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How to Obtain Accurate Environmental Impacts at Early Design Stages in BIM When Using Environmental Product Declaration. A Method to Support Decision-Making

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  • Elisabetta Palumbo

    (Institute of Sustainability in Civil Engineering (INaB), RWTH Aachen University, D-52074 Aachen, Germany)

  • Bernardette Soust-Verdaguer

    (Instituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla. Reina Mercedes Avenue 2, 41012 Seville, Spain)

  • Carmen Llatas

    (Instituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla. Reina Mercedes Avenue 2, 41012 Seville, Spain)

  • Marzia Traverso

    (Institute of Sustainability in Civil Engineering (INaB), RWTH Aachen University, D-52074 Aachen, Germany)

Abstract

The construction sector plays an important role in moving towards a low-carbon economy. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is considered one of the most effective methods of analytically evaluating environmental profiles and an efficient tool for calculating the environmental impacts in building design-oriented methodologies, such as building information modelling (BIM). At early design stages, generic LCA databases are used to conduct the life cycle inventory (LCI), while detailed stages require more detailed data, such as environmental product declarations (EPDs), namely documents that provide accurate results and precise analyses based on LCA. Limitations are recognized when using EPDs in BIM elements at different levels of development (LOD) in the design stages, especially related to the data consistency and system boundaries of the LCA. This paper presents a method of achieving accurate LCA results, that helps with decision-making and provides support in the selection of building products and materials. The method is validated by its application in the structural concrete of an office building located in Germany. The method defines a safety factor adopted for embodied impacts (“cradle-to-gate”), based on EPD results to predict the environmental impact of BIM elements at different LODs. The results obtained show that by integrating the method to conduct the LCA, the range of errors and possible inconsistencies in the LCA results can be reduced.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisabetta Palumbo & Bernardette Soust-Verdaguer & Carmen Llatas & Marzia Traverso, 2020. "How to Obtain Accurate Environmental Impacts at Early Design Stages in BIM When Using Environmental Product Declaration. A Method to Support Decision-Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-24, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:6927-:d:404202
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tajda Potrč Obrecht & Martin Röck & Endrit Hoxha & Alexander Passer, 2020. "BIM and LCA Integration: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-19, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bernardette Soust-Verdaguer & Elisabetta Palumbo & Carmen Llatas & Álvaro Velasco Acevedo & María Dolores Fernández Galvéz & Endrit Hoxha & Alexander Passer, 2023. "The Use of Environmental Product Declarations of Construction Products as a Data Source to Conduct a Building Life-Cycle Assessment in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Elisabetta Palumbo, 2021. "Effect of LCA Data Sources on GBRS Reference Values: The Envelope of an Italian Passive House," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, March.
    3. Chiara Passoni & Elisabetta Palumbo & Rui Pinho & Alessandra Marini, 2022. "The LCT Challenge: Defining New Design Objectives to Increase the Sustainability of Building Retrofit Interventions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-34, July.
    4. Martin Nwodo & Chimay J. Anumba, 2021. "Exergy-Based Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings: Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-15, October.
    5. Sebastian Czernik & Marta Marcinek & Bartosz Michałowski & Michał Piasecki & Justyna Tomaszewska & Jacek Michalak, 2020. "Environmental Footprint of Cementitious Adhesives—Components of ETICS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-13, October.
    6. Luka Adanič & Sara Guerra de Oliveira & Andrej Tibaut, 2021. "BIM and Mechanical Engineering—A Cross-Disciplinary Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, April.
    7. Carlo Iapige De Gaetani & Andrea Macchi & Pasquale Perri, 2020. "Joint Analysis of Cost and Energy Savings for Preliminary Design Alternative Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    8. Francesco Asdrubali & Gianluca Grazieschi & Marta Roncone & Francesca Thiebat & Corrado Carbonaro, 2023. "Sustainability of Building Materials: Embodied Energy and Embodied Carbon of Masonry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-28, February.

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