AUTOMATED PROCEDURES FOR LCA ANALYSIS ON A BIM PROJECT

Now-days, considering all the developments that have and are continuously occurring in the design field, it has become an important necessity to consider the environmental impact of the building materials that designer choose. For this matter, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis has been recently introduced and is being used in different assessments for evaluating the environmental impact.

The goal is to create a connection between the BIM model and its material properties with the LCA databases in order to make possible the direct extraction of the embodied energy, carbon footprint and other environmental indicators from the BIM model. This extraction of information can be done applying certain processes and filters to the model and then used to perform the LCA in compliance with the LEED certification criteria. This will reduce a long and repetitive process of inserting all the information from the beginning into LCA tools that are already available, as the analysis itself involves a huge amount of work and checks to extract and evaluate the environmental indicators.

This process can develop into a useful tool for the environmental design of buildings and simultaneously integrating the BIM process with sustainable developments in the AEC industry.