by Brianna Crandall — March 28, 2001—A powerful scientific tool for selecting cost-effective and environmentally preferable building products is now available as a free, Web-based application. Developed and maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) Online is based on consensus standards and designed to be practical, flexible and transparent.
BEES translates science-based, technical data on building products into decision-enabling results that can be easily understood and applied by the building community. The Web-based version allows easier access for users and will enable new building products to be added to the database as the information becomes available.
BEES Online measures the environmental performance of 230 building products based on the life-cycle assessment approach specified in the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 14040 series of standards to evaluate cradle-to-grave environmental performance. The building products range from a variety of concretes to exterior wall components, roof coverings and multiple floor-covering types.
All stages in the life of a product are analyzed: raw material acquisition, manufacture, transportation, installation, use, and recycling and waste management. Users can define methods to weigh the impacts, which range from global warming, smog, indoor air quality, human health and fossil fuel depletion, using predefined weights chosen by BEES stakeholders or others.
Economic performance is measured using the ASTM standard life-cycle cost method, which covers the costs of initial investment, replacement, operation, maintenance and repair, and disposal. Environmental and economic performance, both measured over a 50-year period, are combined into an overall performance measure using other ASTM standards. Users can choose to vary the weights for evaluation.
BEES can be used to help assess buildings for certifications. BEES stakeholder weights are used in the third version of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-certification program for sustainable commercial and residential buildings.
BEES was originally developed in 1997 to bring stringent science and economics to green building product selection. The earlier versions of BEES, a software package made available for free download by NIST, have an estimated user base of 30,000, including designers, builders, product manufacturers and students in more than 80 countries.
