Implementing life-cycle costing: data integration between design models and cost calculations

The objectives of this study were to develop, test and summarise lessons learned using two different methods for data integration between autonomous software packages for design models, cost calculations and cost databases with regard to generating life-cycle costing analysis. The two developed methods followed the principles of compatibility and interoperability and were tested in three test cases: a simplistic design model, a university building model and a private company’s office building model. The compatible method entailed an MS Excel tool while the interoperable method followed a more automated procedure through a visual programming environment. Both methods were, however, facing several obstacles with regard to data integration across autonomous software packages and automated procedures for calculation of life-cycle cost which in turn left plenty of manual work and made the results prone to human errors.