'Green calculator' for assessments

Contractors will soon have access to computer software dubbed the "green calculator" because it provides cost and environmental assessments of commercial buildings.
According to Dr Peter Newton, the development team leader at the Co-operative Research Centre for Construction Innovation in Australia, "working from the 3-D CAD for a building, this automated environmental assessment system calculates the environmental impact of all the materials involved in its construction".
"For instance, it calculates, say, how many tonnes of clay are used to construct a building or how much water, energy, and greenhouse gas and other polluting emissions will be created. At the same time it provides an instant display of the quantities and costs of all those materials."
The calculator is linked to an updated index of 800 key building materials as well as commercial building cost databases.
"This will offer designers, for the first time, the opportunity instantly to redesign or respecify materials for a building based on both the economic and environmental impact of the materials involved in its construction, and how well the building complies with government and industry standards."
More information about the software can be found at:
www.construction-innovation.info.