A Building Information Modeling-Life Cycle Cost Analysis Integrated Model to Enhance Decisions Related to the Selection of Construction Methods at the Conceptual Design Stage of Buildings

Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) provides a systematic approach to assess the total cost associated with owning, operating, and maintaining assets throughout their entire life. BIM empowers architects and designers to perform real-time evaluations to explore various design options. However, when integrated with LCCA, BIM provides a comprehensive economic perspective that helps stakeholders understand the long-term financial implications of design decisions. This study presents a methodology for developing a model that seamlessly integrates BIM and LCCA during the conceptual design stage of buildings. This integration allows for a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the design process, ensuring that the development aligns with the principles of low carbon emissions by employing modular construction, 3D concrete printing methods, and different building design alternatives. The model considers the initial construction costs in addition to all the long-term operational, maintenance, and salvage values. It combines various tools and data through different modules, including energy analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to execute a comprehensive assessment of the financial implications of a specific design option throughout the lifecycle of building projects. The development of the said model and its implementation involves the creation of a new plug-in for the BIM tool (i.e., Autodesk Revit) to enhance its functionalities and capabilities in forecasting the life-cycle costs of buildings in addition to generating associated cash flows, creating scenarios, and sensitivity analyses in an automatic manner. This model empowers designers to evaluate and justify their initial investments while designing and selecting potential construction methods for buildings, and enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions by assessing different design alternatives based on long-term financial considerations during the early stages of design.

IFC implementation in lifecycle costing

Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is always a major concern in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. This paper presents the implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology in the development of a lifecycle cost-estimating tool. The IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) model as an interoperable building information model has been adopted as the central data repository to deliver the integrated information of building designs from CAD design systems into the lifecycle-costing database. In this paper, the conceptions and relevant factors, which could affect the LCC estimation, have been introduced. The problems of current LCC applications have been identified as the lack of LCC data and the complexity of LCC exercises. The software application of IFC models and relevant auxiliary are depicted as a solution of the problem identified. The lifecycle costing tool is a part of the nD Modeling tool and as such is based on its integrated interface prototype toolkit and is able to holistically present an IFC model into a 3D virtual reality view, a tree-view and a list of element properties. The functions and some technical points are also detailed in the paper. Through the research, it demonstrates the potential and possibility of implementing BIM methods and techniques, particularly IFCs to enhance the computer applications in the processes of building construction and facility management.

Implementing Life Cycle Costing in Malaysian Construction Industry： A Review

The construction industry is a sector that contributes a lot to the economic growth of Malaysia, as it is developing rapidly similar in fashion to other developing countries around the world. In line with the 9th Malaysia Plan, development in Malaysia must meet current and future needs to achieve sustainability in economic development, as well as functioning as a social and environmental responsibility for prosperity without compromising the needs of future generations. To ensure that the government＇s objective is met, construction industry should implement the LCC （life cycle costing） method in structure and infrastructure projects so as to not cause losses to the industry itself and to the government. Through LCC, factors contributing to, and the associated cost of maintenance works for a building are identified at the design stage to obtain a more accurate projection of the total cost. This paper describes the LCC as a vital element in the construction industry since this method can drive quality improvement by taking into account the comprehensive cost of a project. The main aim of this paper is to aid in understanding the application of the LCC concept for the construction industry, particularly for the maintenance phase. This paper also identifies LCC processes involved in a building construction project and subsequently provides recommendation on appropriate measures to implement LCC in the construction industry in Malaysia.

Improvement of the Life Cycle Costing Method in DesignStage Using KBIMS Library

With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution,the construction industry has undergone a paradigm shift.The smart construction technology market is expected to grow 12%annually in developed countries due to advanced technology investments.It is expected that businesses requiring highly sophisticated technology,for instance companies that need their old facilities upgraded,will become the main focus of the market.As building information modeling(BIM)design is becoming mandatory,such as in the Korea Public Procurement Service,researches regarding building automation,construction,and operation integration management systems based on BIM are conducted.In addition,for construction projects of over 10 billion won,design value engineering(Design VE)implementation,including life cycle cost(LCC)analysis,is mandatory at the design stage to improve quality and reduce the lifetime costs of buildings.In this study,we propose an improvement plan for LCC analysis at the design stage using the KBIMS library,which is an open BIM library developed by the Korean government and research groups.We analyze the existing LCC method,KBIMS library,and attribute information,and model the process that is applied in the LCC analysis system.This is expected to complement the LCC analysis system and improve work productivity.

Comparative analysis of perpetual pavement structures based on pavement performance and life cycle cost

Pavement performance and economic efficiency are researched on the perpetual test pavement of Yijiang-Suzhou Express Highway in Jiangsu province, China. Test sections were continuously monitored. The conditions and developing laws of deflection, rutting and cracking are compared among the perpetual pavement with the rich binder layer （RBL）, the perpetual pavement without the RBL, and the conventional semi-rigid asphalt pavement in the past eight years after opening for traffic. Economical evaluation is conducted via life cycle cost analysis （LCCA）. Based on the performance comparison and LCCA analysis, sections with the RBL have good crack resistance, but they are not very satisfactory in the aspect of permanent deformation; the conventional semi-rigid asphalt pavement is the least economic one due to requiring more frequent maintenance. Research results show that the perpetual pavement without RBL is a more appropriate structure for the test site.

Overall Life Cycle Comprehensive Assessment of Pneumatic and Electric Actuator

Pneumatic actuators and electric actuators have almost been applied to all manufacturing industries. The two kinds of actuators can replace each other in most fields, such as the point to point transmission occasion and some rotating occasions. However, there are very few research results about the advantages and disadvantages of two kinds of actuators under the same working conditions so far. In this paper, a novel comprehensive assessment method, named as overall life cycle comprehensive assessment （OLCCA）, is proposed for comparison and assessment of pneumatic and electric actuators. OLCCA contains mechanical properties evaluation （MPE）, life cycle cost analysis based on users （LCCABOU） and life cycle environmental impact analysis （LCEIA） algorithm in order to solve three difficult problems： mechanical properties assessment, cost analysis and environmental impact assessment about actuators. The mechanical properties evaluation of actuators is a multi-objective optimization problem. The fuzzy data quantification and information entropy methods are combined to establish MPE algorithm of actuators. Two kinds of pneumatic actuators and electric actuators with similar bearing capacity and similar work stroke were taken for example to verify the correctness of MPE algorithm. The case study of MPE algorithm for actuators verified its correctness. LCCABOU for actuators is also set up. Considering cost complex structure of pneumatic actuators, public device cost even method （PDCEM） is firstly presented to solve cost division of public devices such as compressors, aftercooler, receivers, etc. LCCABOU method is also effective and verified by the three groups of pneumatic actuators and electric actuators. Finally, LCEIA model of actuators is established for the environmental impact assessment of actuators. LCEIA data collection method and model establishment procedure for actuators are also put forward. With Simapro 7, LCEIA comparison results of six actuators can be obtained： Fossil fuels are the major environmental factor of pneumatic and electric actuators; Environmental impact of electric actuator is large than one of pneumatic actuator under the similar mechanical properties and working conditions of pneumatic and electric actuators. The results are correct and correspond with the actual mechanical properties of actuators. This paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation method of the actuators, which can solve the critical problem that similar electromechanical products are very difficult to be compared with each other from the angle of performance, cost and environment impact.

Multi-objective Transmission Expansion Planning Considering Life Cycle Cost

为克服目前全寿命周期成本（life cycle cost,LCC）技术的应用局限于设备运行或维护阶段的不足,针对输电网整体建立一个3维LCC层级模型,包括时间维度、元件维度和费用维度。费用维度进一步分解为设备级、系统级、外部环境成本。研究了以可靠性为中心的维护手段的应用对维护成本的影响,利用电量不足期望值计算故障成本。在此基础上,对风电等4种不确定因素进行建模,建立以LCC成本最小和切负荷量最小为多目标的输电网机会约束规划模型。采用正态边界交点算法联合改进小生境遗传算法,对模型有效求解。最后,分别对18节点系统和77节点系统进行算例分析。研究结果给出了帕累托解集及推荐的最优规划方案;此外,LCC费用分解图表明了各费用的比重和影响,有利于指导未来资产管理。

Sequential fault diagnosis strategy with imperfect tests considering life cycle cost

The problem of sequential fault diagnosis is to construct a diagnosis tree that can isolate the failure sources with minimal test cost. Pervious sequential fault diagnosis strategy generating algorithms only consider the execution cost at application stage, which may result in a solution with poor quality from the view of life cycle cost. Furthermore, due to the fact that uncertain information exists extensively in the real-world systems, the tests are always imperfect. In order to reduce the cost of fault diagnosis in the realistic systems, the sequential fault diagnosis problem with imperfect tests considering life cycle cost is presented and formulated in this work, which is an intractable NP-hard AND/OR decision tree construction problem. An algorithm based on AND/OR graph search is proposed to solve this problem. Heuristic search based on information theory is applied to generate the sub-tree in the algorithm. Some practical issues such as the method to improve the computational efficiency and the diagnosis strategy with multi-outcome tests are discussed. The algorithm is tested and compared with previous algorithms on the simulated systems with different scales and uncertainty. Application on a wheel momentum system of a spacecraft is studied in detail. Both the simulation and application results suggest that the cost of the diagnosis strategy can be reduced significantly by using the proposed algorithm, especially when the placement cost of the tests constitutes a large part of the total cost.

An ideal point method adopting grey relational entropy to estimate life cycle cost with effectiveness of torpedo

To making the decision of the developing blue prints,ideal point method was selected to estimate the life cycle cost with effectiveness of torpedo.At the same time,the concept of grey relational entropy of the grey system theory was adopted to compute the distance between each blue print and the ideal point(or negative ideal point).The blue print,nearest to the ideal point and farthest to the negative ideal point,is the best one.As an example,four blue prints of torpedo were estimated.The result indicates the practical value of this method.

Life cycle cost analysis of new FRP based solar parabolic trough collector hot water generation system

Parabolic trough collectors （PTCs） are employed for a variety of applications including steam generation and hot water generation. This paper deals with the experimental results and an economic analysis of a new fibre reinforced plastic （FRP） based solar PTC with an embedded electronic controlled tracking system designed and developed for hot water generation in a restaurant in Madurai, India. The new collector performance has been tested according to ASHRAE Standard 93 （1986）. The performance of a new PTC hot water generation system with a well mixed hot water storage tank is investigated by a series of extensive tests over ten months period. The average maximum storage tank water temperature observed was 74.91℃, when no energy is withdrawn from the tank to the load during the collection period. The total cost of the new economic FRP based solar PTC for hot water generation with an embedded electronic controlled tracking system is Rs. 25000 （US$ 573） only. In the present work, life cycle savings （LCS） method is employed for a detailed economic analysis of the PTC system. A computer program is used as a tool for the economic analysis. The present worth of life cycle solar savings is evaluated for the new solar PTC hot water generation system that replaces an existing electric water heating system in the restaurant and attains a value of Rs. 23171.66 after 15 years, which is a significant saving. The LCS method and the MATLAB computer simulation program presented in this paper can be used to estimate the LCS of other renewable energy systems.

The Use of Life Cycle Management Principles in Biosystems Engineering： A Pragmatic Approach to Solving Agri-industrial Sustainability Problems

LCM （life cycle management） is a systematic approach, mindset and culture that considers economic, social, and environmental factors among other factors in the decision making process throughout various business or organizational decisions that affect both inputs and outputs of a product or service life cycle. It is a product, process, or activity management system aimed at minimizing environmental and socio-economic burdens associated with an organization＇s product or process during its entire life cycle and value chain. LCM＇s application is gaining wider acceptance both in the corporate and governmental organizations as an approach to reduce ecological footprints and to improve the sustainability of human activities. But where and how can it be used in agricultural engineering applications？ This study highlights the potential areas of LCM application in agricultural and allied sectors and how it can be utilized. The study revealed that LCM tools such as design for environment and life cycle analysis can be used to evaluate the environmental impacts of-and to improve the products, equipment, and structures produced by biosystems engineers as well as the processes used to generate them.

Life Cycle Cost of Electricity Generation from Biomass Gasifier

India is having more than 500,000 villages of which about 85% have been electrified. But as per RGGVY （Rejiv Gandhi Grammen Vidyutikaran Yojana）, the rate of village electrification is much lower as household connectivity has been fairly low. The rest 15% villages and a larger proportion of households have to be electrified. Villages have been a major concern as cost of electrification is fairly high. The most favored alternative to any kind of users is generation of electricity from diesel generating sets and renewable sources of energy. But the capital cost of renewable energy equipments is fairly high. Gradually, there is a reduction in the prices of these systems due to availability of better technological options and they are becoming competitive to grid electricity. In this paper, an attempt has been made to calculate the cost of production of electricity from stand-alone, off-grid devices biomass gasifiers （both dual fuel and pure gas type） and compare with that of diesel generating sets by using the concept of LCC （life cycle costing） and Homer software. It is found that the cost of per unit electricity generation （kWh） has been always the lowest in comparison to diesel generating sets even if the price of biomass increases to some extent.

Reliability-Based Full-Life Cycle Optimum Design of Offshore Jacket Platform

Based on the consideration of operation environment and structural property, an optimum design model of offshore jacket platform is developed in this paper, namely, the reliability-based full-life cycle optimum design model. In this model, the time-dependent reliability assessment method for structural members is established by combination of the decrease of sectional size and performance deterioration of material. The initial investment, maintenance cost and failure loss cost are assembled into the model. The total cost of the platform structure system in its full service period is chosen as the objective function, and the initial reliabilities of the layer elements partitioned in advance are taken as the design variables. Different models are obtained, depending on whether the system reliability constraint is considered or not. This optimum design model can result in the lowest full-life cost and the optimal initial layer reliability of an offshore jacket platform in the design of marine structures. The feasibility of this model is illustrated with an actual jacket platform in the Liaodong Gulf as an example.

Tradeoff Analysis for RMS of Equipment Based Operation Availability and Life Cycle Cost

Reliability, maintainability, supportability （RMS） are the important performance indexes of equipment, which affect not only the availability, but also the life cycle cost （LCC） of the equipment. First discussed is the qualitative relation between reliability and LCC and the costs which may be used to enhance the reliability. Secondly, the factors that affect the maintainability are summarized, and if maintainability is advanced, the trend of the LCC is depicted. Thirdly, the qualitative relation between the supportability and LCC is described. Reliability, maintainability and supportability index all have a relation with the availability, so this paper presents the tradeoff for RMS indexes based on the availability calculation models and LCC models. On the condition that the availability value is not below the given value, the decision-making is optimal if the life cycle cost is the minimum value.

基于N-LCC模型的酒店建筑冷热源方案评价方法研究

经济性是建筑冷热源方案选择的重要影响因素,将对比回收期(N)和全寿命周期成本(LCC)联合建立N-LCC模型,用于评价建筑全寿命周期内冷热源方案的经济性,并对相关影响因素进行动态描述和敏感性分析。以济南一栋酒店建筑为例,对磁悬浮离心式冷水机组+燃气锅炉、螺杆式冷水机组+燃气锅炉、磁悬浮离心式冷水机组+市政热网、螺杆式冷水机组+市政热网、空气源热泵、VRV多联机6种冷热源方案进行经济对比并阐述模型效果。结果表明磁悬浮冷水机组具有良好的长期经济效益,磁悬浮离心式冷水机组+市政热网的全寿命周期费用为1184.15万元,在6种方案中最低,其中累积年运行费用占比79.04%,且对电价、热量价格的敏感性小。通过对建立的对比回收期模型进行分析,总结出全寿命周期下对比回收期可能出现的4种情况:①无对比回收期;②对比回收期<所有冷热源设备寿命;③对比回收期>某一个冷热源设备寿命;④多对比回收期。模型的计算结果表明对比回收期可以在长周期范围反映出冷热源方案的相对经济性,对酒店建筑冷热源方案经济性评价有着重要参考价值。

Probabilistic Analysis of Life Cycle Cost for Power Transformer

The selection of power transformer is very important to power sector. Most methods are utilized according to the initial cost and don’t consider the synthetical evaluation of economy and technology. Based on previous research, this paper addresses a new practical probabilistic life cycle cost model. Then, in order to demonstrate the practicability of probabilistic life cycle cost for the power transformer, illustrative investment alternatives of actual power transformers are discussed. From the result of the numerical investigation, it may be positively stated that the optimum investment alternative for the power transformer based on the probabilistic life cycle cost model proposed in this study will lead to a more rational, economical and effective procedure compared with the conventional method only considering the initial cost.

Distribution Network Equipment Location and Capacity Planning Method Considering Energy Internet Attribute from the Perspective of Life Cycle Cost

For facing the challenges brought by large-scale renewable energy having access to the system and considering the key technologies of energy Internet,it is very necessary to put forward the location method of distribution network equipment and capacity from the perspective of life cycle cost.Compared with the traditional energy network,the equipment capacity problem of energy interconnected distribution network which involves in electricity network,thermal energy network and natural gas network is comprehensively considered in this paper.On this basis,firstly,the operation architecture of energy interconnected distribution network is designed.Secondly,taking the grid connection location and configuration capacity of key equipment in the system as the control variables and the operation cost of system comprehensive planning in the whole life cycle as the goal,the equipment location and capacity optimization model of energy interconnected distribution network is established.Finally,an IEEE 33 bus energy mutual distribution grid system is taken for example analysis,and the improved chaotic particle swarmoptimization algorithm is used to solve it.The simulation results show that the method proposed in this paper is suitable for the equipment location and capacity planning of energy interconnected distribution network,and it can effectively improve the social and economic benefits of system operation.

Net Present Value Method: A Method Recommended by ISO 15686-5 for Economic Evaluation of Building Life Cycle Costs

The publication of ISO 15686-5 is significant for studies related to the life-cycle costs of buildings. Among the many economic evaluation methods, the NPV method is recommended for use by this standard. This study explains the concept and method of PV, and then provides an explanation of the concept and method of NPV, and points out the limitations in the practical application of the method.

Prediction and Backtracking Models of Life Cycle Cost Based on School Facility Conditions in South Korea

After the introduction of BTL （Build-Transfer-Lease） projects in 2005, most construction projects of school facilities have been implemented in BTL system. However, concern about whether the school facilities can be managed appropriately during the 20 year as operation and management period is increasing. Therefore, the necessity of reference for evaluation standard on operating costs and the establishment of LCC （life cycle costing） prediction models is coming to the fore. In this respect, the goal of this study was to extract the variables for LCC-related models and conduct analyses of the correlations of the variables using statistical analysis tool, in order to establish LCC prediction and backtracking model based on BTL project cases of school facilities. The prediction and backtracking model of LCC will be a key for budget equalization or optimum range as one way of estimating method using LCC by year and school type. In the future, it would provide the accurate reference for analyzing and managing the actual input costs against the plan and evaluating the practical cost for long-term facility management plan as the predictive management.

A Life Cycle Cost Analysis Model of Goods Movement for the Gulf Cooperation Council Region

In this article,a total life cycle cost analysis(LCCA)was developed covering two transportation systems:trucking and railway within the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC)region.GCC region is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consists of six countries(Saudi Arabia,Kuwait,the United Arab Emirates,Qatar,Bahrain,and Oman).In general and based on statistics,the GCC regional economy is expected to grow due to the increase in aggregate supply and demand.So,there is a need to build a solid foundation of transportation systems that can help in transforming this region into a logistics hub.Therefore,different analysis was discussed in order to be able to select more reliable and appropriate mode of shipping between the GCC.Beside the main cost factors that which includes the capital,operational,maintenance and depreciation costs.Other factors such as,border delays,emissions,noise and safety factors were added to the analysis.The results show that,shipping using trucking system can be cheaper when shipping commodities between the GCC region,but at the same time considering border delays and emission produced,railways and intermodal modal systems prove to be more reliable.Moreover,shipping bulk commodities favor the rail and intermodal systems due to the payload capacity besides the flexibility of finding the most efficient way to move the shipments between origin and destinations.