Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

BEES 2.0 Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability: Technical Manual and User Guide

Published

Author(s)

Barbara C. Lippiatt

Abstract

The BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) version 2.0 software implements a rational, systematic technique for selecting environmentally and economically balanced building products. The technique is based on consensus standards and designed to be practical, flexible, and transparent. The windows-based decision support software, aimed at designers, builders, and prodcut manufacturers, includes actual environmental and economic performance data for 64 building products across a arange of functional applications. BEES measures the environmental performance of building products using the environmental life-cycle assessment approach specified in the latest versions of ISO 14000 standards. All stages in the life of a product are analyzed: raw material acquistion, manufacture, transportation, installation, use, and waste management. Economic performance is measured using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard life-cycle cost method, which covers the costs of initial investment, replacement, operation, maintenance and repair, and disposal. Environmental and economic performance are combined into an overall performance measure using the ASTM standard for Multiattribute Decision Analysis. For the entire BEES analysis, building products are defined and classified based on the ASTM standard classification for building elements known as UNIFORMAT II.
Citation
NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 6520
Report Number
6520

Keywords

building products, economic performance, environmental performance, green buildings, life cycle assessment, life-cycle costing, multiattribute decision analysis, sustainable development

Citation

Lippiatt, B. (2000), BEES 2.0 Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability: Technical Manual and User Guide, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=860036 (Accessed March 28, 2024)
Created June 1, 2000, Updated July 6, 2009