Resources
Listed below are a range of resources related to life cycle assessment (LCA) and improving the environmental performance of construction projects. This includes open-access software, academic articles and additional resources published by the EPiC team.
EPiC Database
- All EPiC resources, including detailed information for each material contained within the database, are available via the EPiC Database figshare collection. This will be updated as new data are added:
https://doi.org/10.26188/5dd4cd6ad1e2e - Download the EPiC Database (PDF):
http://doi.org/10.26188/5dc228ef98c5a - Download the EPiC Database summary table (PDF):
http://doi.org/10.26188/5dc228ef98c5a - Download the Excel version of the EPiC Database (.xlsx):
http://doi.org/10.26188/5dc228ef98c5a
Videos
- A short video explaining the EPiC Database, including a basic introduction to life cycle assessment and embodied energy in construction.
https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/research/projects/current/environmental-performance-in-construction/news/video-stream-introduction-to-the-epic-database-and-resource-hub
Open-source modelling tools for Life Cycle Assessment
- The code for the object-oriented programming used to conduct structural path analysis is freely available on GitHub (http://github.com/hybridlca/pyspa) with further information located at: http://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.8080763.v1. It is also available as a Python package (pyspa) from the central Python package index (PyPi).
- EPiC Grasshopper fully integrates the EPiC Database within the parametric modelling environment of Rhinoceros3D and Grasshopper. It provides access to the entire EPiC Database, enables the creation of custom materials and construction assemblies and includes data visualisation and data exports. EPiC Grasshopper is freely available jere: https://www.food4rhino.com/en/app/epic-grasshopper
Academic papers
- Crawford, R.H., Stephan, A. and Prideaux, F. (2022) The EPiC database: Hybrid embodied environmental flow coefficients for construction materials, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 180, 106058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.106058
- Crawford, R.H., Stephan, A. & Prideaux, F. (2020) EPiC: Introducing a database of hybrid environmental flow coefficients for construction materials. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 588, 042052. http://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/588/4/042052
- Crawford, R.H., Stephan, A., & Prideaux, F. (2019) A comprehensive database of environmental flow coefficients for construction materials: closing the loop in environmental design. Paper presented at the Revisiting the Role of Architecture for 'Surviving’ Development, Architectural Science Association, Roorkee, India. https://anzasca.net/category/conference-papers/2019-conference-papers/?authorid=702
- Stephan, A., Crawford, R.H., & Bontinck, P.-A. (2019) A model for streamlining and automating path exchange hybrid life cycle assessment. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 24(2), 237-252. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-018-1521-1
- Crawford, R.H., Stephan, A., & Schmidt, M. (2018) Embodied Carbon in Buildings: An Australian Perspective. In F. Pomponi, C. D. Wolf, & A. Moncaster (Eds.), Embodied Carbon in Buildings. Cham: Springer. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72796-7
- Crawford, R.H., Bontinck, P.-A., Stephan, A., Wiedmann, T., & Yu, M. (2018) Hybrid life cycle inventory methods – A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 1273-1288. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.176
- Crawford, R.H., Bontinck, P., & Stephan, A. (2018) Establishing a comprehensive database of construction material environmental flow coefficients for Australia. Paper presented at the Engaging Architectural Science: Meeting the Challenges of Higher Density, Architectural Science Association, Melbourne, Australia.
http://anzasca.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/43-Establishing-a-comprehensive-database-of-construction-material-environmental-flow-coefficients-for-Australia.pdf - Bontinck, P.-A., Crawford, R. H., & Stephan, A. (2017) Improving the uptake of hybrid life cycle assessment in the construction industry. Procedia Engineering, 196, 822-829. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.08.013
- Yu, M., Wiedmann, T., Crawford, R., & Tait, C. (2017) The carbon footprint of Australia's construction sector. Procedia Engineering, 180, 211-220. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.04.180
- Crawford, R.H., Bontinck, P.-A., Stephan, A., & Wiedmann, T. (2017) Towards an automated approach for compiling hybrid life cycle inventories. Procedia Engineering, 180, 157-166. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.04.175