One Click LCA Reviews

Pros

Using it has been a really positive experience because the software is fast, user friendly and capable of handling very complex building environmental impact assessments. Even with limited knowledge of construction or materials, it still makes it possible to put together a strong and detailed environmental impact analysis for a building.

Cons

The biggest downside is the cost and the payment model is not very convenient. Having to pay upfront for a full year of projects feels expensive and a bit uncomfortable.

Pros

Getting started with the software feels quite easy because the import tool is simple to follow and the interface is user friendly. The results are presented clearly and work especially well in reports for readers who may not be familiar with LCA terminology or its meaning. The workflow feature is particularly useful, with its tick box checklist helping keep projects on track. Guidance throughout the platform is clear and thorough. Compared with traditional LCA, this is much faster and the size of the database is a big advantage. Customer support is responsive and attentive and the benchmark rating is a nice extra feature.

Cons

Importing can occasionally be difficult because sometimes items come through misaligned. The references shown in the import wizard may also be unclear for some users when trying to match them back to elements in model software such as IES or Revit. At times, the interface does not seem to be made for the BREEAM RFO 2014 scope and some items within that scope are not even available within the interface which was confusing initially. While the compliance checker is useful, it does not always filter out certain materials for RFO 2014 so manual overrides are still needed. It would also help if generic ratings were explained more clearly, particularly in terms of what they include and where the data comes from. Having product to product comparison included as a standard feature in the Expert package would also be a valuable improvement.

Pros

One thing that really stands out is the huge dataset, easily the largest I've come across which gives us a lot of flexibility across different projects and material scopes. The data entry options are also very adaptable since we can work through BIM, Excel or direct input in the browser tool. On top of that, the customer service team is quick to respond and genuinely helpful whenever needed.

Cons

The graphics have gotten better over time but they still aren't quite usable for presentations on my end. I'd also like to see more flexibility in the export options since the data export process could definitely be improved.

Pros

Using it is easy and the provider offers good support.

Cons

It is not modified to costs in my country.

Pros

Revit integration is a major part of the tool for us. Since it's our main modeling software, getting our information is much easier. The online web tool lets multiple people access it and data across different design iterations is easy to compare.

Cons

Customizable extra inputs are useful though I think details like family type and instance should come through automatically with a Revit upload. It was confusing to tell elements apart until I found the extra info page and then it took a while to review everything there and find the right ones for what I was trying to do.

Pros

Visual graphs make the emissions percentages for each building structure and material clear and the broad database offers enough options to choose generic or equivalent materials.

Cons

I haven't yet had a chance to explore all of the tool's features since the projects my company handles cover only a limited range.

Pros

The software is really user friendly and makes completing an LCA for BREEAM 2018 very simple. The customer service is excellent as they respond quickly and are always helpful.

Cons

Some EPDs we need are not always available in the software though Bionova regularly updates the tool with new EPDs.

Pros

It's user friendly, offers a broad selection of material databases and lets me make quick changes and compare designs. Calculations and recalculations are fast when I edit something and the results are presented simply.

Cons

It would be helpful if complete material datasets, including EPDs, were available with every license, Starter included since we all use them anyway.

Pros

Only a handful of tools thoroughly calculate a building's LCA. Focusing on real material and energy use makes the results very accurate and the Revit integration is excellent.

Cons

A wider range of Australian database entries would be helpful.

Pros

This helps pinpoint the carbon heavy parts of a building design and its material choices and lets users complete LCA and LCC assessments in much less time. It calculates embodied carbon, GWP breakdowns, acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion potential and non hazardous waste disposal, among other impacts. Materials and products with the highest CO2 emissions are easy to identify and reconsider or replace using the "show sustainable alternatives" option. Results are also displayed graphically across the full life cycle, from A1 A3 materials and B4 B5 material replacement to B6 energy, B7 water and C1 C4 deconstruction making them easy to use for sustainability tracking and evidence reports. Navigation is simple and the software is easy to learn without much training. To begin, users enter building area, material details, transport distances and energy and water consumption. Support is excellent, including online training where an expert walks users through the software step by step to help them get started with assessments.

Cons

Online training is free only during the initial period. More detailed sessions require payment and I think they should be part of the license price. Aside from that, I have not run into any major drawbacks with it. It delivers what it promises and the data entry and calculations are what I would expect from this kind of software.

Pros

The site is simple to follow. Material info tags are useful and they show which EPD the data is based on. It helps that results can be viewed in different formats, including scientific and exponential notation and exported to Excel. The updated results page also identifies the materials with the highest and lowest emissions. Support has been good, with quick replies. We still need more practice to understand everything and speed up the process.

Cons

Finding a suitable material is difficult especially without knowing the manufacturer. The material list sits low on the page and having two separate scroll areas makes it hard to see the full list. IFC imports are challenging since the file is often not good enough. It's also hard to confirm that every material is included and see where each one is in the building. During an IFC import, the page lets you manually assign materials/items to categories but you need to complete all of it at once because you can't get back to that same screen. That makes it difficult to check results as you go. Once you leave, you also can't replace the material assigned to an item even if that is the one you want.

Pros

It does what is needed. Running in the cloud is handy and the results are shown in clear visual form. The database is quite substantial, with plenty of default options, such as average European transport impact. Inputs can be uploaded and results downloaded for further use.

Cons

Its not that easy to find items in the database and results still leave some room for interpretation.