The objective of the LCC analysis in certification is to facilitate a comparison between different buildings with the same use. This requires clear rules for identifying and documenting building costs as well as comparable benchmarks for their evaluation. These rules create clear parameters which allow evaluations of different buildings with the same use to be compared.
In order to focus on construction-based LCC, the evaluation is based on certain key costs categories which are calculated for a pre-defined study period.
Additional Explanation
Design and construction processes often focus on reducing initial construction cost. Costs incurred throughout the building’s entire life cycle, such as the follow-up costs during its use, are often neglected.
As part of a holistic approach to LCC, the analysis should be based on a defined scope and time period. Thus decisions about the design and the construction decisions can be taken with a long term view, taking into account selected costs in use, weighted for the individual use phases.