Software company eTool have achieved compliance for their software eToolLCD www.etoolglobal.com with IMPACT www.impactwba.com. eToolLCD is a powerful web-based life cycle assessment (LCA) application for the built form that enables assessment of the entire environmental and cost impacts at any stage of a project in one model, providing a genuine “integrated design” approach.
This means that eToolLCD users are able to assess the embodied carbon and other impacts of their building design using BRE’s highly regarded LCA method and data.
Flavie Lowres of BRE said “we are delighted that eTool has now become IMPACT compliant. All IMPACT compliant tools give consistent and credible results, which are based on BRE’s robust methodology and independent science based data. This is more important than ever as the requirement for Life Cycle Assessments gains traction in the UK and around the world.”
Pat Hermon, eTool UK Business Development Director said “IMPACT Compliance means eToolLCD users can earn two credits in BREEAM New Construction UK up to 6 credits in BREEAM refurbishment and International and 15 credits in the new Home Quality Mark – we see this as a great way to promote eToolLCD into the UK and European market.”
This move will make eToolLCD one of few life cycle assessment softwares in the world that are compliant with the IMPACT LCA method.
IMPACT is a specification and database for software developers to incorporate into their tools to enable consistent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC). IMPACT compliant tools work by allowing the user to attribute environmental and cost information to drawn or scheduled items in the BIM. Put simply, IMPACT takes quantity information from the BIM and multiplies this by environmental impact and/or cost ‘rates’ to produce an overall impact and cost for the whole (or a selected part) of the design.
