EcoCalculator for Assemblies Tool Development
www.athenasmi.ca/tools/ecoCalculator
In an effort to spread awareness and make life-cycle assessment faster and more user-friendly, CSBR undertook the development of the Athena EcoCalculator for Assemblies. Using the Athena Impact Estimator for Buildings, data was derived for particular construction components that make up various portions of commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. This data was then placed into an spreadsheet-based interface that allows users to choose specific assemblies and quickly calculate and compare the LCA impacts of the assemblies used in their project based on the following environmental impact categories:
- Primary energy use
- Air pollution
- Water pollution
- Global warming potential, and
- Resource use.
Version 2.4 of the EcoCalculator will be released by October 2008 based on user feedback, and process improvement. Version 3.0 is expected sometime in spring 2009 pending release of the Athena Impact Estimator v4.0.
A residential version of the EcoCalculator is also currently under development, with a focus on ease of use and building comparison.
| Project: | EcoCalculator for Assemblies Tool Development |
| Principal Investigators: | John Carmody and Dan Handeen |
| Project Team: | Daniel Handeen, Sharmeen Karim, Corri Kluba |
| Project Partners: | Athena Sustainable Materials Institute |
| Sponsor: | Athena Sustainable Materials Institute |
| Status: | Ongoing |
| Web site: | www.athenasmi.ca/tools/ecoCalculator |