Life Cycle Costs of Buildings – Calculation Methods, Status, and Outlook

Author: Uwe Rotermund

In the past three years the calculation of life cycle costs (LCC) of buildings significantly gained importance. Calls for architectural competitions or VOF procedures (the German procedure for awarding professional services) more and more often include the evaluation criterion “low life cycle costs” in addition to required energy standards and information on economic feasibility. The expenses for a LCC-calculation are low and pay off quickly. Research on LCC for buildings began in the 1980s. Yet, to this day, only a limited number of calculation methods is available. The introduction of sustainability and certification systems in Germany resulted in new developments in this field. The certificate of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) as well as the rating system for sustainable building (BNB) both include an evaluation of life cycle costs.