Building information modelling (BIM) application at early design stages with consideration of LCA and LCCA

The construction industry has significant environmental and economic impacts due to its consumption of resources and energy. Integration of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) with building information modelling (BIM) has become a useful method in assessing the environmental and economic impacts of buildings. In the early design stages, limited availability of information leads to inaccurate LCA and LCCA calculations at this stage. As a result, designers are left without proper feedback on environmental and financial impact of their designs. The use of BIM may have potential to remedy this situation by providing sufficient information needed for impactful LCA and LCCA calculations leading to more sustainable design choices. Using a case study building, this research demonstrates LCA and LCCA application within a BIM framework with emphasis towards early design stages. The study assesses the environmental impacts and the cost of concrete in the building life cycle at an early stage of design where level of development (LOD) is generally low. LCA results show that the pre-use phase of concrete contributes to the highest environmental impacts, namely in global warming potential (GWP). The environmental impacts of other processes in the construction and end-of-life phases are considerably low compared to the pre-use phase. LCCA results show that demolition and disposal of concrete waste in the end-of-life phase have major contributions to the total life cycle budget of concrete. The study was a proof-of-concept showing that LCA and LCCA can be used alongside BIM to help decision-makers make better decisions regarding the environmental and cost footprint of any building throughout its life cycle.