Promoting Sustainable Design Through Life-Cycle Assessment Applications
Case Studies
The following section provides examples that illustrate the importance of LCA, demonstrate that top architectural firms are using LCA on major projects, and highlight the magnitude of benefits realized from LCA, particularly with the use of BIM-integrated life-cycle analysis tools.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that people are beginning to realize that environmental impacts do not come from operations alone. As the value of LCA in the context of sustainable building practices is becoming more widely acknowledged, architects need to find the tools and resources to conduct analyses throughout the entire life cycle of a project in order to gain the greatest benefit for both the owner and the environment as a whole. If there’s one takeaway from the lessons of this course, it is the imperative architects have to influence their clients, staff, or students to care about LCA.
Resources
Cole, Raymond. “Transitioning from green to regenerative design.” Building Research and Information, 40.1 (2012): 39–53. Print.
Rowe, Jonathan. “New Tools for Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment.” Triple Pundit. 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 March 2017. www.triplepundit.com/2013/10/keeping-pace-speed-design-new-tools-building-life-cycle-assessment.
Simonen, Kathrina. Life Cycle Assessment. Pocket Architecture: Technical Design Series. Routledge. © 2014 Kathrina Simonen. Print.
Robyn M. Feller is a freelance writer and editor specializing in the architecture, design, and construction industry. www.linkedin.com/in/robynfeller
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Tally® is the first life-cycle assessment application that calculates the environmental impacts of building material selections directly in an Autodesk® Revit® model. It has been used by hundreds of designers to conduct whole-building LCAs and build more sustainably in accordance with LEEDv4 and other rating systems. Trials are available at choosetally.com. |