Reconciling theory and practice of life-cycle costing

Authors: Raymond J. Cole; Eva Sterner

Source: Building Research and Information, Volume 28, Numbers 5-6, 1 September 2000 , pp. 368-375(8)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

The notion of Life-Cycle Costing (LCC) is generally recognized as a valuable approach for comparing alternative building designs – enabling operational cost benefits to be evaluated against any initial cost increases. However, a host of practical difficulties conspire to limit its widespread adoption. This limited acceptance is particularly important in green building where many of the benefits of strategic choices can often only be understood and justified when cast in a life-cycle context. This paper identifies some of the critical gaps between the theory (and promise) and practice of Life-Cycle Cost analysis to discover strategies that encourage greater use.

Il est généralement admis que la notion de coût du cycle de vie fournit une approche utile pour comparer les différentes stratégies de conception de construction car elle permet d'évaluer les avantages en terme de coût d'exploitation par rapport à toute augmentation du coût initial. Une foule de difficultés pratiques contribue néanmoins à limiter son adoption générale. Cette acceptation restreinte est particulièrement importante pour les bâtiments écologiques car de nombreux avantages des choix stratégiques peuvent uniquement être compris s'ils sont replacés dans un contexte de cycle de vie. Le présent document identifie plusieurs lacunes majeures entre la théorie (et la promesse) et la pratique de l'analyse du coût du cycle de vie, afin de découvrir les stratégies qui favoriseront une utilisation plus large.

Keywords: LIFE-CYCLE COST; BUILDING DESIGN; PRACTICE; ECONOMICS; WHOLE LIFE COSTS; RISK ASSESSMENT; GREEN BUILDING; FINANCE; PROCUREMENT

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/096132100418519

Publication date: 2000-09-01

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