Projects Overview

All Athena Institute research and development projects are undertaken in order to fulfill our mandate of fostering a sustainable built environment–which we seek to achieve by providing the building community with better information and tools.

One ongoing project is the US Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Database being developed in cooperation with the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL ). Maintained by NREL, this publicly available database features LCI data on the environmental impacts of commonly used materials, products and processes. It provides a central source for critically reviewed information developed in accordance with a common research protocol and is consistent with international standards.

Other recent projects include a study on the feasibility of including more semi-cementatious materials in concrete, and an analysis of the reasons behind the demolition of buildings relative to their age and structural systems.

Education and outreach activities are also important in the fulfillment of our mandate. Internationally, the Institute continues to be involved in the Green Building Challenge process, in the SETAC/UNEP Life Cycle Initiative, and with the International Initiative for Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE). In the US, Institute staff sit on several committees related to the LEED and Green Globes rating systems, where an important part our work is to determine methods for integrating LCA and thus making it more accessible. The ATHENA^® EcoCalculator for Assemblies is in fact a generic version of a tool commissioned by the Green Building Initiative for integration into Green Globes. In Canada, the President of the Institute, Wayne Trusty, is past–Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board of the Canada Green Building Council.