Autodesk Eduction Community

Whole Systems and Lifecycle Thinking

The things we make create environmental impacts throughout their lifecycles, from manufacturing to disposal. 

Whole Systems and Lifecycle Thinking involves looking at the big picture to understand how products or buildings are made, used and disposed of. This can help you identify where environmental and social impacts occur, and make changes to improve your design. 

Incorporating Sustainability into the Design Process

The best opportunities for saving resources like materials and energy can often be uncovered early in the design process by identifying the most important problems to solve. Whole systems thinking can lead to new design inspirations by helping expand the problem definition and uncovering novel solutions to reduce environmental impacts. 

Lifecycle thinking allows you to quantify environmental impacts so that you can prioritize, set metrics around, and most effectively reduce them. This process is not just about making things “less bad.” It can help unlock your creativity and lead to game-changing innovations.