This paper presents a methodology of integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to evaluate the economic implications of designing aging-in-place (AIP) homes at the conceptual stage. With the rising global aging population, there is a growing demand for housing tailored to elderly needs. This study emphasizes the importance of early design phases, offering a semi-automated model to estimate life cycle costs from design to disposal. The model enables comprehensive economic assessments, highlighting the long-term feasibility of design decisions by considering life cycle costs early in the process. Investing in accessible and universal design features upfront can lead to long-term savings by reducing the need for extensive future retrofits. The model allows for comparisons among different design alternatives, assessing the financial impact of features such as wider doorways, accessible bathrooms, and elevators. This study provides valuable insights for designers and homeowners, supporting efficient decision-making during the early design stages of AIP homes.

While the Canadian population ages, designers are encountering new challenges that significantly affect the design of new houses. This demographic shift will impose major changes in the demand for housing toward more adaptable and specialized homes that require designers to develop new strategic design solutions. Presently, the main challenge to designers when creating age-in-place houses is lacking the knowledge about the requirements of that type of homes. Therefore, this study describes the development of a Semi-automated computer model that offers designers and users a unique opportunity to do real-time simulation in an interactive environment while enhancing the communication and interaction between owners and designers to meet inhabitants' needs by reducing future modifications and alterations of houses to age in them. The said model is a cloud-based integration between BIM, Universal Design (UD), Age-in-Place (AIP) design requirements, and Virtual Reality (VR) that allows owners to be engaged in the design process at the early stage to achieve efficient outcomes.

This paper presents a methodology for the integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to assess the economic implications of designing aging-in-place (AIP) homes at the conceptual stage. With the global increase in the aging population, there is an increased demand for housing solutions tailored to the needs of elderly individuals. Focusing on the importance of the early phase of design, this study aims to improve the process of making efficient decisions by providing a comprehensive assessment of the life cycle costs associated with AIP homes. The study introduces a semi-automated model for the economic evaluation of AIP homes, enabling the estimation of costs throughout the houses’ entire life cycle, from design and construction to operation, maintenance, and eventual renovation or disposal. The said model facilitates the exploration of the long-term economic feasibility of design’s related decisions with an emphasis on the importance of considering the life cycle costs early during the design process to optimize the functionality and economic viability. By investing in accessible and universal design features upfront, the initial costs for modifications can lead to long-term savings by reducing the need for extensive retrofits. The model can easily do comparison between different design alternatives in terms of their lifecycle costs, allowing designers to assess the financial impact of using important features in their design such as wider doorways, accessible bathrooms, and elevators. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for designers and homeowners about the economic aspects of designing AIP homes as a support for efficient decision-making during the early stages of the design process.

In recent years, an essential approach for promoting and implementing efficient sustainable construction practices has been considered through the integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA). The introduction of OpenBIM, which is characterized by its collaborative and interoperable nature, offers an ideal framework to enhance this integration. This paper conducts a systematic review of the literature concerning the practices applied to integrate BIM and LCA, focusing on the present trends, challenges, and opportunities as well as on how the concept of OpenBIM can be applied to tackle the identified issues and gaps. Based on an intense review of the literature to identify the ways currently used to exchange data, this paper proposes a robust framework to create Information Delivery Specifications (IDS) as a solution to the identified gaps to attain an effective implementation, ultimately contributing to sustainable buildings’ practices and enhancing the integration of OpenBIM and LCA. OpenBIM emphasizes interoperability and collaboration by using open standards like Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs), which, when combined with LCA, offer a powerful method for the practice of sustainable building and provide a transparent evaluation of the environmental impacts of building materials and processes. This paper explores the definitions, key concepts, types of the exchanged data, and methods of integration and therefore provides insights into their potential in addressing the gaps that the construction industry is currently facing. The framework of integrating OpenBIM and LCA will be developed as a tool; therefore, it will combine an automated validation option by using IDS, create an enriched IFC file(s), dynamically map the data to an external LCA repositories, and incorporate feedback and reporting mechanisms. All those will be combined to address the most persistent shortcomings in the reviewed studies related to the integration of BIM and LCA. The framework will promote a holistic approach covering the early design benchmark to the detailed Whole Building LCA (WBLCA), including the operational and end-of-life phases. This next-generation workflow will align closely to the principles of OpenBIM, leading to improvement in the efficiency, accuracy, and deeper understanding of the environmental impacts by stakeholders over the construction lifecycle of buildings.