The Potential of Digitalization for Sustainability: A Building Process Perspective
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Date
2019-10
Publication Type
Master Thesis
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
There is a potential of digitalization in improving sustainability throughout the entire building
process. One way to address this potential is through BIM-LCA integration. Life-Cycle
Assessment (LCA) is a method for analyzing the environmental impact of buildings. Building
Information Modelling (BIM) is a methodology that can help to account for LCA during the
Building Process. Current industry practice and research show that there are mainly two
approaches for BIM-LCA integration. Either the evaluation is done in a simplified way at the
beginning of the building process, or it is accounted for at the end when the needed
information is available, but it is too late for having an impact on decision-making. There is,
therefore, a lack of methods and tools for implementing BIM-LCA integration over the entire
building process. Based on this, the objectives of this study are to analyze the potential of
integration of LCA methodology in BIM practice in the Architecture, Engineering,
Construction, and Operations (AECO) industry and to define a methodology for BIM-LCA
integration in the Swiss context. For the achievement of the objectives, a parametric tool for
BIM-LCA evaluation is created and tested on a case study. The case study is provided by the
Swiss construction company Implenia AG. Through the application of the parametric tool on
the case study, it is shown that the entire building process (SIA 112, 2001) can be evaluated
for its environmental impact continuously in each Building Phase (SIA 112, 2001) while
applying an existing code structure (crb, 2012). In that way, the re-work that characterizes
most of the current LCA practices is minimized and decision-making metrics, both at Element
(SIA, 2018) and Building (MINERGIE, 2014) Levels, are provided.
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published
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Contributors
Examiner: Hall, Daniel
Examiner : Bonanomi, Marcella M. M.
Examiner : Habert, Guillaume
Examiner: Hollberg, Alexander
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Publisher
ETH Zurich
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Subject
Digitalization, Sustainability, Building Process, Building Information Modelling (BIM), Life- Cycle Assessment (LCA), Level of Development (LOD)
Organisational unit
09624 - Hall, Daniel M. (ehemalig) / Hall, Daniel M. (former)