Building Information Modeling (BIM)-Based Building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Using Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) File Format

In the realm of sustainable construction, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) plays a key role as a tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of building materials and products. The integration of LCA and Building Information Modeling (BIM) makes it possible to evaluate the environmental performance of buildings at the design stage. This integration can help to improve the LCA process for buildings thanks to the potential for automation and interoperability. The goal of this study is to establish a BIM-based LCA workflow using the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) open file format. The interoperability of BIM data exchange is achieved by applying IFC. The steps of the assessment process are described in accordance with the LCA phases outlined in the ISO 14040 standard. The impact assessment and results interpretation phases are automated by means of a program code for IFC file processing. The proposed BIM-based LCA is validated for a case study of a BIM model constructed for a three-story educational building. The GWP of the building materials and products of envelope and load-bearing structures at the A1–A3 life cycle stages are calculated for the purpose of proposed workflow testing. The resulting workflow allows for the calculation of negative environmental impacts to be agile, depending on the goal and scope set.