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A building generates environmental impacts which are related to the materials it contains. ECO-BAT is a computer program that evaluates environmental impacts produced during the building life span, from its construction to its dismantling, including fabrication, replacement, waste management and transport.
ECO-BAT allows inter-comparison of different variants of a material, an element or a building.
The building's composition can be defined by adding new elements (walls, windows, roofs, etc.) formed by different materials.
Keywords
environmental performance, life cycle assessment, sustainable development
Validation/Testing
N/A
Expertise Required
None
Users
There are few external users yet as Eco-Bat has just been released (September 2006), but it is already used for education for several months.
Audience
Architects, building consultants, engineers and students
Input
The user can define the buildings by adding the composition of the different elements (wall, roof, partition, etc.) and their surface area. For each element, the user defines its composition by choosing materials in a list of about 50 materials by choosing materials and adding its thickness.
Output
Detailed numerical results are given for four impacts indicators: NRE (non renewable energy), GWP (global warming), AP (acidification potential) and POCP (Photochemical Ozone Creation). They are evaluated at different levels: materials, elements and the whole building. Results can also easily be compared using charts.
Computer Platform
PC running Windows XP or 2000
Programming Language
Delphi 2005
Strengths
Detailed LCIA analysis. User-friendly GUI. Based on the Ecoinvent database. Multi-language support (currently French and English are available). Good choice of materials and regular database updates for licensed users. Reports printing.
Weaknesses
No valuation method has been implemented (Ecoindicator, EPS, etc. ) yet.
Contact
Company: |
Laboratory of Solar Energy and Buildings Physics |
Address: |
HEIG-VD
Route de Cheseaux 1
Yverdon-les-Bains CH-1400
Switzerland |
Telephone: |
+41 (24) 557 63 50 |
Facsimile: |
+41 (24) 557 64 04 |
E-mail: |
ecobat@heig-vd.ch |
Website: |
http://ecobat.heig-vd.ch |
Availability
Trial version is available here. Single licence price is 450 CHF (Swiss Francs). The software can be bought directly from the web site through a secured credit card payment interface. Special prices for education or multiple licences available.
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