Building Environmental Assessment Tools Research Articles

A Review of the Environmental Impact of Buildings with an Emphasis on Performance Assessment Tools and Their Incorporation of LCA

Background. The environmental performance of buildings has been a focus of interest over the years in the building sector. Numerous building environmental assessment tools (BEA) have evolved to follow the lead of sustainability by updating categories and criteria from a lifecycle perspective. Therefore, it is timely to review the existing methods that already integrated LCA in their processes. The purpose of this study unfolds in three ways: (1) to review the existing BEA methods and LCA studies in residential buildings, (2) to compare the most adopted BEA methods, and (3) to study the integration of LCA and sustainability aspects applied within each selected BEA method. Methods. Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched for articles published between August 2010 and August 2021 in English. To identify studies and to conduct this review, four keywords, namely “Building Assessment Tools,” “Residential Building,” “LCA,” and “Sustainability” (and their derivatives), were used. The articles were searched so that all four keywords or at least a derivative of each keyword would appear. Furthermore, the outcomes of the database search were categorized as LCA and BEA for the review. Moreover, the seven most adopted rating systems were selected for review and comparison based on (1) the scope of buildings assessed, (2) lifecycle phases assessed, (3) assessment criteria, and (4) the user of tools. Findings. Of the 42 articles that met the enclosure criteria, 20 articles covered the environmental impact and 22 articles covered LCA. The review reveals that most of the analyzed systems focus more on the operational stage than on the other stages. Each BEA method is diverse in terms of its users, criteria, and regions and creates a niche among assessment methods. Conclusions. The main conclusion of this study is that a great deal of work is required to achieve the goal of making the existing “environmental” building assessment tools more sustainable. At the same time, a focus on the better implementation of LCA functionalities at each stage and a complement by integrating socioeconomic-based LCA models were also required.

Potential Review on Energy Analysis Attributes for in 6 Dimension Application in Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Rapid advancement on digitalisation is changing the way buildings are planned, designed, built and managed nowadays. A collaborative computer-based environment known as Building Information Modelling (BIM) is one of the advancements introduced as a platform to boost up the efficiency of the construction industry. However, poorly designed, constructed and managed building or infrastructure contribute to environmental issues such as CO2 emissions and energy consumption. Thus, attachment of sustainability element in BIM not only increase the efficiency of the project but also can help to plan, design and construct in a more environmentally friendly way. A study on the overall energy use throughout the construction life cycle is needed to identify the most critical stages and to develop energy-reduction strategies via BIM. Thus, this paper provides an intensive review of BIM understanding, its energy analysis practices in the construction phase and existing building environmental assessment tools in BIM. To achieve this, an in-depth review was carried out focusing on the content analysis of a few journal articles related to BIM, energy analysis and sustainability assessment tool. Hence, this paper contributes by discussing the wide variety of building environmental assessment instruments and categorising existing tools to be used in the BIM.

Technical Evaluation of BREEAM-International-NC-2016 for Rating of Sustainable New Construction Outside the UK

Worldwide, all the current sustainable rating systems are targeting fair and applicable rating criteria and conditions to best matching the circumstances and sustainable needs of every nation for their environmental conditions, equity needs, and economic concerns. This paper is made to evaluate & measure the compliance of BREEAM-International-NC-2016 sustainable rating system with the sustainability concerns of the new construction market outside the UK through considering Egypt as an example and conducting a detailed comparative analysis between the BREEAM-International-NC-2016 sustainable rating system and the authors' proposed sustainable rating system for new construction in Egypt (Bonna, Hazem (2018)) to highlight most of the missing sustainability rating elements which are necessary for Egypt and not found within the BREEAM-International-NC-2016 rating system. Sev considered that international building assessment tools have difficulties in their implementation in developing countries lacking regional adaptations. The author also added that most of the well-known building environmental assessment tools are not flexible for cultural and regional variations.

An “Environmental BIM” Approach for the Architectural Schematic Design Stage

Considering the advantages allowed by BIM in relation to collaborative work, production of data and interoperability, the main objective of this research is to investigate the possibilities opened by BIM methodology into the integration of the environmental dimension of sustainability into schematic stage of an architectural design process. Through the study of building environmental performance assessment tools BREEAM and LEED, a set of ten environmental criteria to be applied into the schematic stage and managed by BIM, have been identified. Activities and information exchanges involved where describe both graphically (process maps) and textually (exchanges requirements). The integration of each criterion workflow into a BIM environment allowed for a complete automation for obtaining five of the design criterion indicators, and partial automation for the five remaining. The results demonstrated that it is possible to integrate an environmental design approach from schematic stage of an architectural elaboration process managed by BIM.

Integrate an Embodied GHG Emissions Assessment Model into Building Environmental Assessment Tools

Building sector shares a considerable portion of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide, as building facilities are energy- and emission-intensive to construct and operate. The buildings’ embodied GHG emissions make up a considerable portion of buildings’ life cycle emissions. Previous research indicates that up to 30 per cent of buildings’ lifecycle emissions can be minimized through the careful selection of low-carbon materials. Although building environmental assessment (BEA) tools have been widely used in identifying and mitigating the lifecycle environmental impacts of building facilities, the existing BEA tools including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) are proved to be unsatisfactory to fulfil the needs for auditing, benchmarking, and finally labeling the building materials’ embodied GHG emissions. This study began by examining the limitations of current BEA tools, in particular their means of evaluating the embodied GHG emissions of buildings. Then, an embodied GHG emissions assessment model was proposed to be integrated into an existing BEA scheme. The proposed BEA integrated embodied GHG emissions model comprised (i) product category, (ii) GHG auditing, and (iii) benchmarking. The proposed model will enable clients and design teams to minimize the carbon footprints of buildings and assist users and the general public in identifying real green building facilities.

Regulating Natural Lighting and Ventilation of Residential Buildings in Hong Kong Policy Implications for High-rise, High-density Housing Environments in South Korea

This study discusses the features of the lighting and ventilation regulations for residential buildings in Hong Kong. Given the compact built environment and public concerns about the environmental quality of housing, various lighting and ventilation regulations have been enacted in Hong Kong. The application of building regulations on the micro scale and incentive systems on the macro scale are present, and the governments' calls for more active participation of the private sector and use of the building environmental assessment tools were also noted. Unlike South Korea, however, Hong Kong was found to adopt more performance-based standards, consider the external factors of the lighting and ventilation conditions together with the indoor elements, and provide specific design guidelines. Notwithstanding the different climatic conditions and socio-political contexts of Hong Kong and South Korea, these findings provide some policy implications for the South Korean government in its efforts to achieve a healthy environment for high-rise, high-density housing. It is suggested that the South Korean government adopt more on-site measurement methods to reflect the environmental conditions accurately and broaden the scope and scale of the implementation of the lighting and ventilation regulations with more specific, practical planning and design guidelines.

Assessing the environmental impact of data centres part 2: Building environmental assessment methods and life cycle assessment

Data centres consume high levels of energy to power the IT equipment contained within them, and extract the heat they produce. Because of the industry's heavy reliance on power, data centre metrics have historically used operational efficiency as a proxy for sustainability. More recently the industry has begun to recognise that its focus needs to go beyond energy consumption, with the creation of metrics for issues such as carbon, water and compute efficiency. However, single-issue metrics often consider only the operational phase, omitting impacts from other issues, during other stages in a facility's lifetime. Further approaches exist to assess more holistically the impact of data centres, such as building environmental assessment methods, but none have the capacity to capture fully the interlinked nature of a system, where improvements in one area and to one impact, can adversely affect a totally different area and totally different impacts.The following review of literature summarises the approach of the data centre industry to environmental impact, and provides direction for future research. Part 2 describes the use of building environmental assessment methods and tools; and concludes the need to apply life cycle thinking to more holistically assess the environmental impact of data centres.

Framework for Detailed Comparison of Building Environmental Assessment Tools

Understanding how Building Environmental Assessments Tools (BEATs) measure and define “environmental” building is of great interest to many stakeholders, but it is difficult to understand how BEATs relate to each other, as well as to make detailed and systematic tool comparisons. A framework for comparing BEATs is presented in the following which facilitates an understanding and comparison of similarities and differences in terms of structure, content, aggregation, and scope. The framework was tested by comparing three distinctly different assessment tools; LEED-NC v3, Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), and EcoEffect. Illustrations of the hierarchical structure of the tools gave a clear overview of their structural differences. When using the framework, the analysis showed that all three tools treat issues related to the main assessment categories: Energy and Pollution, Indoor Environment, and Materials and Waste. However, the environmental issues addressed, and the parameters defining the object of study, differ and, subsequently, so do rating, results, categories, issues, input data, aggregation methodology, and weighting. This means that BEATs measure “environmental” building differently and push “environmental” design in different directions. Therefore, tool comparisons are important, and the framework can be used to make these comparisons in a more detailed and systematic way.

Variability of building environmental assessment tools on evaluating carbon emissions

With an increasing importance of sustainability in construction, more and more clients and designers employ building environmental assessment (BEA) tools to evaluate the environmental friendliness of their building facilities, and one important aspect of evaluation in the BEA models is the assessment of carbon emissions. However, in the absence of any agreed framework for carbon auditing and benchmarking, the results generated by the BEA tools might vary significantly which could lead to confusion or misinterpretation on the carbon performance of a building. This study thus aims to unveil the properties of and the standard imposed by the current BEA models on evaluating the life cycle carbon emissions. The analyses cover the (i) weighting of energy efficiency and emission levels among various environmental performance indicators; (ii) building life cycle stages in which carbon is taken into consideration; (iii) objectiveness of assessment; (iv) baseline set for carbon assessment; (v) mechanism for benchmarking the emission level; and (v) limitations of the carbon assessment approaches. Results indicate that the current BEA schemes focus primarily on operational carbon instead of the emissions generated throughout the entire building life cycle. Besides, the baseline and benchmark for carbon evaluation vary significantly among the BEA tools based on the analytical results of a hypothetical building. The findings point to the needs for a more transparent framework for carbon auditing and benchmarking in BEA modeling.

Energy performance indicators developing

The building environmental assessment systems and tools used over the world were the base of new system development for Slovak conditions. The proposed fields are site selection and project planning; building construction; indoor environmental quality; energy performance; water and waste management. The fields and indicators were proposed on the bases of available information analysis from particular fields of building environmental assessment and also on the base of our experimental experiences. The aim of this paper is presented developed building environmental assessment system oriented to energy performance and the significance weight determination of mentioned field. Percentage weight of fields and indicators was determined on the base of their significance, according to mathematical method.

A comparative analysis of building environmental assessment tools and suggestions for regional adaptations

Building environmental assessment (BEA) tools have become widespread in recent years and attracted the construction sector and public awareness in sustainability. Being partially effective in mitigating the environmental impacts of buildings, these tools reveal difficulties in their application, especially for developing countries and regional adaptations. Most of the BEA tools have been developed nationally and reflect the priorities of the conditions under which they have emerged. However, they are directly used or adapted for use in other countries. Importing these tools from one nation to another causes problematic consequences. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the most widely used BEA tools, which are established in developed countries, and discusses the current situation of these tools. The most highlighting matters related with these tools are that, they mostly do not cover economic and social issues, which have priority for developing countries, they are not flexible for cultural and regional variations, and they do not reflect the results of the assessment in a comprehensive manner. The lack of a consensus-based weighting system is also another problematic issue. However, it is possible to enhance BEA tools for regional adaptations and developing countries, as well as for future versions.

Analysis of building environment assessment frameworks and their implications for sustainability indicators

Green construction is gaining increasing attention in the global context. However, the construction of sustainable green buildings and environments involves different tools and systems and diverse perspectives. Therefore, the development of environmental assessment tools is an important task for managing green housing and green building projects. In this paper, we discuss the benefits, limitations, and future directions of the assessment framework. There are four characteristics of building environmental assessment, i.e., comprehensiveness, design guideline, signaling, and communication tools, which afford both benefits and limitations. We illustrate the role of the assessment framework as a hub promoting integration of diverse knowledge, as a design guideline encouraging better design and action, as signaling environmentally friendly design and action, and as a communication tool. On the other hand, there are limitations, such as the use of a mixture of quantitative and qualitative measures, ambiguity of weighing, lack of financial evaluation, and lack of involvement of diverse disciplines and stakeholders. To develop an effective assessment framework, the following three factors must be considered: knowledge, power, and implementation. We propose that knowledge innovation, a credible approach for a salient solution, and collective action represent the future challenges of the assessment framework.

Environmental effect of structural solutions and building materials to a building

The field of building environmental assessment tools has become a popular research area over the past decade. However, how the service life of a building affects the results of the environmental assessment of a building has not been emphasised previously. The aim of this study is to analyse how different structural solutions and building materials affect the results of the environmental assessment of a whole building over the building's life cycle. Furthermore, how the length of the building's service life affects the results is analysed. The environmental assessments of 78 single-family houses were calculated for this study. The buildings have different wall insulations, claddings, window frames, and roof materials, and the length of the service life varies from 60 years up to 160 years. The current situation and the future of the environmental assessment of buildings are discussed. In addition, topics for further research are suggested; for example, how workmanship affects the service life and the environmental impact of a building should be studied.

A critical review of building environmental assessment tools

Since the field of environmental assessment tools for buildings is vast, the aim of this study is to clarify that field by analysing and categorising existing tools. The differences between the tools are discussed and the current situation within the tools is critically analysed. However, the comparison of the tools is difficult, if not impossible. For example, the tools are designed for assessing different types of buildings, and they emphasise different phases of the life cycle. In addition to environmental aspects, sustainable building includes economic and social aspects. The shift from green building to sustainable building and the future requirements are challenging for building environmental assessment tools. Furthermore, the benefits of using the tools should be analysed — how the tools and their results have affected decision making?