LCA data structure analysis for BIM applications

The aim of the research is the implementation of that attributes responsible of the construction sustainability levels, through Life Cycle Assessment evaluations, into the Building Information Modeling logics. The integration of such information in the digitized project offers the opportunity to choose, among several alternatives, those characterized by a lower environmental impact during the whole building lifecycle. In the research the management of project information related to environmental performances is achieved through the deepening of the building processes variables and the resulting attributes and through the articulation of these issues into an information flows matrix, in order to explicit specificities and environmental interdependencies. This methodological approach makes possible to establish an iterative process of information exchange among the designer, the environmental sustainability manager and other responsible parties of the project. The outcome is an operational tool that could guide all stakeholders toward the balance between the design choices and the related environmental compatibility levels. This paper focuses on the application of this approach on a specific stage of the building process, the end of life, using a Process and Activity Breakdown Structure, based on LCA evaluations, for the deconstruction of the various phases of the analyzed lifecycle. The analysis confirms the possibility of getting an effective management of design choices, as related to the environmental sustainability goals. This result is closely linked to the strategies for the data flow structure analysis, useful for the creation of process maps, for the information management and the sharing of the knowledge related to the digital model