Use of an Object-Oriented System for Optimizing Life Cycle Embodied Energy and Life Cycle Material Cost of Shopping Centres

Shopping centres are an integral part and a critical component of urban cities in most economies. Typically, the shorter refurbishment cycle and frequent tenant replacements in shopping centres cause excessive use of building materials over its service life. This drastic use of resources, consequently, increase life cycle embodied energy (LCEE) and life cycle material cost (LCMC) of shopping centres. Therefore, careful selection of materials is vital to reduce the negative environmental impacts and material costs. Current research on the implications of material choices on LCEE and LCMC of shopping centres are insubstantial and decisions makers are left with limited information to make better selections. Therefore, selection of energy efficient, cost-effective and environmentally responsive materials and assemblies has been a critical process for the professionals who are involved in decision-making. This paper proposes the use of object-oriented programming (OOP) to develop a mathematical model to develop combinations of building assemblies with minimum LCEE and LCMC of shopping centres through material selection. The model is based for sub-regional shopping centres in Australia, yet can be applied for any similar property type with modifications to databases and model architecture. However, scope of this paper is limited to the development of model architecture with detailed explanations on databases and computing core development. Even though, the detailed presentation of development of OOP structure pro-vides proper insight to the mathematical core for future application.