Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Eduljee Dinshaw Building Using Tally in Autodesk Revit

Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment Using Tally

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a vital methodology for evaluating the environmental impact of a building throughout its entire lifespan—from material extraction to demolition. For the Eduljee Dinshaw Building, the LCA was conducted using the Tally plugin within Autodesk Revit, allowing for integrated analysis directly from the HBIM model. This approach helps quantify metrics like embodied carbon, global warming potential (GWP), and non-renewable energy use.

By aligning LCA insights with design interventions, architects and conservationists can make informed choices that preserve heritage while promoting sustainability.

Environmental Impact by Life Cycle Stage

Tally divides environmental impacts into multiple life cycle stages, including:

1. Product Stage (A1–A3): Material extraction and manufacturing
2. Transportation (A4): Shipping materials to site
3. Maintenance and Replacement (B2–B5): Operational phase
4. End-of-Life (C2–C4): Deconstruction and waste disposal
5. Module D: Environmental benefits from recycling and reuse

Key Insights:

1. The Product Stage dominated mass contributions.
2. The End-of-Life Stage accounted for 82% of GWP, making it the highest contributor.
3. Module D offered an environmental offset of 17%, particularly in acidification and smog formation potentials.

Impact Categorization by Division and Life Cycle Stage

The LCA results were also broken down by division (material types) and life cycle stage. The analysis covered six major environmental categories:

1. Mass
2. Global Warming Potential
3. Acidification Potential
4. Eutrophication Potential
5. Smog Formation Potential
6. Non-renewable Energy Use

Key Insights:

1. Masonry represented 83% of the total material mass.
2. Wood/Plastics/Composites accounted for 53% of GWP.
3. Masonry also contributed 49% to non-renewable energy consumption.

Environmental Impact by Material Division

The LCA revealed key contributors to environmental impact by material group:

GWP Contributions:

1. Wood/Plastics/Composites: 51%
2. Masonry: 35%
3. Metals: 11%

Other Impact Highlights:

1. Metals and wood composites heavily influenced acidification and eutrophication.
2. Masonry led smog formation potential at 59%.
3. Surprisingly, wood-based materials provided negative values in non-renewable energy, indicating biogenic carbon benefits or energy credits.

Itemized Material Impact Based on Tally Entries

Each material was further analyzed for its individual environmental footprint using specific Tally entries.

Notable Material Impacts:

• Stone Veneer Walls accounted for 83% of total material mass and 72% of non-renewable energy usage.
• Heavy Timber emerged as the largest GWP contributor at 49%.
• Brass was a significant contributor to acidification (37%) and non-renewable energy (21%).

These findings help pinpoint which materials are most impactful and where greener alternatives or design changes could yield better sustainability outcomes.

Conclusion

The LCA conducted via Tally in Autodesk Revit for the Eduljee Dinshaw Building offers deep insights into the environmental ramifications of heritage architecture. The data highlights how certain materials and life cycle stages—especially end-of-life processes and wood-based components—contribute heavily to carbon emissions and energy use.

By leveraging these insights, designers and conservationists can strategize interventions that minimize ecological impact without compromising historical authenticity.