Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment Software Challenges
We have written in the past about various Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) software tools, comparing their pros and cons. Each software has its benefits for particular project scenarios, but there are also some pitfalls. We recently encountered a doozy.
Many software programs operate as a plugin for Revit. This allows you to directly use the data already modeled in Revit, such as wall assemblies, roofing and flooring types, and quantities in the WBLCA software, generally saving considerable time. (Note: the Revit information needs to be properly modeled for the plugin to export it accurately, so keep that in mind for the process time and fee.) Once exported from Revit, the information is uploaded to the Cloud for processing, where you can then make adjustments to the mapped Environmental Product Declarations and print a report.
On a recent project, we discovered some of the disadvantages of this process. On this project, the plugin didn’t export the information correctly. After several formatting and exporting attempts, we reached out to the software provider for technical support. After weeks of back and forth with folks in other time zones, the “error” could not be rectified. It was confirmed that we were formatting the data correctly, but the exported data was still coming out wrong.
During the course of the interaction with the software’s IT folks, it became apparent that there was some kind of bug in the Cloud software. We could not make any headway, even with escalated technical support, to identify or resolve the problems preventing us from getting an accurate whole building life cycle assessment.
This was a time-consuming process resulting in not only lost fees and hours troubleshooting, but also the cost of paying for a program that we ultimately could not use for this project. After over a month of dedicated effort, we had to purchase a different software to get the LCA report we needed, which required redoing the entire WBLCA. The previous program provider did not offer us compensation for our lost time or any refund of subscription fees.
In a digital reality, we are all familiar with software issues, bugs and technical support. But this one hit us where it hurt with a project deliverable. Though luckily, the other program came through in the end. So, make sure that you know what level of technical support your software licensing provides and what the software provider will compensate you for should things go awry.