To investigate and demonstrate how modelling supports BIM-based building LCA, the project developed two example buildings and their sites: a residential building and an office building. Both buildings are designed with a wooden and a concrete structure. The buildings are designed according to the Finnish Construction Act and building codes. The design principles emphasise the life-cycle properties of buildings, e.g., multi-purpose usability, adaptability, and access to natural light. The structural material versions of both buildings start from identical room layouts. The differences caused by the materials of the structures are therefore reflected in small differences in the floor areas and volumes of the buildings.
The residential building
... is designed to provide housing for residents who may need care services but want to live with or close to their families. The building consists of half of the apartments designed for service housing for families and half of the regular family apartments. The building is narrow in width, and all apartments have windows opening on three sides, allowing good natural light and flexible furnishing. On the ground floor, there is a shared space. Next to the shared space, there is a sheltered outdoor terrace with a pleasant microclimate.
The office building
... is designed to provide flexible office space and recreational and exercise facilities for the company's employees. MEP and electrical solutions have also been implemented in a way that allows for flexible combining and sharing of spaces. On the ground floor, there is a restaurant, a cabinet space for meetings and a space for an office hub that serves the building but also other teleworking people in the neighbourhood. The three floors with office space can be divided for 1-4 different users. The building’s narrow width provides good natural light to all working spaces. To reduce the heat loads from the sun, a shading system has been designed for the south-west façade.
Both buildings and their versions consist of several native models and their IFCs: architectural, structural, electrical and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.