A workflow to integrate operational and embodied aspects when implementing Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment in Building Information Modelling

Abstract

The existing environmental crisis demands increased efforts to design more sustainable buildings, which means the simultaneous balance between environmental preservation, economic growth, and social well-being. This challenging objective requires holistic methods that enable a comprehensive, multi-dimension, and quantitative approach such as allows the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). In addition, the existing context of digital transformation in the construction and building sector is increasing the use of digital tools based on the BIM methodology to support the assessment process and integrating more dimensions to guide decision-making. The present work presents a workflow that enables the calculation of the LCSA including operational and embodied aspects. The workflow proposes the building elements that should be included in the BIM model to enable the exchange of information. The workflow is focused on the Spanish context and includes the use of Revit (as BIM modeler), Dynamo (as LCSA tool), Cypetherm (as the energy demand calculator). The proposed workflow enables us to compare different design options and building materials without much effort. The study includes findings and recommendations to reduce the effort when implementing the LCSA at the early design stages.