Ecodesign tools in the construction sector: Analyzing usage inadequacies with designers' needs

In this article, a usage-driven perspective is taken to analyze the lack of industrial uptake of ecodesign tools in the construction sector. Eleven interviews with professionals were carried out to gain insight into the building design process, the roles of the different actors and their interactions. Nineteen further interviews investigated ecodesign knowledge and practice, and the barriers to wider implementation of this approach. The data drawn from the interviews were analyzed with the Dependency Structure Modelling Value Bucket (DSM VB) algorithm. The algorithm maps usage situations, designer issues and existing ecodesign tools to highlight gaps in the available offer for ecodesign tools. It appears that ecodesign tools are missing in the early design stages, and that what is most needed in these phases are tools for multicriteria analysis (economic, social, and environmental) and benchmarking. Tools answering these needs, combined with desirable changes we identified in the design process, would help ecodesign adoption.