SUSTAINABILITY-DRIVEN EMBODIED CARBON ASSESSMENT USING A BIM METHODOLOGY: A CASE STUDY

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ABSTRACT

The construction industry plays a critical role in global carbon emissions, contributing significantly to climate change. Embodied carbon, which encompasses all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the extraction, production, transportation, and construction of materials, has become a critical focus in sustainable design. Building Information Modeling (BIM), with tools such as Autodesk Revit, Autodesk Forma, One Click LCA and Tully, among others, offers opportunities to streamline embodied carbon analysis through data integration and automation. The focus of this research is to provide an accessible and easy-to-use BIM methodology for capturing and managing information derived embodied carbon analysis, highlighting its workflows, benefits, challenges, and potential for sustainable design practices. Through a case study, the Revit to Forma methodology demonstrates how both tools interact and can enable architects, engineers, and contractors to make informed decisions that reduce the environmental impact of construction projects at all stages of design and construction. This paper outlines three key processes: 3D modeling, data mapping to objects in the Building Information Modelling (BIM) model, and data mapping from the model in the platform Forma. The findings contribute to the advancement of BIM methodology as a key tool for guiding informed decision making for green buildings projects.

Keywords: Building Information Modelling (BIM), Embodied Carbon, Sustainability, Autodesk Revit, Autodesk Forma.

INTRODUCTION

The construction sector has an important role in global climate change, representing around 39% of global carbon emissions. The embodied carbon accounts for almost a quarter and refers to emissions generated throughout the entire production chain of building materials, including manufacturing, transportation and the construction process itself.

The operational carbon, which is different from the embodied carbon, is emitted over the life cycle of a building through use, after the construction process is complete, such as energy consumption for heating, lighting or ventilation. In contrast, embodied carbon remains "locked" in the building structure from the moment construction is completed, thus becoming a fixed component of its long-term environmental impact.

The aim to reducing embodied carbon not only supports the global goal of climate changes but also presents economic and technological opportunities for the construction sector [1-3]. The adoption of more sustainable practices can contribute to the creation of a circular economy, which minimizes waste and use the resources in an efficient...