are you familiar with? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

9. What is your level of experience with Building Information Modelling (BIM)? (Select one)

Question Title

10. Which BIM authoring or management platforms do you use? (Select all that apply)

Section B: Current LCA/WLCA Practices in MMC Projects
This section explores how LCA/WLCA is currently applied in MMC project planning.

Question Title

11. In your experience, how commonly is LCA/WLCA used in MMC projects compared to conventional construction projects?

Question Title

12. What is the primary driver for conducting LCA/WLCA on MMC projects in your experience?

Question Title

13. At which RIBA stage is LCA/WLCA most commonly initiated on MMC projects?

Question Title

14. Which system boundary is most commonly used when conducting LCA/WLCA for MMC projects? (Select one)

Question Title

15. How are MMC-specific life cycle stages typically handled in LCA/WLCA for MMC projects?

Question Title

16. At which project stage would early-stage LCA/WLCA provide the greatest value for MMC planning decisions?

Section C: BIM–LCA Workflows and Integration in MMC
This section investigates how BIM is used to support LCA in MMC contexts.

Question Title

17. How is BIM currently used to support LCA in the MMC projects you have worked on? (Select one)

Question Title

18. Which BIM-LCA integration tools or plugins have you used? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

19. At what Level of Development (LOD) are BIM models typically available when LCA is conducted on MMC projects?

Question Title

20. How are missing material data typically handled in BIM-LCA workflows for MMC projects? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

21. What is the greatest opportunity for automation in BIM-LCA workflows for MMC projects?

Section D: Barriers and Challenges to LCA–MMC Integration
This section identifies the main barriers preventing effective LCA integration in MMC planning.

Question Title

22. What do you consider to be the most significant barrier to LCA adoption in MMC project planning?

Question Title

23. Please rank the following barriers to LCA integration in MMC projects from most significant (1) to least significant (6). (Assign each a unique rank 1–6)

  1 (most significant) 2 3 4 5 6 (least significant)
Organisational / client-driven barriers (lack of demand, procurement structures)
Technical barriers (tool limitations, BIM-LCA interoperability)
Knowledge and expertise barriers (insufficient LCA literacy in MMC teams)
Data barriers (missing MMC-specific LCA data, incomplete EPDs)
Timing / workflow misalignment (LCA conducted too late in project lifecycle)
Economic barriers (cost and time of conducting LCA)

Question Title

24. How significant are the following data gaps as barriers to LCA in MMC projects?

  1 2 3 4 5
Factory manufacturing energy data for MMC processes
Transportation distance and logistics data for MMC delivery
Manufacturer-specific EPDs for MMC components
UK-specific LCA database entries for MMC materials
Off-site assembly and on-site installation energy data
End-of-life / deconstruction data for modular systems

Question Title

25. In your valuable opinion, what would most effectively motivate greater adoption of LCA/WLCA in MMC project planning? (Select up to three)

Question Title

26. How adequate are current LCA/WLCA databases for assessing MMC projects?

Section E: Requirements for an Integrated LCA–MMC–BIM Framework
This section explores what an effective integrated framework would need to include and how it should function.

Question Title

27. Which of the following should be core functional requirements of an integrated LCA–MMC–BIM framework? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

28. At which RIBA stage(s) should an integrated LCA–MMC–BIM framework primarily operate? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

29. How should an integrated framework handle MMC-specific parameters where project-specific data are not yet available at early design stages?

Question Title

30. Which BIM platform(s) should an integrated framework be compatible with? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

31. How should the outputs of an integrated LCA–MMC–BIM framework be presented to support MMC planning decisions? (Select all that apply)

Section F: Open-ended questions
Please provide brief written responses.

Question Title

32. In your professional experience, what is the single most important change that would enable LCA to be effectively integrated into MMC project planning workflows?

Question Title

33. Are there any MMC-specific LCA challenges or requirements that you feel have not been addressed in this questionnaire?

Question Title

34. What are the three most important features you would want to see in an integrated LCA–MMC–BIM framework?

Question Title

35. Is there anything else you would like to add about LCA, MMC, BIM integration, or the development of an integrated framework?

T