Development of a BIM-Based Life Cycle Assessment Framework for Structural Systems

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), as a powerful environmental management tool, is important for the construction of sustainable built environments. Due to its comprehensive, integrated, and systematic structure, application and process optimization have become increasingly important for LCA, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a significant approach for optimizing LCA processes, particularly in terms of data management. This study focuses on a BIM & LCA integration with a principled approach and data quality focus, and proposes a framework based on BIM principles and the LCA system boundaries (EN 15978). The proposed framework was analyzed and evaluated for alternative scenarios. The findings demonstrated that BIM principles supported information management and optimized LCA processes in line with digital inventory creation and parametric modeling features. Studies presenting a framework for BIM–LCA integration in structural systems are limited, and this subject can often be reduced to software integration. In this respect, the study aims to contribute to the gap in the literature and the proposed approach provides a guide to support environmental decision systems.