Design impact measures

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Design impact measures are measures used to qualify projects for various environmental rating systems and to guide both design and regulatory decisions from beginning to end. Some systems, like the greenhouse gas inventory, are required globally for all business decisions. Some are project-specific, like the LEED point rating system which is used only for its own ratings, and does its qualifications do not correspond to much beyond physical measurements.^{[citation needed]} Others like the Athena life-cycle impact assessment tool attempt to add up all the kinds of measurable impacts of all parts of a building throughout its life and are quite rigorous and complex.

The general field involves tying together environmental impact assessment and environmental accounting with systems ecology, cost estimation models, and cost–benefit analysis.^{[citation needed]}

Though sustainable design has existed since 2008,^{[citation needed]} the number and types of methods and resources that have become available since then have increased significantly. Much of these tools are only preliminary guides to thinking about the complex processes of sustainable design in projects. As designers confront the impact of construction projects on the larger scale of human interaction with the earth, the problem of sustainable physical design grows increasingly complex and difficult.

Simple online calculators[]

The Energy Star building energy calculator and targeting tool is based on data from the United States International Energy Agency (US IEA) and Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), which records long-term US nationwide energy use. Projects seeking for a Green Globes rating would use this calculator.

Another simple calculator that is available on line is the "Build Carbon Neutral" calculator and, for UK users, the "Footprinter". These tools estimate a building's total carbon footprint by calculating easily visible parts, namely total surface area, building height, and ecoregion.

Advanced impact and energy analysis tools[]

The United States Department of Energy (USDOE) offers a list of building energy tools for designers. While it is extensive, it may still be incomplete as new innovative tools are created. However, it contains a lot of resources for designers to begin with.

Other advanced analysis tools include:

• The "Greenhouse gas protocol": this is an intergovernmental data service used by the major international bodies for organizing the greenhouse gas data and reporting requirements. The protocols are organized by industry.
• The "Athena Eco-Calculator": this calculator is an advanced and thorough life-cycle impact assessment tool for buildings. It can also be found in the USDOE list linked above.
• The "EcoFootprint": this is a method of measuring a building's total use of productive land, or its ecological footprint. It uses data from studies indicating that human burden on renewable resources is significantly greater than the Earth's regenerative capacities.^{[citation needed]} The results may not measure uncertainty, but it offers a comparable dimension

Recently, existing and emerging design and engineering software packages are also incorporating energy impact tools and climate modeling tools into their software.^{[citation needed]} Many of them rely on the move to Building information modeling (BIM) data models that allow many consultants to work on the same building or urban design scheme at once.

See also[]

• Sustainability
• Biodiversity