Suggestions for the technical integration of life cycle assessment data sets of ÖKOBAUDAT into building information modeling and industry foundation classes

Abstract

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of buildings is an important evaluation method for the environmental quality of a building and its impact on climate and environment. However, the efforts required are very high and cost-intensive. Whole-building LCAs are therefore usually only used as theoretical evidence after completion of a certified building. The potential for full environmental optimization in early project phases is therefore not used in practice. New digital planning methods such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) offer the possibility of integrating and linking much of the information required for a whole-building LCA when creating a digital building model, which should be incorporated by all participants in the planning right from the start. Technical, organizational and contractual prerequisites must be (further) developed so that a whole-building LCA can be applied earlier and more easily with the aid of the BIM method. Within the framework of this work, primarily issues and their technical improvements of the official German LCA database ÖKOBAUDAT and German green building certification systems BNB/DGNB are presented. Based on the open BIM standard of the IFC data model, current fundamentals will be examined to adapt ÖKOBAUDAT aiming to simplify BIM integrated calculation of whole-building LCAs. In this context, concrete recommendations for action to extend the IFC data model and ÖKOBAUDAT will be discussed.