Redefining Green Buildings: BIM-Based Framework for Zero Impact Civil Infrastructure

Green building construction has received global interest over the past two decades. The definition of a green building has evolved from energy-efficient buildings to net-zero buildings, and now is expanding towards net-positive buildings. Even though these concepts entail significant environmental benefits, they largely overlook life cycle environmental impacts associated with building construction. While net-zero to net-positive development is expected to result in operational environmental benefits, the energy demand reduction and renewable energy-related interventions carry added life cycle impacts during the construction and demolition stages. Therefore, without taking a life cycle thinking perspective to green building assessment, it is difficult to quantify the exact environmental benefits. To address this issue, this research aims to develop life cycle performance benchmarks for green buildings and to provide a mechanism to rate "green" buildings based on life cycle environmental performance. A methodological framework was developed to evaluate the aggregated life cycle performance of green buildings, thus enabling the best choices in green building design through a more holistic perspective. The proposed framework is deployed by combining life cycle thinking with BIM, which can be used to monitor and track building inputs and construction practices under various scenarios. Outcomes of this research will redefine the concept of green buildings and will lay out the foundation for constructing zero impact on civil infrastructure. The findings will assist the construction industry, community developers, and government authorities to ensure that sustainable development goals are being met in a true and holistic sense.