Aragón, A., Spudys, P., Pupeikis, D., Nieto, Ó. & Alberti, M.G. (2025). Bridging interoperability gaps between LCA and BIM: Analysis of limitations for the integration of EPD data in IFC. Buildings, 15 (15), 2760. doi.org/10.3390/buildings15152760
The digitalization of the construction industry is a critical enabler for calculating and reducing environmental impacts, including raw materials consumption. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a standardized, comprehensive methodology employed to calculate the environmental impacts of a product or service across its entire life cycle. However, the existing gaps with the digital tools used within the construction industry, mainly BIM, limit the practical use of LCA in buildings and infrastructure.
UNE and KTU collaborated with UPM (Polytechnic University of Madrid) in the drafting of a research article related to the digitalization of environmental data from construction products, published in the journal Buildings. The research focused on enhancing the transfer of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) data into the primary Building Information Modeling (BIM) format. The acronym ‘IFC’ refers to ‘Industry Foundation Classes’. IFC is an open, vendor-neutral standard developed by buildingSMART and also published as ISO standard used data exchange in BIM, ensuring interoperability between different software applications.
The research paper Bridging interoperability gaps between LCA and BIM: Analysis of limitations for the integration of EPD data in IFC² was guided by the following question: “What are the gaps that limit the machine interpretation of LCA data in IFC 4.3, and how can these gaps be bridged?”. The study performed a comprehensive assessment of the state of the art, including a review of relevant scientific literature and standards on EPDs (EN 15804, ISO 21930 and ISO 22057), an analysis of published digital EPDs, and a thorough evaluation of the IFC 4.3 schema (available as EN ISO 16739-1:2024). This paper is based on previous research, published as Limitations of machine-interpretability of digital EPDs used for a BIM-based sustainability assessment of construction assets³. The research Aragón, Spudys, Pupeikis, Nieto and Alberti² particularized the identification of limitations for computer-interpretability of digital EPDs to the IFC schema.
The paper’s comprehensive analysis identifies twenty specific gaps that impede the seamless transfer of EPD data into IFC. These limitations are categorized into several key areas, revealing a multifaceted problem. The paper presents a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach intended for future revisions and implementations of IFC. While earlier studies have examined the presence of environmental data in IFC, this research focuses on the direct machine interpretation of environmental information without human intervention. The objective is to eliminate (or at least reduce) the human effort required for this data transfer, addressing a critical operational and economic challenge for the industry. The study puts forward eleven concrete, actionable improvements to the IFC 4.3 schema, demonstrating a clear path from problem identification to a tangible solution within the standardization system.
With automated data integration, architects, engineers and other actors can perform rapid, iterative LCA calculations throughout the early design stages, enabling optimization for sustainability in real time. This approach contrasts with the traditional, resource-intensive method of using LCA, which often relegated it to a late-stage compliance check. In addition, a standardized, machine-readable data structure guarantees that LCA data is consistent and verifiable, producing more reliable and comparable results. This is essential for supporting public and private procurement policies that favor environmentally preferable products.
Two main EU Regulations, published in 2024, introduce the requirement to deliver environmental information from products in a digital format:
§ Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 for the marketing of construction products⁴.
§ Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products⁵.
These regulations include a mandatory Digital Product Passport (DPP), which should integrate LCA-information from EPDs. Therefore, the paper³ in which CHRONICLE participated aligns with the newest EU policies related to construction products. The DPP can be integrated into digital twins of buildings, based on a BIM model or the Digital Building Logbook¹.
References
[1] A. Aragón, M. Arquier, O. Tokdemir, A. Enfedaque, M. Alberti, F. Lieval, E. Loscos, R. Pavón, D. Novischi, P. Legazpi y e. al., «Seeking a definition of digital twins for construction and infrastructure management,» Applied sciences, vol. 15, nº 3, 2025.
[2] A. Aragón, P. Spudys, D. Pupeikis, Ó. Nieto y M. G. Alberti, «Bridging interoperability gaps between LCA and BIM: Analysis of limitations for the integration of EPD data in IFC,» vol. 15, nº 15, 2025.
[3] A. Aragón and M. G. Alberti, “Limitations of machine-interpretability of digital EPDs used for a BIM-based sustainability assessment of construction assets,” J. Build. Eng., vol. 96, no. 110418, 2024.
[4] EU, Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 laying down harmonised rules for the marketing of construction products and repealing Regulation (EU) No 305/2011, 2024c.
[5] European Union, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, 2024.
