Tools available

    What tool would you like to use?
      Australian Building LCA tools
      Australian embodied energy tools
      Australian material LCA tools
      Australian whole building and operational energy modelling tools
      International Building LCA tools
      International embodied energy tools
      International material LCA tools
      International whole building and operational energy modelling tools
      Air Quality LCA tools

    Australian Building LCA tools (back to top of page)

    LCAid - Tool developed by Department of Public Works and Services in Sydney (AUS)

    LISA - Tool developed by BHP for LCA of buildings (AUS)

    Australian embodied energy tools (back to top of page)

    In Australia there are two people who are at the forefront of Embodied energy tool development, their research is incorporated into several software tools: CSIRO and EcoTect

    Australian material LCA tools (back to top of page)

    Currently the only tools and databases which have material information are SIMAPRO and LCAid

    Australian tools for whole building and operational energy modelling (back to top of page)

    BUNYIP - Thermal Analysis Software for Commercial Buildings

    NatHers - House Energy Rating software

    Cheetah - a software package developed by the Advanced Thermal Technologies Laboratory, can be used to assess the effect of changes in a building on indoor temperatures, can be used to calculate building heating and cooling energy requirements, and to assess the performance of new or improved building products, in realistic buildings subjected to realistic weather conditions.

    ECOTECT - Australian tool, it is a conceptual environmental design tool for architects and building designers, with application also to engineers and planners. Designer can assess and control overshadowing, shading device requirements, solar access, natural and artificial lighting levels, prevailing wind exposure, thermal comfort and the acoustic response of their building. In conjunction with this technical data, ECOTECT provides instant access to initial capital outlays, ongoing running costs and life cycle assessment at all stages of the design process

    International Building LCA tools (back to top of page)

    BEES - Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (US)

    Boustead - developed by Dr Ian Boustead best known for its extensive database especially for the building industry (UK)

    EcoQuantum - Building LCA tool using SimaPro Impact calculation module and IVAM BV data (NL/Europe)

    SIB LCA tool - LCA tool developed at the Danish Building Research Institute (SBI). It consists of a database and an inventory tool for the calculation of the potential environmental effects for buildings and building elements. The tool differs from most other LCA tools currently available by the method it uses to handle uncertainty.

    ATHENA - ATHENATM Sustainable Materials Institute have a tool and are a world-leading source of data, expertise and tools for designing buildings with the environment in mind (CAN)

    International embodied energy tools (back to top of page)

    International material LCA tools (back to top of page)

    Gabi - developed at the IKP University of Stuttgart in cooperation with PE Product Engineering GmbH and distributed by PE Product Engineering GmbH. (DM)

    KCL-ECO - developed by KCL a Limited company owned by the Finnish pulp, paper and board industries (FIN)

    LCAit - developed by CIT Ekologic a division on Chalmers in Sweden

    PEMS - Pira Environmental Management System (UK / US)

    SimaPro - Developed by PRe consultants this software in product design orientated (NL)

    TEAM - LCA tool from EcoBalance / Ecobilan (FR / US)

    International whole building and operational energy modelling tools (back to top of page)

    Athena - ATHENATM Sustainable Materials Institute world-leading source of data, expertise and tools for designing buildings with the environment in mind (CAN)

    DOE2 - Building energy use and cost analysis software (US)

    Envest - Building Research Establishment (UK) design tool for those involved in the concept design of buildings

    BREGains - software which accounts for  metabolic, small power, lighting and catering heat gain. (UK)

    Equer - Professional design tool for the Life Cycle Analysis of buildings (FR)

    Building Design Advisor 1.0 - The BDA is a Windows computer program that addresses the needs of building decision makers from the initial, schematic phases of building design through the detailed specification of building components and systems (US)

    Green Building Advisor - Green Building Advisor is a software program that helps you identify actions to reduce the environmental impacts of a building project, while ensuring healthy and productive indoor spaces. It's a revolutionary way of learning about green design and the cutting edge techniques and technologies to accomplish it. (US)

    BREEAM - The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) it is a tool that allows the owners, users and designers of buildings to review and improve environmental performance throughout the life of a building. (UK)

    LEED - LEED is a self assessing system designed for rating new and existing commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings. It evaluates environmental performance from a "whole building" perspective over a building's life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a "green building." From the US Green Building Council. (US)

    Optimize - is a Canadian tool for estimating the life cycle energy and impacts for both indoor and Outdoor Air pollutant generation

    Air Quality Tools (back to top of page)

    Optimize - is a Canadian tool for estimating the life cycle energy and impacts for both indoor and Outdoor Air pollutants generation


    For more information contact Tim Grant at the Centre for Design at RMIT.