Knowledge infrastructure for sustainable building in The Netherlands

Abstract

The article describes the development and expected future direction of knowledge infrastructure pertaining to sustainable building in The Netherlands with particular reference to two computer programs based on lifecycle analyses: Eco-Quantum Residential and Eco-Quantum Research. The first is a tool for architects to identify the environmental consequences of different options, while Eco-Quantum Research allows for in-depth analyses and therefore can be used for developing innovative designs. The programs were made commercially available in November 1999 after testing by practitioners and municipalities in The Netherlands. An example of the design of an office building guided by Eco-Quantum is also given.