This note was reviewed and retained for legacy in September 2018.
This note deals with the methods and tools for assessing the environmental performance of a building design in the early design phase of a building project. It describes building environmental performance assessment (EPA), explains how it is used in design, and points to a number of EPA modelling and rating tools that are commercially available in Australia, including energy performance tools, and life cycle analysis (LCA) tools.
This note, originally titled DES 33, was first published in May 2000. Its author was Peter Graham. It was extensively revised and updated by Paul Downton in November 2011.