Press release
Climate-Oriented Planning of Housing Estates and Neighbourhoods: Research Data from the Q-LCA Project Published
The climate crisis and the energy transition call for new solutions. Research data from the Q-LCA project show how the energy requirements and greenhouse gas potential of different types of settlements can be assessed. The assessment tool enables analyses at neighbourhood level for the first time.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Prytula of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, with the support of Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Heike Neuroth and Paul Walter, has published the research data from his Q-LCA project – funded by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development – on Zenodo.
Following months of intensive collaboration, the research data – which had already been extensively processed – was clearly structured and supplemented with a data management plan and a research data report. In doing so, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Prytula is making his research data available for further use and setting new standards in research data management (RDM) within his discipline.
Content and relevance of the data
In addition to the DMP and the research data report, the research data comprises an analysis of empirical settlement patterns, life cycle assessment (LCA) indicators for building components, an assessment tool and dashboards for visualising information.
The tool developed as part of the project enables the assessment of emissions and energy consumption for settlement types at neighbourhood level – a first in life-cycle analysis.
The topic could not be more topical: in times of an energy and climate crisis, addressing the energy requirements and greenhouse gas potential of housing types and process chains can contribute to solving these problems. The more than 150 downloads since publication highlight the high relevance of the topic.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Prytula, Research Professor for Resource-Optimised and Climate-Adapted Construction at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, explains: “Through this publication, we are increasing the visibility of our research, as the data from our collaborative project Q-LCA can now serve as a basis for further research and local authority planning.”
Support for data publication and QUADRIGA integration
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Prytula received support with FAIR data publication, including standardised description formats, from Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Heike Neuroth and Paul Walter.
As early as 2025, Prof. Neuroth led the pilot project ‘Finding, Extracting and Publishing Data Treasures’, carried out at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, which advised and supported research groups at the university in publishing research data in accordance with the FAIR principles.
Prof. Dr Heike Neuroth, Research Professor of Library Science at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, emphasises: “The publication of research data in accordance with the FAIR principles from the Q-LCA project illustrates that data publication does not stop at the traditional disciplines. We were able to gain valuable experience in the research processes relating to urban and settlement development.”
The insights gained during the publication process are being incorporated into the preparation of the fourth case study (table data type) for the QUADRIGA Data Competence Centre, which focuses specifically on the retrospective publication of research data.
About Q-LCA
Q-LCA was a project funded by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Developmentfrom 2022 to 2024 to develop an assessment model for life-cycle assessments (LCA) at neighbourhood level (Q). The University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Prytula as the Head of the institution, was a partner in this collaborative project with Leibniz University Hannover, with Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Tim Rieniets as the Head of the institution.
About QUADRIGA
The QUADRIGA Data Competence Centre develops Open Educational Resources to equip researchers in the digital humanities and administrative sciences with selected data skills. The University of Applied Sciences Potsdam is a partner in this Berlin-Brandenburg joint project, with Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Neuroth as the Head of the project.
Further information
- Q-LCA Project . Analysis of the environmental impacts of different settlement types in new-build neighbourhoods over their life cycle
- QUADRIGAproject : Berlin-Brandenburg Data Competence Centre for Digital Humanities, Public Administration, Computer Science and Informationswissenschaften
- Pilot project: Finding, extracting and publishing data treasures
Research data report
Prytula, M., Rieniets, T., Hack, J., Rosenberger, J., Stallmann, L. & Gebhardt, N. (2026). Q-LCA. Research Data Report. Zenodo.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17866716
