The program prepares you to manage complete sustainable projects: life cycle assessments, technical specifications with EPD requirements, C&D waste strategies, green stormwater infrastructure and green building certifications.
Fully online technical training designed around real industry demand, so you can specialize at your own pace.
11/07/2026
Start Date
7 months
Duration
750
Total Hours
8 Modules
Program
Duration
Total Hours
Program
Start Date
$3715
ICTESS’s Sustainable Construction and Circular Economy Specialization trains specialists to design, build and manage buildings with environmental sustainability and material circularity in mind. The program covers everything from selecting materials with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to working with international rating systems such as LEED, BREEAM and WELL.
You will learn to apply circular economy principles to construction projects: design for disassembly and recyclability, efficient construction waste management, water reuse and green stormwater infrastructure, and indoor comfort assessment. The program includes training in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods and ends with a Capstone Project in which you apply all the skills you have gained to a case study.
The construction industry is going through a deep transformation driven by decarbonization and circular economy goals. Owners, investors and public agencies increasingly expect buildings with lower embodied carbon, recyclable materials and waste management strategies that minimize environmental impact over the building’s life cycle.
The program trains professionals to bring sustainability criteria into every phase of a construction project. You will learn to select materials using EPDs, design buildings for future disassembly, implement green stormwater infrastructure, optimize thermal, acoustic and visual comfort, and apply the requirements of the leading green building rating systems.
The program includes training in LCA tools such as One Click LCA and openLCA to evaluate the environmental impact of materials and building systems. It ends with a Capstone Project in which you apply LCA methodology to a real sustainable building project.
The Sustainable Construction and Circular Economy Specialization prepares you for technical roles at architecture firms, contractors, environmental consultancies and developers pursuing green building certifications, such as sustainable construction specialist, LEED/BREEAM coordinator or circular economy consultant.
The program prepares you to manage complete sustainable projects: life cycle assessments, technical specifications with EPD requirements, C&D waste strategies, green stormwater infrastructure and green building certifications.
You will also learn to develop sustainable procurement plans, assess existing buildings against WELL health and well-being criteria and propose circular retrofit strategies. The practical approach lets you apply what you learn right away on real projects.
Study from anywhere with no commuting. You can fit your specialized technical training around your current job.
Study when it suits your schedule. Move through the modules at your own pace and go back to any topic you need to review.
Learn Life Cycle Assessment with professional tools such as One Click LCA and openLCA, which are used on real projects.
Get technical video lessons, up-to-date downloadable materials, forums with specialized instructors and hands-on certification case studies.
ICTESS offers specialized technical training in sustainable construction and the circular economy. It focuses on professional practice and is designed to help you master the skills that international rating systems and today’s market demand.
What you'll achieve
Select construction materials using sustainability criteria by analyzing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and recognized environmental databases.
Design buildings for disassembly and recyclability by applying circular economy principles that make it easier to recover materials at the end of their service life.
Implement green stormwater infrastructure and graywater reuse strategies that comply with applicable plumbing codes for nonpotable water systems (IPC, UPC).
Apply the technical requirements of WELL, LEED and BREEAM to optimize thermal, acoustic and visual comfort and indoor environmental quality.
Conduct building Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) with professional software to evaluate and reduce the carbon footprint of construction projects.
Buildings and construction are among the largest sources of energy use, carbon emissions and waste in the United States. Embodied carbon policies, Buy Clean procurement rules and sustainable finance criteria are transforming the technical requirements of construction projects. Professionals now need to apply circularity and decarbonization from the design phase.
Increasingly demanding requirements: A growing number of public projects, local codes and rating systems call for embodied carbon disclosure, materials with verified EPDs and C&D waste management plans. Professionals without specific training in these areas risk being left out of publicly funded or certified projects.
Growing demand for green building certifications: LEED, BREEAM and WELL have become common requirements for office buildings, hotels, retail centers and high-end residential developments. Companies need professionals who can coordinate these certification processes with rigorous documentation and a deep understanding of the rating criteria.
Competitive edge in the job market: Specializing in sustainable construction and the circular economy sets you apart from traditional profiles in the industry. Mastering LCA, international rating criteria and circular strategies makes you a top candidate at companies committed to decarbonization.
Completing the Sustainable Construction and Circular Economy Specialization places you in a fast-changing industry with steadily growing demand for green building specialists. Expectations from investors, owners and public agencies are driving the hiring of professionals who can bring sustainability and circularity into construction projects.
Access to specialized technical roles: You can pursue positions such as sustainability specialist, green building certification manager or circular economy consultant. Specializing in LEED, BREEAM and WELL expands your opportunities at architecture firms, contractors and developers.
Mastery of LCA methodology: Working with Life Cycle Assessment tools sets you apart when applying for jobs. This skill is increasingly required to meet embodied carbon requirements in public RFPs, state Buy Clean policies and green-financed projects.
Ability to manage green building certifications: You will learn to coordinate every phase of LEED, BREEAM and WELL certification, from initial documentation to final review, including credit strategy, team coordination and submittal preparation.
Recognized professional certificate: The ICTESS professional certificate backs your technical specialization in sustainable construction. It strengthens your position in a job market that favors candidates with specific training in the circular economy and green building.
This specialization is for professionals and graduates who want a technical specialization in sustainable building, circular construction and international green building rating systems. Recommended profiles include:
Program details
The Capstone Project is the final stage of the program and brings together all the technical skills you develop along the way. You will complete a full case study that applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to a sustainable building project, showing your command of the professional tools and rating criteria covered in the technical modules.
The project includes justified material selection through EPD analysis and environmental databases, design for disassembly and recyclability strategies for the main building systems, a C&D waste management plan and green stormwater infrastructure design. You will also evaluate thermal, acoustic and visual comfort against international rating system criteria and propose a sustainable procurement plan with social criteria.
The project requires a complete LCA with professional software that quantifies the project’s carbon footprint and proposes improvement alternatives. The final documentation must meet the technical level and professional format of sustainability reports for LEED or BREEAM certification. It should show you can produce rigorous documentation ready for certifying bodies or industry clients.
ICTESS’s Sustainable Construction and Circular Economy Specialization includes hands-on training with the Life Cycle Assessment tools used on professional green building projects. You will work with One Click LCA to assess the carbon footprint of buildings and openLCA for detailed environmental analysis of materials and building systems.
You will also use EPD databases and the calculation tools specific to LEED, BREEAM and WELL. Architecture firms, environmental consultancies and contractor sustainability departments increasingly seek these skills, because they help meet the embodied carbon disclosure requirements of public RFPs, Buy Clean policies and green building programs.
You do not need a degree in architecture or engineering, but technical training in construction, building science or environmental science is recommended. The program is designed for architects, construction managers and building and civil engineers. It is also open to environmental science graduates, people with an associate degree in construction technology and professionals with proven construction experience.
Facility managers, building maintenance technicians and environmental consultants with a technical background can also enroll if they have prior knowledge of building systems and building codes. The program covers international rating systems, LCA methodology and circular design criteria, so you need to be able to read technical project documents.
The ICTESS Professional Certificate validates your technical training in the criteria and methods of the leading international green building rating systems: LEED, BREEAM and WELL. It does not replace official credentials such as LEED Green Associate or BREEAM Associate, but it gives you the technical knowledge to coordinate certification projects and to prepare for those exams if you decide to take them.
Many employers value this training because it shows a command of the technical requirements, the ability to prepare certification documentation and hands-on LCA experience in buildings. The program covers in depth the most complex technical credits of these systems: materials and resources, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and life cycle assessment.
The Sustainable Construction and Circular Economy Specialization takes a comprehensive circular economy approach built specifically for construction. It combines design for disassembly, waste management and LCA with professional software. Many green building courses focus only on energy efficiency or a single rating system. This program covers the full life cycle of materials and building systems, from EPD-based selection to design for future recyclability.
The program also covers three international rating systems (LEED, BREEAM and WELL), green stormwater infrastructure and sustainable procurement with a social component. The final LCA case study lets you show applied technical skills that general green building courses rarely cover.