Interoperable, Life-Cycle Tools for Assuring Building Performance: An Overview of a Commercial Building Initiative

Date Published
11/1996
Publication Type
Conference Paper
Authors
LBL Report Number
LBNL-40833
Abstract

A key impediment to improving the energy efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of buildings is the complexity and cost of managing information over the life cycle of a building. A surprisingly large fraction of the total cost of buildings is embodied in the decision making and information management process due to the structure of the building industry, the numerous people and companies involved in the process, the current nature of the building acquisition process, and the long time periods over which buildings operate once design and construction are completed. We suggest that new interoperable software tools could greatly facilitate and rationalize this complex process, thereby reducing time and cost, and greatly improving the habitability and environmental impact of these buildings. We describe a series of projects in which we are building and testing several prototype toolkits as part of a building life-cycle information system that will allow interoperable software tools to function more effectively throughout the design, construction, commissioning, and operations phases.

Conference Name
U.S. Green Buildings Council Third Annual Conference
Year of Publication
1996
Conference Location
San Diego, CA
Call Number
LBNL-40833
Organizations
Research Areas
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