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CAALA

Parametric life-cycle assessment and CO2 decarbonization software for buildings

German SaaS platform that calculates embodied and operational carbon, energy demand, and life-cycle costs for building design variants and existing-asset portfolios, using parametric geometry and materials data rather than machine-learning models.

Not significant VC funding disclosed - sources conflict. Crunchbase/Tracxn list ~$120K-$297K across grant rounds (incl. Techstars, EIC Fund); Getlatka describes CAALA as bootstrapped with $0 in outside funding and $1.6M 2024 revenue. Saint-Gobain (Dec 2020) is a strategic partnership, not an equity investment. raisedGrowth Stage
Founded 2016 · Named customers/users include EnBW, Instone Real Estate, Köster, BPD, Goldbeck, Implenia, GARBE, Sonar Real Estate, GLS Bank, and DGNB, plus academic use at Bauhaus University Weimar, ETH Zurich, and RWTH Aachen. ~32-35 employees (2024-2026, per Getlatka/Tracxn); exact customer count not publicly disclosed.
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WHY IT EXISTS

Why This Tool Exists

The Problem

Architects and project developers must estimate a building's embodied carbon, operational energy, and life-cycle cost early enough to influence design, but manual LCA calculations (per EN 15978) require specialized consultants and take weeks - by which point major geometry and material decisions are already locked in. Portfolio holders face a parallel problem: assessing CO2 and stranded-asset risk across hundreds of existing buildings for CSRD reporting and retrofit planning.

The Solution

Parametric life-cycle analysis links building geometry, material assemblies, and technical systems (imported via Rhino/SketchUp plug-ins or IFC/gbXML from Revit, Allplan, ArchiCAD) so any design change immediately recalculates embodied carbon, operational energy, and life-cycle cost. Calculations follow EN 15978 modules A1-A3, B4, B6, C3-C4, and D using the Ökobaudat emission-factor database. A separate Portfolio/Dashboard module aggregates results across a real-estate portfolio for CSRD reporting and CRREM stranded-asset analysis, and flags retrofit measures via an "optimization potential" analysis.

USAGE

How You Use It

Delivery Method
SaaSPlugin (Rhino, SketchUp)
Integrations
RhinoSketchUpRevit (via IFC/gbXML)Allplan (via IFC/gbXML)ArchiCAD (via IFC/gbXML)Mapbox/OpenStreetMap (existing-building geometry)
Disciplines
Architecture, Sustainability
Workflows
Data & Automation
Project Phases
Schematic Design, Design Development, Feasibility/Due Diligence, Facilities Management
Project Types
Residential, Commercial, Mixed-Use, Renovation/Retrofit
TRANSPARENCY

Data Transparency

Exactly what this tool uses and how

Input
What it needs
Required:Building geometry (via Rhino/SketchUp model or IFC/gbXML import), Material assemblies and technical systems data
Optional:Existing-building footprint (auto-generated from OpenStreetMap via Mapbox), Custom material/component library entries, Decarbonization scenario assumptions for electricity/district heating
Formats:IFC, gbXML, Native Rhino/SketchUp model (via plug-in)
Output
What you get
Format:Life-cycle assessment report and portfolio dashboard
Fields:Embodied CO2 emissions (EN 15978 modules A1-A3, B4, C3-C4, D), Operational CO2 emissions and energy demand (module B6, static or decarbonization-scenario based), Life-cycle costs, Design-variant comparison, Portfolio-level CO2 risk and CRREM stranded-asset flags, Retrofit/optimization potential recommendations, DGNB/QNG-oriented certification data exports
Algorithm
How it works
Model:Parametric, rules-based life-cycle assessment engine (not a machine-learning model); links geometric, material, and systems parameters directly to emission-factor and cost databases
Accuracy:Not publicly specified - no independent accuracy or validation benchmark published; methodology is deterministic/parametric rather than a trained predictive model
Privacy
How your data is protected
Retention:Not publicly specified for project/building data (privacy policy only states retention periods for marketing cookies: 30 days for Google Ads tracking, 120 days for LinkedIn Insight Tag)
Training:Not publicly specified - no mention in the privacy policy of user/project data being used to train AI or analytics models (consistent with the tool's parametric, non-ML methodology)
Compliance:GDPR (EU), German Telemediengesetz (TMG) and BDSG, No third-party certifications (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001) found in public materials, Software output is designed to support DGNB and QNG (German sustainable-building) certification submissions
API
Integration
Endpoint:A developer API portal exists (dev-api.caala.de, referred to as the "Caala Insight API") but its documentation is not publicly accessible - contact vendor for API access
Method:Not publicly documented
USE CASES

Use Cases

  • ·Early-design embodied-carbon and life-cycle-cost screening for architects during schematic/design development
  • ·QNG and DGNB certification pre-checks and reporting support
  • ·Carbon due-diligence analysis for existing-building acquisitions
  • ·Renovation roadmap and retrofit optimization planning for asset managers
  • ·Portfolio-wide CO2 risk and CRREM stranded-asset analysis for CSRD reporting
PRICING

Pricing

Free
10-day free trial (no credit card required); 2-month pilot phase with full software access and support available on request
Pro
Modular licensing: a Basis License (software access, design-variant comparison, IFC model checking, custom component storage, project archiving) plus per-project licenses (1-month or 12-month terms) for new-construction or existing-building analysis. Individual license prices are not published; example bundled packages include "Architecture Small" (~EUR 525/month) and "Architecture Large" (~EUR 1,275/month).
Enterprise
Portfolio/Dashboard packages combining project and dashboard licenses for CSRD/CRREM reporting - example packages include "Project Development" (~EUR 2,733/month) and "Asset Management" (~EUR 2,166/month); custom quotes available via contact form
Sources & Research NotesResearch date: 2026-07-17
Data Sources (18)
Fields Checked (11)
problem, solution, deliveryMethod, integrations, yearFounded, founders, privacy-data-location, pricing-structure, customerBase-named-clients, algorithm-methodology-EN15978, saint-gobain-partnership-nature
Not Found (7)
api-documentation-detail, soc2-iso27001-certification, aggregate-customer-count, independent-accuracy-benchmark, ai-training-data-usage, individual-license-pricing, consistent-funding-total
About this research: This record summarizes the cited sources and fields checked. A research date does not establish hands-on testing. Consult the original sources for current details and limitations.
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