Life Cycle Based Building Design

Clarity are developing the ENVEST Au suite of building design tools and have a working prototype tool that can be used now to support design teams. ENVEST is unique in providing a complete life cycle environmental impact and $ cost simultaneously from inception of the design process. ENVEST reveals the implications of every design decision, from the heroic up-front decisions about building location, massing, uses, shape, orientation right through to the details of specification of individual elements or components and their likely replacement rates, cleaning and maintenance. ENVEST reveals the complex environmental and cost implications and tradeoffs implicit in every design decision helping design teams to find the sweet spot for getting least environmental impact from any building design whilst also minimising cost to build, own, maintain and operate. ENVEST is the holy grail of building design tools and is also being developed for BIM compatibility. As for product assessment and contrary to popular opinion, low financial cost and low environmental impacts can always be achieved simultaneously.