Decision Building Information Modeling (BIM)-Supported Tools for a Fair Transition Towards More Environmentally Sustainable Buildings

Identifier:  TDX:4189

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX4189

Authors:  Norouzi, Masoud

Abstract:
The building sector is a significant contributor to environmental challenges such as energy consumption, climate change, and resource depletion. Decision Support Tools (DSTs) such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) are used to facilitate a fair transition towards environmental sustainability in the buildings. The current application of LCA for a whole building still faces some methodological challenges and implementation issues. To properly understand the environmental impacts of buildings, practitioners need to apply reliable data in their LCA workflow, such as the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) scheme. Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Building Energy Modelling (BEM) methodologies can support decision-making processes through a set of applications and procedures that enable the generation and management of project information. The integration of these tools into LCA methodology can enable a more precise application from the design phase to the end-of-life phase, as traditional LCA is a very time-consuming task. To model future and long-term solutions, it is highly necessary to conduct a Dynamic LCA (DLCA) methodology. This thesis proposes a design improvement framework that enhances the environmental performance towards more sustainable buildings by incorporating of BIM, BEM, and EPD approaches. The framework can also provide practitioners with decision support tools for environmental sustainability evaluation of building models while considering future short- or long-term assessments.