Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings https://doi.org/10.14311/APP.2022.38.0116 Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 38:116–123, 2022 © 2022 The Author(s). Licensed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence Published by the Czech Technical University in Prague INTEGRATED SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT USING BIM Maria Teresa Henriques Alves Ferreiraa, ∗, António Aguiar Costab, José Dinis Silvestrea a University of Lisbon, Instituto Superior Técnico, Civil Engineering, CERIS, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal b BUILT Colab, Collaborative Laboratory for the Digital Built Environment, Rua de Álvares Cabral 306, 4050-041 Oporto, Portugal ∗ corresponding author: teresaferreira@tecnico.ulisboa.pt Abstract. The construction industry is responsible for 40 % of the energy consumption and 36 % of the CO2 emissions, and buildings are responsible for a significant part of energy consumption in Europe. Thus, a growing concern regarding environmental impacts in the construction sector is in place. Reducing these impacts and optimise the design process is a major priority, and technology needs to be integrated along with the design to allow for better buildings performance. Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology is one of the technologies that is revolutionising how the supply chain delivers the construction projects, allowing for an overview of the whole life cycle, keeping track of the data along the process, and potentiating more advanced simulations and supported decisions. The tool proposed in this paper aims to integrate different types of sustainability analysis, namely Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Carbon Footprint, Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Level(s) framework with BIM. This involves defining adequate Product Data Templates (PDT) and a database structure for BIM objects, including the necessary parameters to enable designers to do holistic and dynamic assessments from early design stages to a complete LCA. Also, considering the importance of using BIM to visualise different scenarios, a graphical interface will be developed to show the key sustainability indicators and support decision-making for more sustainable buildings. The results achieved show that technology must be taken to meet Climate most ambition targets and reduce the impact of construction. Keywords: Building Information Modelling, sustainability, technology, Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Cost. 1. Introduction In line with the most ambitious targets established in Paris Agreement in 2015, EU Green Deal has an am- bition of reducing carbon emissions by 55 % or more until 2030 and for Europe to be a climate-neutral continent by 2050 [1, 2]. Construction and retrofit of buildings cause substantial environmental impacts [3] due to their significant consumption of energy (40 %) and materials and energy-related greenhouse gas emis- sions (36 %) [4]. The application of environmental (LCA, including Global Warming Potential impact category) and eco- nomic (or Life Cycle Cost – LCC) Life Cycle Assess- ment (LCA) [5] to Construction are methodologies that: are recognized and standardized at the European level [6, 7], are becoming more and more important, and which are being increasingly used in this sec- tor by experts and researchers. The Life Cycle (LC) paradigm emerges, and construction materials and buildings now represent the sum of all impacts and costs in the respective LC (no longer seen as individual impact and cost). The construction industry plays a major role in the decarbonization process [3]. However, the lack of interoperability between EU targets for sustainability assessment and supply chain tools is a major issue in archive such important goals on climate issues. In Figure 1 is shown a diagram of Circular Economy principles as a circle of interaction covering all LC stages of its analysis. Applying Circular Economy principles (Figure 1), current research aims to use Sustainability indicators established in Level(s) Framework in a new construc- tion case study. This is made by using a BIM Environ- ment to complete both Economic and Environmental Assessment analyses. Circular Economy principles and BIM (Figure 2) have a common ground in their Full LC approach, and this is seen by the authors as a huge advantage that should be merged contributing to digitalization and circularity development. Level(s) is a common framework for sustainable buildings assessment across Europe, that has a whole LC approach. It considers measurement and improve- ment from design to end-of-life, covering both renova- tion and new construction [8]. Level(s) framework provides a common methodol- 116 https://doi.org/10.14311/APP.2022.38.0116 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://www.cvut.cz/en vol. 38/2022 Integrated sustainability assessment using BIM Figure 1. Circular Economy Principles. ogy for assessing the sustainability of buildings based on six macro-objectives. It contributes therefore to achieving EU and Member States policy goals in en- ergy, material use and waste, water, and indoor air quality in an LC perspective [8]. Intending to bring buildings into the Circular Econ- omy, Level(s) comprises a set of indicators, scenario tools, a data collection tool, checklists, and rating systems that allow professionals and project actors to measure buildings’ performance [9]. The aim of this research is to aggregate green ambi- tions with technology by using Building Information Modelling (BIM) software to perform building envi- ronmental impacts and help supply chains to make their decisions through the full LC of the building, covering from early design stages decisions to the end of life. This was done by developing an LCA plugin for Revit software to perform LCA and LCC calcula- tions, the plugin creates a set of parameters, each one representing an environmental or economic indicator, and does the calculation using the information and quantities from the BIM model. 2. Materials and Methods In order to answer research questions and meet the de- fined goals, the plugin proposed integrates with BIM different types of sustainability analysis in its function- alities, namely Streamlined LCA, Carbon Footprint, and LCA in Level(s) framework. Economic analy- sis is also important and the parameter to measure LCC is also integrated into the plugin. To do so, it was necessary to develop an adequate Product Data Template (PDT) for BIM objects and construction elements, including the necessary parameters to en- able designers to do holistic and dynamic assessments from early design stages to a complete LCA at the end of the design process. The objective is to give the user a set of options to perform environmental and economic calculations, nowadays there are different ways to archive so, the aim is to give the user different functionalities that correspond to different ways to Figure 2. BIM – Full Life Cycle approach. get the LCA results for the user to choose the best one that fits its project objectives. To perform an LCA based on Level(s) framework analysis, the corresponding indicators were studied to find which ones can be read within a BIM Envi- ronment, in BIM Object or elements, and possibly converted into parameters of analysis in the scope of LCA studies. From the six Level(s) Macro objectives, the ones necessary for an LCA analysis were selected: objec- tive 1 – Greenhouse gas emissions along building life cycle, covering LC Global Warming Potential; and objective 6, Optimized LCC and value. From the analysis of these macro-objectives, the following in- dicator was considered to do Level(s) LCA: Global Warming Potential (GWP) measuring the CO2 emis- sions. To go further on the cradle to grave LCA analysis as recommended by EU [10] on the stan- dard EN15804:2012+A2:2019 [11], the following in- dicators were also addressed: Abiotic Depletion Po- tential for fossil fuels (ADPE), Abiotic Depletion Po- tential of Materials (ADPM), Acidification Potential (AP), Eutrophication Potential (EP), Ozone Deple- tion Potential (ODP), Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential (POCP), Water (user) deprivation potential, deprivation-weighted water consumption (WDP). To reach macro-objective 6 Optimized Life Cycle Cost and Value indicator, product and construction stages, use stage, and end of life stage, containing parameters for initial costs, annual costs, and periodic costs, were considered to measure LCC. 2.1. Plugin Functionalities Mentioned indicators are read in the construction BIM elements/objects and can be analyzed directly within a BIM software. The BIM-based environment chosen to apply the plugin was Autodesk Revit. Plugin functionalities were divided into four main topics, following the areas of research; (I) Streamlined LCA; (II) Carbon Footprint; (III) Level(s) LCA; (IV) Cost. 117 M. T. H. A. Ferreira, A. Aguiar Costa, J. D. Silvestre Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings Figure 3. Plugin Functionalities with indicators. In Figure 3 is possible to find core indicators per cat- egory of analysis. Those indicators will be converted to parameters to be read by Revit shared parameters. 2.2. Parametrization and Product Data Template (PDT) The definition of an adequate PDT [12] structure for BIM objects was necessary to correctly convert indica- tors to parameters to be read in a BIM environment. Table 1 shows the proposed PDT including the new shared parameters with the objective of allocating the data need to perform the LCA calculations and analysis. 2.3. Framework for BIM LCA LCC Analysis Tables 2–4 show LC stages for Production, Construc- tion, Use and End of Life from A to D Modules. The analytical calculation of the environmental im- pacts of the project on the production and construc- tion phase (A1–A5 modules) is presented in Equa- tion (1) [13]: Streamlined LCA A1–A3︷ ︸︸ ︷ EI M Cx = i∑ a=1 (QMa × EI M a ) + Complete LCA︷ ︸︸ ︷ A4︷ ︸︸ ︷ j∑ b=1 (DVb × n × EI V b ) + A5︷ ︸︸ ︷ k∑ c=1 (QConc × EI Con c ) + L × [A1 − A3], (1) EI M Cx environmental impact of category x resulting from the manufacturing and construction phase (A1–A5 modules); i, j, k number of existing materials i, transportation j, and construction utilities k; QMa quantity of material a; EI Ma environmental impact (of category x) of material a; DVb distance from the supplier to the construction site, multiplied by the number of travels (n); EI Vb environmental impact (of category x) of transportation b; QConc consumption of utility c throughout the construction (e.g., electricity [kWh], gas [MJ], water [m3]); EI Conc environmental impact (of category x) of utility c; L percentage of wasted materials during the construction phase. The analytic calculation of the economic impacts of the project, on the production and construction phase 118 vol. 38/2022 Integrated sustainability assessment using BIM Indicator/ Parameter Name Stream- lined LCA Complete LCA Level(s) LCA Carbon Foot- print Level(s) LCC BIM Objects/ Elements Project Details Units ADPE x x x - - x - MJ ADPM x x x - - x - kg Sb eq PE-Re x x - - - x - MJ PE-NRe x x - - - x - MJ AP x x x - - x - kg SO2 eq EP x x x - - x - kg PO3−4 eq ODP x x x - - x - kg R-11 eq POCP x x x - - x - kg C2H4 WDP - - x - - x - m 3 world eq deprived GWP x x x x - x - kg CO2 eq LCC-IC - - - - x x - €/m2/yr LCC-AC - - - - x x - €/m2/yr LCC-PC - - - - x x - €/m2/yr LCC-EoL - - - - x x - €/m2/yr Durability - x - - - x - yr Density - x - - - x - ρ = m/V Building’s Service Life - x - - - - x yr Transportation Type - x - - - - x Transportation Distance - x - - - - x km Utilities used - x x - - - x Waste generated - x x - - - x Table 1. Proposed PDT. Raw Material Supply Transport Manufacturing Construction installation Production A1 A2 A3 - Construction - A4 - A5 Table 2. LC stages A Modules/Production & Construction Stages. Use Maintenance Repair Replacement Refurbishment Operational OperationalEnergy Use Water Use Use stage B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 Table 3. LC stages B Modules/Use Stage. Deconstruction, demolition Transport Waste Processing Disposal Reuse, Recycling, or energy recovery potentials End of Life stage C1 C2 C3 C4 D Table 4. LC stages C/D Modules / End of Life. 119 M. T. H. A. Ferreira, A. Aguiar Costa, J. D. Silvestre Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings (A1–A5 modules) is presented in Equation (2): Streamlined LCC A1–A3︷ ︸︸ ︷ C M C = i∑ a=1 (QMa × AC M a ) + Complete LCC︷ ︸︸ ︷ A5︷ ︸︸ ︷ j∑ b=1 (QMb × C C2B b ) + k∑ c=1 (QConc × C Con c ) + L × [A1 − A3], (2) C M C costs resulting from the manufacturing and construction phase (A1–A5 modules); i, j, k number of existing materials i, j and construction utilities k; QMa , QMb quantity of materials a or b used in the construction; AC Ma the acquisition cost of material a; C C2Bb cost to build/assemble construction elements (e.g., cost to apply 1 m 2 of mortar); QConc consumption of utility c throughout the construction; C Conc cost of utility c; L percentage of wasted materials during the construction phase. 3. Results In this article was developed an innovative approach for a Level(s) LCA methodology analysis and its inte- gration into a BIM Plugin. In this way, Designers are enabled to perform a holis- tic and dynamic assessment from early design stages to a complete LCA, and rapidly visualize different scenarios, using core sustainability indicators. The innovative nature of the approach of the current plugin is that Level(s) LCA framework is integrated into BIM and gives the users the possibility to choose which type of analysis they will want to perform, in- cluding Streamlined LCA, Carbon Footprint, Level(s) LCA and Cost (LCC) (Figure 4). Also, considering the importance of using BIM to visualize different scenarios, a graphical interface was developed to show the key sustainability indicators and support decision-making for more sustainable buildings. 3.1. Buildings Assessment Information An example of environmental information read in Revit regarding exterior double brick walls with insu- lation is illustrated in Figure 5. It is possible to see the shared parameters for the LCA analysis inserted in Revit. Figure 7 explains the workflow of the LCA plugin, per analysis, and shows the connections, once one analysis is finalized, to go further/ deeper in the LCA analysis. Using the case study of a new family swelling, the authors ran the plugin for exterior walls. According to the workflow in Figure 7, the first step is to choose the stage of the project development, either Conceptual Design (Level 1) or Detail Design (Level 2) stages. If level 2 is chosen, then the user is asked which function- ality of the plugin he would like to perform (Figure 4). If he chooses, for example, Level(s) LCA, the shared parameters corresponding to the environmental indi- cator of analysis, Table 1, are loaded into the BIM Model and the data from the database is loaded to the project to be assembled to the correspondent elements, for example, a wall, Figure 5. The environmental data is stored in the properties of the BIM family and read also in the plugin. The next step is to perform the cor- responding calculations, which are done automatically by the plugin following analytic models presented in Section 2.3; for this example Equation (1) is being used. Results can be exported both to excel and 3D visualization with a colour scheme, as presented in Figure 6 for the exterior walls sample. 4. Discussion The potential of disruptive technologies, such as Build- ing Information Modelling (BIM), changes how the assessment of its sustainability is conducted [14]. LC existing tools/platforms for BIM available in the market that integrate sustainability analysis for building Design were already analyzed by the authors, i.e. Tally and One Click LCA. From that analysis, several gaps, lack of interoperability between tools, limited parameters of analysis, limited databases, and lack of BIM libraries were found. Regarding the Digitalization of Construction, the development of the proposed methodology and tool is fundamental to supporting the performance-driven architectural design of buildings [15]. Following the re- sults presented, the authors believe that a user-friendly tool to make simulations of different sustainability analyses helps Designers and supply chains to make choices with lower environmental impact. The time and effort of Level(s) LCA are reduced, and a graphic user interface would provide the decision-making sup- port for the design of sustainable buildings. For future research, the idea is to build a plugin that is flexible enough to address new indicators and analysis in its functionalities and also remove the 120 vol. 38/2022 Integrated sustainability assessment using BIM Figure 4. Plugin functionalities options. Figure 5. Environmental Impacts incorporated in shared parameters of a wall in Revit. Figure 6. Level(GWP) analysis complete 3D results for a wall. 121 M. T. H. A. Ferreira, A. Aguiar Costa, J. D. Silvestre Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings Figure 7. Workflow scheme of the LCA Plugin. ones that with the following developments will be made redundant. It is also possible to expand the proposed methodology to assess other methods such as LEED, BREAM, WELLS, or others but some of them have methods of analysis not quantitative and that is a limitation to where this plugin can automatically grow and specified engineering consultants is required to fulfill all the requirements of specified schemes. 5. Conclusion The application of BIM can simplify Level(s) imple- mentation by systematizing the approach and acceler- ating access to data. The integration of different types of sustainability analysis, namely Streamlined LCA, Carbon Footprint, LCC, LCA/ Level(s) framework, and LCC with BIM enable Designers and the Construction industry to easily integrate and see the environmental impacts of their buildings, and possible study better alterna- tives and actively collaborate to reduce the impact of the construction industry on the important Climate Change issues. Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS) research unit, funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and the scholarships attributed to the first author with the references UI/BD/153398/2022. The authors would also like to thank the support through the Circular EcoBIM project, funded by EEA Grants within the Environment programme. Finally, the authors would like to demonstrate their gratitude to the design office “Atelier dos Remédios” and Prof. Dr. Francisco T. 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[11] EN15804:2012+A2:2019, Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product declarations – Core rules for the product category of construction products. [12] M. Signorini, S. Frigeni. Development of a BIM-based product data template for sustainability. Master’s thesis, Politecnico di Milano, ARC I – Scuola di Architettura Urbanistica Ingegneria delle Costruzioni, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10589/143041 [13] R. Santos, A. A. Costa, J. D. Silvestre, L. Pyl. Integration of LCA and LCC analysis within a BIM-based environment. Automation in Construction 103:127–149, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2019.02.011 [14] R. Santos, A. A. Costa, J. D. Silvestre, L. Pyl. Informetric analysis and review of literature on the role of BIM in sustainable construction. Automation in Construction 103:221–234, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2019.02.022 [15] X. Shi, W. Yang. Performance-driven architectural design and optimization technique from a perspective of architects. Automation in Construction 32:125–135, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2013.01.015 123 https://doi.org/10.2779/79139 https://doi.org/10.2779/19010 http://hdl.handle.net/10589/143041 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2019.02.011 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2019.02.022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2013.01.015 Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 38:116–123, 2022 1 Introduction 2 Materials and Methods 2.1 Plugin Functionalities 2.2 Parametrization and Product Data Template (PDT) 2.3 Framework for BIM LCA LCC Analysis 3 Results 3.1 Buildings Assessment Information 4 Discussion 5 Conclusion Acknowledgements References