BIM LCA: BIM and Environmental Assessment Analysis

If you’re wondering whether it is possible to be technologically and digitally advanced while also being eco-sustainable, the answer is yes, and the explanation lies in BIM for sustainability.

The BIM Sustainability Analysis is the application of the BIM methodology to the environmental evaluation process of the project. Operationally, it is a process that uses the geometric, quantitative, and informational data of the BIM model to assess the environmental performance of a building and, when integrated with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), allows for the estimation of impacts associated with materials, construction, use, maintenance, and end-of-life of the work.

In a previous article, we discussed various BIM uses, including the assessment of the project’s environmental sustainability, also known as Sustainability Analysis.

In this article, we will delve into this specific use of BIM, namely its importance in one of the cornerstone aspects of good design: environmental sustainability.

What is the relationship between sustainability and the construction sector?

It is now widely known that the construction sector is highly energy-intensive, responsible for 36% of energy consumption and 39% of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. The AEC sector still needs to make an effort and enhance its green approach to reduce the negative impact it has on the Earth and improve the sustainability of its projects.

The concept of sustainability indeed encompasses multiple areas of the design sphere and must be pursued by analyzing and improving the impacts of interventions in terms of economic, social, and environmental aspects. Such analysis should not be limited to the time of implementation of interventions but should also be conducted during the useful life of the interventions themselves and during their decommissioning.

Seeking sustainability in the construction sector means achieving a balance between the requirements in the aforementioned areas (economic, social, and environmental) and doing so at different stages of the asset’s life cycle.

Despite the current situation not being the brightest and the regulatory framework not yet defined, design is increasingly moving in a green direction, seeking dialogue between man and nature. However, sustainability in construction, understood as compliance with specific environmental standards, must strive for an integrated and holistic approach.

The very term “integrated” suggests the added value that BIM, as an integrated design process, can bring to the sustainability of projects in the AEC sector.

What is meant by BIM-based sustainability analysis?

The BIM Sustainability Analysis refers to the application of the BIM methodology to the environmental evaluation process of the project, according to the LEED classification system or other sustainability criteria.

The more “computerized” the design process is, the more it can follow the “green” path.

Sustainable information management

In other words, to design with an eye toward environmental sustainability, it is necessary to manage a considerable amount of information regarding the data derived from the choices made and related to environmental, economic, and social impacts.

It is clear that consciously managing all the information related to the sustainability of various interventions through a traditional design process is not at all easy.

In contrast, BIM represents by definition an integrated design process, through which a BIM model rich in information can be easily managed in a way that is:

• integrated;
• intelligent;
• interoperable;
• multidisciplinary.

The BIM Sustainability Analysis allows for the integrated management of a complex system of information related to different technological systems and concerning the various phases of the asset’s life cycle.

What is the relationship between BIM Sustainability Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an analytical and systematic methodology that evaluates the environmental footprint of a product or service, or in our case an asset, throughout its entire life cycle, from the material production phase to installation and commissioning, up to disposal.

Life Cycle Assessment

If we imagine carrying out this assessment by integrating the BIM methodology, it is not hard to envision how easier and more powerful the management of the diverse amount of data related to environmental impact assessment through LCA is.

The BIM-LCA combination allows us to provide, during the design phase, information on the sustainability of all the design choices made, concerning the various stages of the life cycle of the asset.

The point lies in the complexity and the volume of data and information that must be managed when assessing environmental sustainability and how BIM is capable of doing it effectively and relatively simply. Analyzing the LCA procedure in more detail, regulated by ISO 14040 (2006), we see how it is structured in four phases:

1. Goal and scope definition: definition of the product, its application, and the assumptions for the LCA study;
2. Inventory analysis: definition of a flow diagram that describes the entire life cycle of the product;
3. Life cycle impact assessment: assessment of the impact on the environment;
4. Interpretation of the results: assessment of the life cycle phases or components that contribute most significantly in terms of environmental impact.

It is evident that, in the AEC sector, the amount of data to be managed is extremely high, due to the use of different types of materials, systems, plants, etc. The capabilities of BIM to store and manage information even in large quantities and related to the various stages of the life cycle, offer the possibility to support the decision-making process of the design, pursuing a life cycle approach that integrates environmental impact information of individual components into BIM models.

In this way, the project team can fully assess the environmental impact of a building throughout its entire life cycle, from material production, through installation and commissioning, to decommissioning.

The BIM Sustainability Analysis thus enhances the performance of the asset during all phases of its life cycle, as every aspect (plant, lighting, energy, etc.) is consciously evaluated based on a dense system of related data that allows the team to shift towards sustainable choices.

Building life cycle analysis BIM

What is the potential value of applying BIM in Sustainability Analysis?

The possible added values that could arise from the application of BIM in sustainability analysis are numerous and should not be underestimated.

The introduction of this specific BIM use into your project:

• facilitates the interaction, collaboration, and coordination of team members from the earliest stages of the design process, which in turn facilitates the realization of sustainable projects;
• allows for timely and reliable evaluation of design alternatives in order to lean towards more sustainable choices;
• makes “critical” information available during the design phase that helps resolve any conflicts efficiently from both economic and environmental perspectives;
• shortens the sustainable design process;
• ensures better project quality and optimizes the building’s energy performance.

Conversely, the resources and skills needed to implement it are:

• familiarity with BIM authoring software and sustainability assessment criteria monitoring software;
• 3D modeling skills;
• knowledge of updated sustainability assessment criteria;
• ability to organize and manage informational databases.

The BIM-LCA integration requires structured informational models, reliable environmental data, and specialized skills. However, when the workflow is correctly organized, it can automate part of the processing and make the comparison between design alternatives faster.

How does BIM facilitate sustainability analysis?

BIM facilitates sustainability analysis in many different ways.

Firstly, through BIM methodology, it is possible to collect data and information as the design process progresses, allowing designers to begin analyzing the performance of a building from the outset.

Information related to recycled material content, potential reuse of components, product sourcing, and end-of-life scenarios can be associated with objects. However, this data is not automatically determined by BIM: it must be entered, imported, or linked to reliable informational sources.

Simulation tools can also be used to evaluate energy performance, natural lighting, comfort, and the potential contribution of renewable energy sources in a specific context.

The analysis of three-dimensional models and collaboration among different stakeholders help develop a project that is more environmentally conscious.

The energy analysis and LCA must, however, be considered as different and complementary activities. The former mainly evaluates the building’s energy behavior during use; the latter considers a broader range of impacts and may also include materials, construction, maintenance, and end of life.

Therefore, green BIM can provide significant contributions to the transition towards a more sustainable built environment, providing designers with useful data to assess the consequences of their decisions.

BIM and LCA: Practical Example of Sustainability Analysis

A practical example of BIM Sustainability Analysis concerns the use of usBIM.sustainability to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of two construction alternatives planned as part of an improvement project on the ACCA headquarters.

The case study was developed on a modern office building designed in harmony with the surrounding environment and with particular attention to energy efficiency, the well-being of people, and the quality of workspaces.

The complex has a total area of about 30,000 m² and is articulated in four blocks distributed over two levels, housing more than 250 employees.

The objective of the analysis was to clearly, measurably, and verifiably compare two design alternatives, assessing both their environmental impacts through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the economic impacts using Life Cycle Costing (LCC).

The results obtained supported the selection of materials and construction products to be used in the intervention, allowing the project team to analyze the data through interactive dashboards and identify the most advantageous solutions from both an environmental and economic perspective.

The sources of the process: Edificius model, PriMus IFC estimate, and EPD

The workflow of usBIM.sustainability was built from three data sources already present in the design practice:

• the BIM model of the building, created with Edificius and exported in IFC format;
• the estimate, produced and linked to the model using PriMus IFC;
• the Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) of materials and construction products.

The first source is represented by the BIM model developed in Edificius. The model contains the geometric, physical, functional, and performance information of the architectural structure.

Once exported in IFC format, the model represents the digital representation of the building, but at the initial stage, it does not yet contain the values related to environmental impacts and life cycle costs. These parameters are subsequently calculated through usBIM.sustainability and associated with the elements of the model.

The second source consists of the estimate, dynamically generated from the IFC model using PriMus IFC.

BIM objects are linked to the measurement rows and the price list items. The latter contain detailed information about the resources needed for the execution of individual works, including materials, equipment, and labor.

This connection allows for higher informational granularity without requiring the designer to explicitly model every single resource within the BIM model. Detailed information can indeed be derived from the price analysis associated with the works.

The third source consisted of the EPD of the products under evaluation. The environmental declarations contained the technical data and indicators regarding the impacts generated by the products during the different phases of the life cycle.

openBIM Workflow for sustainable analysis

The integration of data with openBIM, Business Intelligence, and artificial intelligence

The main innovative element of usBIM.sustainability consists of the ability to extract, link, and aggregate data from heterogeneous sources.

The IFC model, the metric estimation, and the EPDs are collected within a Common Data Environment (CDE), that is, a data sharing environment in which the documents and files necessary for analysis are organized.

The platform uses Business Intelligence and artificial intelligence technologies to transform information coming from different sources into a relational dataset structured according to openBIM criteria.

To build this dataset, specific join operations must be performed, through which data belonging to different systems are linked via common fields.

The linkage between the IFC model and the cost estimate is made using the GlobalId, the unique identifier assigned to each object in the IFC schema.

Thanks to the GlobalId, the system can relate each element of the model to the corresponding measurement lines, processing, and resources present in the metrics.

The linkage between the cost estimate and the product environmental declarations is instead supported by artificial intelligence.

Semantic recognition technologies analyze the descriptions of processing, materials, and products present in the price analyses and search for matches with the information contained in the EPDs.

In this way, the environmental values of the product declarations can flow into the dataset along with the quantities derived from the model and the economic data of the estimation.

The association proposed by artificial intelligence must still be verified by the technician, especially when descriptions are generic, when specific information is lacking, or when multiple products have similar characteristics.

The result is a unique dataset in which each BIM object can be related to:

• its geometric and informative characteristics;
• the quantities of processing;
• the resources used;
• the costs;
• the environmental data of the materials;
• the indicators necessary for LCA and LCC analyses.

The calculation of LCA and LCC impacts

Once the dataset is built, usBIM.sustainability applies Business Intelligence logics to process the data and perform the analytical queries necessary for impact calculation.

The system can also analyze large amounts of information and return environmental and economic values related to individual materials, construction elements, processes, or the entire building.

Among the calculated and aggregated data are:

• the costs of processes and materials;
• the emissions expressed in CO₂ equivalent;
• the environmental indicators contained in the EPDs;
• the quantities of recyclable and non-recyclable materials;
• the impacts associated with the different components of the building;
• the overall results of the design alternatives;
• the costs related to the different phases of the life cycle.

The integrated availability of LCA and LCC data allows for avoiding that environmental evaluation and economic evaluation are conducted through separate and uncoordinated processes.

The team can thus verify if a solution characterized by a lower environmental impact entails higher or lower costs over the life cycle and compare the alternatives through homogeneous criteria.

The dashboards to compare costs, emissions, and alternatives

The results processed by usBIM.sustainability are collected in interactive dashboards, designed to make environmental and economic data readable and navigable.

Through the dashboards, it is possible to:

• compare multiple design scenarios;
• analyze costs and CO₂ equivalent emissions;
• select specific environmental indicators;
• filter results by material, product, or processing;
• aggregate or disaggregate data at different levels;
• visualize the relationships between quantities, costs, and impacts;
• navigate the three-dimensional model of the building;
• identify the elements that most affect the results;
• distinguish recyclable materials from non-recyclable ones;
• extend evaluations from the scale of the element to that of the entire building or territory.

The main operational advantage of the dashboards is the possibility to transition from the overall value to the single BIM object.

The designer can observe, for example, the total emissions associated with a specific alternative and subsequently trace back to the elements, materials, or processes that contribute most to the result.

The three-dimensional navigation also allows for direct selection of a model element, such as an insulation material or a component of the envelope, and to consult its environmental, economic, and recyclability values.

This consultation mode makes it easier to identify critical issues and verify the effects of a material replacement or a design modification before the implementation of the intervention.

Thus, the dashboards are not just a visualization tool; they serve as a support for the decision-making process based on measurable and comparable data.

The enhancement of the IFC 4.3 model with environmental and economic results

After the calculation, the results of the LCA and LCC analyses are reported in the IFC model in the form of properties associated with the objects.

The model is therefore not used exclusively as a source to extract geometries and quantities, but becomes a centralized digital container in which the following data converge:

• geometric;
• physical;
• functional;
• performance;
• economic;
• environmental;
• related to the recyclability and circularity of materials.

For specific indicators, such as CO_₂ equivalent, usBIM.sustainability can generate properties consistent with the informational structures provided by the IFC 4.3 schema, associating the results with the relevant elements.

The return of data to the model requires a prior definition of information requirements and a correct mapping between calculated indicators and IFC properties.

Not all values can be automatically considered standardized: it is necessary to establish which properties to use, with which units of measurement and according to which rules to associate data with objects.

Once this configuration is made, the enriched IFC model can be reused in subsequent design phases, control activities, or further assessments related to the building.

The calculated data does not remain isolated in the analysis platform but is returned within the openBIM informational process.

Validation with IDS and buildingSMART Data Dictionary

The last phase of the workflow concerns the verification of the quality and completeness of the information introduced into the IFC model.

Validation is carried out through a process based on the Information Delivery Specification (IDS), the standard used to define in a computer-interpretable form the informational requirements that the model objects must meet.

For the case study, an IDS document was prepared containing the informational specifications necessary for the BIM LCA and LCC analyses.

The document included about 20 informational specifications and over 100 requirements to check on the BIM objects.

The requirements concerned, among other aspects:

• the presence of environmental data;
• economic values;
• the indicators required for the analyses;
• information on recyclability;
• properties related to circularity;
• references to data sources;
• the correct association of properties to elements.

To extend the informational content of the model, shared concepts and properties were also used through the buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD).

The bSDD allows for the definition and use of common terms, classifications, and properties, reducing ambiguities in the description of the information.

The classification used in the case study included more than 20 properties and was linked to the results of the research project Recycle BIM, dedicated to the development of digital tools and data-driven strategies to improve the circularity of building materials.

The IDS check verifies that the requested information is present, correctly structured, and associated with the intended objects.

However, validation does not independently certify the scientific correctness of the BIM LCA results or the representativeness of the EPDs used. These aspects must be verified separately by the technician responsible for the analysis.

Validation and enrichment of the IFC model

The results obtained by applying usBIM.sustainability at the ACCA headquarters

The application of usBIM.sustainability at the ACCA headquarters has allowed for the comparison of construction alternatives through homogeneous, traceable, and consultable environmental and economic data within a single workflow.

The process has made it possible to:

• reuse information already present in the Common Data Environment;
• link the IFC model, the quantity takeoff, and the EPD;
• reduce the duplication of sources;
• limit manual processing;
• decrease the risk of errors in data transcription and aggregation;
• analyze quantities, costs, and environmental impacts jointly;
• identify the most impactful materials and elements;
• compare design alternatives based on quantitative data;
• visualize the results through interactive dashboards;
• update the informational content of the IFC model;
• automatically verify the presence of requirements through IDS.

The case study demonstrates how the integration of openBIM, usBIM.sustainability, Business Intelligence, and artificial intelligence can transform fragmented and distributed data across different applications into information useful for design decisions.

The value of the process lies not only in the calculation of an overall environmental or economic indicator. The ability to trace back from the result to the individual element allows understanding which materials, products, or processes determine the most significant impacts.

In this way, the team can promptly compare multiple solutions, verify the consequences of their choices, and update the analysis during the evolution of the project.

A workflow of this type requires consistent IFC models, structured quantity takeoffs, relevant EPDs, shared classifications, and reliable rules to link the various sources.

When these conditions are met, usBIM.sustainability and openBIM standards allow for making LCA and LCC analyses more integrated, traceable, and updatable, transforming the informational model into a database usable for new assessments and subsequent phases of the life cycle of the project.

Why integrate BIM and LCA in design choices?

The integration of BIM and LCA allows for the transformation of data already produced during the design phase into useful information to evaluate and compare the environmental performance of different solutions. BIM does not replace the LCA methodology and does not automatically make a building sustainable but allows for organizing quantities, materials, technical characteristics, and economic information within a more structured, traceable, and updatable process.

As the case study shows, the connection between the IFC model, the estimated quantity takeoff, and the EPD can support the calculation of impacts, the interpretation of results through dashboards, and the informational enrichment of BIM objects. The designer can thus identify the most impactful components, compare construction alternatives, and verify the consequences of their decisions before the realization of the project.

To achieve reliable results, the quality of the model, the correct definition of the analysis boundaries, the reliability of environmental data, and the verification of associations between BIM elements and LCA datasets remain essential.

The BIM Sustainability Analysis thus represents a concrete support for the decision-making process: it makes environmental assessments more integrated with design and helps the team to steer choices towards measurable, verifiable, and potentially more sustainable solutions. To make the management of the data that feeds these evaluations more structured and traceable, it is possible to use a Common Data Environment in which to centralize IFC models, documents, and project information. Discover how usBIM.platform supports the sharing and collaborative management of data in BIM processes.

FAQ on BIM Sustainability Analysis

What BIM data is needed to perform an LCA analysis?

Mainly data related to quantities, materials, stratifications, components, useful life, and replacement scenarios are needed. These must be associated with environmental data from EPD or LCA databases.

Are BIM and LCA the same thing?

No. BIM is a methodology for the informational management of the project, while LCA is a method for assessing environmental impacts throughout the life cycle. BIM can provide and organize part of the data necessary for LCA.

What is the difference between LCA analysis and energy analysis?

Energy analysis mainly evaluates consumption and performance during the use phase. LCA also considers the impacts associated with materials, production, construction, maintenance, and end of life.

Does the LCA analysis update automatically when the BIM model changes?

Not always. The update can be partially automated, but it depends on the quality of the model, the correct association between objects and datasets, and the interoperability between the software used.

What are the main advantages of BIM-LCA integration?

The main advantages are the structured management of quantities, data traceability, speed in comparing variants, and the ability to anticipate environmental assessments in the early stages of the project.