A life cycle analysis calculates the total environmental impact of your construction project. You’ve come this far.
We’re going one step further in your search for optimizations.
As energy consumption decreases due to increasingly strict EPB requirements, the relative contribution of building materials to the global ecological footprint of buildings increases.
In order to support the Belgian construction sector in objectifying and reducing the environmental impact of buildings, the three regions have developed TOTEM (Tool to Optimize the Total Environmental impact of Materials).
Bureau Bouwtechniek, together with the ICEDD – Institut de Conseil et d’Etudes en Développement Durable, supports the three regions in communicating about and supporting the use of TOTEM.
Our sustainability advisors Jona Van Steenkiste and Katrien Van Lierop manage the TOTEM helpdesk, provide training and also examine the functionality of the tool.
Of course, Jona and Katrien also use the tool to inspire and stimulate you to make your design environmentally proof for the future. In contrast to the EPB calculation method, which only looks at the impact in the usage phase, TOTEM evaluates the environmental impact of building materials throughout their entire life cycle, from extraction of raw materials to demolition or reuse.
Commissioned by OVAM, we developed a practical guide with guidelines, strategies and steps to qualitatively integrate the use of TOTEM into your assignment, together with Buildwise.