Integrating BIM-Based LCA and Building Sustainability Assessment
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear authors,
The integration of BIM with LCA and BSA is anticipated and logical. However, construction project management beneficiaries have to work harder in an attempt to ease the integration of BIM concepts with their standard methods and requirements. In this perspective, your paper is welcomed. With this stated, I have some benevolent suggestions:
1) in figure 1 please be consistent. In some parts, you are focusing on the flowchart on the objects, while in the next on software or process (e.g. BIM model is connected to software Tally which should be referenced as well, etc.).
2) title of chapter 4 "Results" is followed by a hanging paragraph, which would better fit in the previous chapter "Materials and methods", and sub-chapters with a numeration error (3.1 should be 4.1).
3) figures 4, 5, and 6 are tables actually, hence it should be formatted as such according the instructions for authors given by the Journal.
4) your paper would greatly benefit from a figure presenting the case study connecting the visual parts of the flowchart presented in figure 1, i.e. original BIM model as well as its transferred version in the LCA and BCA software environments.
Kind regards
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
The study presented in the paper has the sense of an application and it could consistently guide professionals in their design activities for sustainable construction.
It may also have an important educational role in the training of technicians who direct the profession to resource management according to the LCA.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Reviewer 3 Report
The scientific contribution finds, among other insights, one of real sources of uncertainties in LCA and BSA tools: the use of similar databases within different software and more appropriate data for application context "However, these databases must be region-oriented, according to the BSA scope."
Some suggestions:
53 the potential environmental of (maybe a word is missing)
65 preform --> perform
169 building sustainably
182-183 Suggestion to Authors of review the sintax
261 why building life cycle environmental impacts were reached (maybe another verb is more appropriate than reach)
3. Material and methods
I suggest authors to employed explain functional units and reference value (carbon emission or primary energy) in this part and give quantification/units in next section. In results, it is written primary energy, but it is useful to say it in methods. In addition, authors need to explain where and why they found conversion factors for Primary Energy calculation.
There is no specification of quantities of materials before Figure 4 (that is a table). Authors need to insert a picture about the building and building technologies, moreover, maybe authors can do a reference before in the text, at Figure 4 (that is a table).
392 operational energy must be previously assessed according to the Portuguese standards. (assess --> estimate)
466 more and comparable results (maybe more comparable)
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
