Bombyx
Parametric tool for early-stage design life cycle assessment
Bombyx is a plugin developed for Grasshopper that facilitates real-time Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) during the early design stages of building projects. It is designed to integrate with the Rhinoceros 3D modeling software and allows users to evaluate the environmental impacts of various building materials and systems as they modify the design.
Bombyx is valuable for its ability to perform continuous LCA updates as the building geometry changes, providing immediate feedback on the environmental performance. This makes it an essential tool for architects and engineers looking to optimize the sustainability of their projects from the very beginning of the design process.
The plugin supports both top-down and bottom-up approaches to design. In the top-down approach, users can categorize the building using predefined inputs, while the bottom-up approach allows for more detailed construction by selecting materials and other components individually.
Bombyx is open source, which allows for community contributions and continuous improvement. The latest versions of Bombyx operate on MacOS and include the Swiss database.
Related publications:
- Basic, S., Hollberg, A., Galimshina, A. & Habert, G. A design integrated parametric tool for real-time Life Cycle Assessment - Bombyx project. in IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 323, (2019).
- Hollberg, A., Kaushal, D., Basic, S., Galimshina, A. & Habert, G. A data-driven parametric tool for under-specified LCA in the design phase. IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 588, (2020).