Off-site specialist Yorkon unveils whole-life costing software

A software tool to work out the whole-life costs of buildings has been developed in what the maker says is an industry first.

The tool uses whole-life costing techniques and 3D building simulation software to calculate the running costs of a building throughout its life cycle.

Developed by Yorkon, the Portakabin subsidiary and off-site construction specialist, it can evaluate the impact of a range of design options on carbon emissions, energy consumption and running costs over the life of a building. The options include the type of cladding, glazing, heating, lighting and ventilation.

Yorkon plans to sell the technology to QSs, contractors and clients but it began developing it two years ago to assess the whole-life costs of its own products compared to other modular or traditionally constructed buildings.

Yorkon drafted in a team of industry professionals to consult on the two-year process of building the tool. The team included Cyril Sweett, consulting engineer Troup Bywaters & Anders, whole-life performance specialist Building Performance Group and freelance QSs.

But not everyone in the industry is convinced. Joe Martin, executive director of the Building Costs Information Service, said human beings would always play a vital part in calculating whole-life costs since any IT-based system would depend on the assumptions programmed into it. “Anyone can do whole-life costing on a spreadsheet, but you are still forecasting, however much information you have on the past.” He said consistency in the assumptions was crucial.

Whole-life costing is now a requirement for all government tenders and PFI schemes and is also gaining ground in the private sector, as legislation and tax changes encourage measures to mitigate climate change and cut carbon emissions.