Evaluation of BIM energy performance and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions assessment tools: a case study in warm weather

Galiano-Garrigós, Antonio; García-Figueroa, Alicia; Rizo-Maestre, Carlos; González-Avilés, Ángel Benigno

doi:10.1080/09613218.2019.1620093

Cited by 29 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In addition, carbon emissions are also related to the local climate of the buildings [22,23]. Previous studies have concentrated on warm climates [24], tropical desert climates [25], and subfrigid climates [19]. The object of this study, the Anhui province of China, has the typical monsoon climate of a medium-latitude region, with a hot summer and a cold winter [26], but there is no precedent research focusing on such an area for the carbon emissions analysis of buildings.…”

Section: The Construction Industry Needs To Calculate and Analyze Carmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Carbon Emissions Analysis Framework Using Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment for the Construction of Hospital Projects

Jiang

Tam

et al. 2019

Sustainability

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Buildings produce a large amount of carbon emissions in their life cycle, which intensifies greenhouse-gas effects and has become a great threat to the survival of humans and other species. Although many previous studies shed light on the calculation of carbon emissions, a systematic analysis framework is still missing. Therefore, this study proposes an analysis framework of carbon emissions based on building information modeling (BIM) and life cycle assessment (LCA), which consists of four steps: (1) defining the boundary of carbon emissions in a life cycle; (2) establishing a carbon emission coefficients database for Chinese buildings and adopting Revit, GTJ2018, and Green Building Studio for inventory analysis; (3) calculating carbon emissions at each stage of the life cycle; and (4) explaining the calculation results of carbon emissions. The framework developed is validated using a case study of a hospital project, which is located in areas in Anhui, China with a hot summer and a cold winter. The results show that the reinforced concrete engineering contributes to the largest proportion of carbon emissions (around 49.64%) in the construction stage, and the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) generates the largest proportion (around 53.63%) in the operational stage. This study provides a practical reference for similar buildings in analogous areas and for additional insights on reducing carbon emissions in the future.

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Section: The Construction Industry Needs To Calculate and Analyze Carmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Carbon Emissions Analysis Framework Using Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment for the Construction of Hospital Projects

Jiang

Tam

et al. 2019

Sustainability

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“…The results obtained when analysing buildings offer random situations, as the use of natural ventilation, thermal inertia, and the need for a more permeable envelope make the assessment more complex, and no adequate response can be obtained from official methods [14]. Neither has the appearance of new simulation tools linked to Building Information Modelling (BIM) work environments managed to improve the decision-making process, since the particularities of the performance of buildings in hot climates mean that the results are not comparable with the real performance of the building [15].…”

Section: Assessing the Energy Performance Of Buildings In The Eumentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Efficiency and Economic Viability as Decision Factors in the Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings

et al. 2019

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The restoration of historical buildings often implies a change in the main use of the building so that it can once again become a part of people’s lives. Among the interventions needed to adapt the buildings to their new purpose, improving the energy performance is always a challenge due to their particular construction solutions and the influence that these improvements can have on their protected elements. The regulations in force in European Union (EU) member states leave a gap in how the energy performance evaluations in these types of buildings can be defined, and even exclude them from the process. However, rehabilitation of buildings is always seen as an opportunity, because it allows the building to once again be useful to society and play an important role in people’s lives. At the same time, it can also improve their performance and allow benefits to be gained from their use through a reduction in maintenance costs. In the rehabilitation process, the economic viability of the renovation plays a fundamental role which must be compared, in the case of protected buildings, to its impact on the architecture of the building. Since 2002, the EU has issued directives with the aim that countries should define objective methods to improve the energy performance of buildings and, in recent times, methods that demonstrate the amortization of such improvements. Within the process of implementing the new methodologies adapted to the EPBD, Spain was one of the last EU countries to define a process for the energy assessment of existing buildings, introducing an analysis of the economic viability of the construction improvements suggested in the process. The objective of this research was to describe the decision-making process during the evaluation of the feasibility of introducing construction improvements to the energy performance of two catalogued historic buildings located in a warm climate. The estimated energy consumption was evaluated, the net present value (NPV) and the payback period of the investment calculated, and the results obtained were compared with the real energy consumption. At the end of the process, it can be said that the methodologies adopted in Spain offer results that can lead designers to make wrong decisions that may affect the protected heritage values of these buildings.

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“…These systems are usually quite complex, made of many different materials, and it is difficult to quantify the total mass of the materials from plans as usual LCA are carried. Very few studies include detailed HVAC system calculation in their LCA [9,[16][17][18].Furthermore, despite the increasing number of LCA studies which make use of building information modelling (BIM) [19][20][21], HVAC systems are neglected. This leaves a knowledge gap regarding the embodied impact of HVAC systems and therefore a blind spot in the building's overall embodied carbon footprint [9,[16][17][18].This study aims to provide transparency about the embodied impact of HVAC systems for a new office building in Switzerland.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, despite the increasing number of LCA studies which make use of building information modelling (BIM) [19][20][21], HVAC systems are neglected. This leaves a knowledge gap regarding the embodied impact of HVAC systems and therefore a blind spot in the building's overall embodied carbon footprint [9,[16][17][18].…”

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Detailed Assessment of Embodied Carbon of HVAC Systems for a New Office Building Based on BIM

Kiamili¹,

Hollberg

Habert³

2020

Sustainability

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The global shift towards embodied carbon reduction in the building sector has indicated the need for a detailed analysis of environmental impacts across the whole lifecycle of buildings. The environmental impact of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems has rarely been studied in detail. Most of the published studies are based on assumptions and rule of thumb techniques. In this study, the requirements and methods to perform a detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) for HVAC systems based on building information modelling (BIM) are assessed and framed for the first time. The approach of linking external product data information to objects using visual programming language (VPL) is tested, and its benefits over the existing workflows are presented. The detailed BIM model of a newly built office building in Switzerland is used as a case study. In addition, detailed project documentation is used to ensure the plausibility of the calculated impact. The LCA results show that the embodied impact of the HVAC systems is three times higher than the targets provided by the Swiss Energy Efficiency Path (SIA 2040). Furthermore, it is shown that the embodied impact of HVAC systems lies in the range of 15-36% of the total embodied impact of office buildings. Nevertheless, further research and similar case studies are needed to provide a robust picture of the embodied environmental impact of HVAC systems. The results could contribute to setting stricter targets in line with the vision of decarbonization of the building sector.Sustainability 2020, 12, 3372 2 of 18 annual global emissions [4]. Furthermore, it has been estimated that embodied carbon in buildings can contribute up to 80% of lifetime GHG emissions for energy efficient building [5].These developments indicate the need to assess the embodied carbon of the whole building. The importance of reducing embodied carbon is underlined in many recent studies [6][7][8][9][10][11] as well as in the most recent World Green Building Council's report "Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront" [12], which outlines the vision of zero operational and embodied carbon for new buildings by 2050. In the same report, the importance of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a consistent and globally accepted method to assess and communicate environmental impact through the lifecycle of the building is clearly stated and structured according to the lifecycle stages or modules defined in the widely-adopted European standard EN 15978.In new buildings, reduction of operation energy has usually been achieved through better insulation of houses and improved technical systems [13]. The embodied energy of energy efficient buildings is usually equal to, if not higher than, a less energy efficient building, but usually, this increased embodied emission during the construction is quickly paid back during building operation [13]. However, most LCA studies have the tendency to reduce the system boundaries to the main construction materials of a building, leaving on the side the heating, ventilation, and...

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Evaluation of BIM energy performance and CO₂ emissions assessment tools: a case study in warm weather

Cited by 29 publications

References 39 publications

Development of a Carbon Emissions Analysis Framework Using Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment for the Construction of Hospital Projects

Development of a Carbon Emissions Analysis Framework Using Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment for the Construction of Hospital Projects

Energy Efficiency and Economic Viability as Decision Factors in the Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings

Detailed Assessment of Embodied Carbon of HVAC Systems for a New Office Building Based on BIM

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Evaluation of BIM energy performance and CO2 emissions assessment tools: a case study in warm weather

Cited by 29 publications

References 39 publications

Development of a Carbon Emissions Analysis Framework Using Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment for the Construction of Hospital Projects

Development of a Carbon Emissions Analysis Framework Using Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment for the Construction of Hospital Projects

Energy Efficiency and Economic Viability as Decision Factors in the Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings

Detailed Assessment of Embodied Carbon of HVAC Systems for a New Office Building Based on BIM

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Evaluation of BIM energy performance and CO₂ emissions assessment tools: a case study in warm weather