Athena SMI
Known Issues
 
 
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Life Cycle Assessment

is widely accepted as the best basis for comparing the environmental impact of alternative materials, components and services. In the case of buildings, material manufacturing is the most important contributor of emissions to water and land, including toxic releases. A recent US study found that construction is the sector producing the most CO2 emissions through the manufacture, transport and use of materials. A Canadian study indicates that the embodied energy in office buildings can be equivalent to more than 20 years of operating energy use, and that material selection or other design decisions can significantly reduce embodied energy. LCA is the route to document, understand and reduce such critical environmental effects.

 

The current release is ATHENA® Impact Estimator for Buildings 4.0.66
(Version 4.0 Build 66)


Known Issues:

This page contains last-minute product information and will be regularly updated to reflect the most up–to–date state of the known issues with the ATHENA® Impact Estimator for buildings Version 4.

The following issues have been identified in the ATHENA® Impact Estimator for buildings Version 4.0 Build 66 as of its release in January 2010. To download this version of the Impact Estimator, please click here Open in new window.

  1. The Registration process may not properly complete on Vista and Windows7 computers, especially the 64-Bit versions when UAC is enabled. A workaround can be found in the software registration help page. Click here to see the Software Registration info on the System Requirements page.
  2. The Copy to Project feature does not work for Extra Basic Material assemblies.
  3. Project - Modify Project : Cascading Unit Update. When Units (SI,Imperial) are changed, the change is not cascaded down to all existing assemblies within that project. The user should be asked whether the change should cascade down to all existing assemblies within that project.
  4. Report : The Per Unit Area Graphs are only produced on a per m2 basis, not on a per ft2 basis.
  5. Save as Text is missing some of the assembly data.
  6. Tree : If the Tools->Options form is used to select Weighted Resource Use as the summary measure to display in the Tree, the selection is not being saved properly and the value displayed in the Tree is erroneous.
    Workaround: Right-click the Root node (named Impact Estimator), then expand the Select Summary Measure submenu to select Weighted Resource Use.
  7. Dialog minimize/cascade/maximize behaviour: When a dialog is minimized, the expectation associated with clicking the "Cascade" button is that the dialog will be changed to the "Cascade" state. The "Cascade" button currently returns the dialog to its previous state. For instance, if the dialog was maximized before being minimized, clicking the "Cascade" button returns the dialog to the maximized state instead of to the "Cascade" state.
  8. If no Assembly dialogs are open for an Assembly Group, then the "Close Assembly Forms" Edit Menu option should not be available when the Assembly Group is selected.
  9. If no Assembly dialogs are open for a Project, then the "Close All Assembly Forms" Edit Menu option should not be available when the Project is selected.
  10. If a Project has no Assemblies, then the "Delete All Assemblies" Edit Menu option should not be available when the Project is selected.
  11. When the Root node is selected, the "Save As" File Menu option should not be available.
  12. When Table Reports are Exported to Excel, the Report Viewer names each of the Total fields that contain summation formulas. If you want to manipulate the data, we recommend copying the exported data and using Paste Special – Values to remove the formula and named cell dependencies.

 

 

Issues Addressed in Version 4.0 Build 66:

The following issues have been corrected in the current release:

  1. Unhandled Exception Error: When loading saved project files having New York City as the location, an unhandled exception error was being thrown if the project contained certain materials.

Database Updates

The following database updates have been made in the current release:

  • Updated manufacturing related data for Aluminum for all regions.
  • Split Feedstock raw materials into Feedstock and Non-Feedstock for Uranium, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Metallurgical Coal, and Prompt Scrap Steel. Before this change, if a portion of the raw material was combusted during the manufacturing process instead of used as feedstock, it was tracked as part of the feedstock quantity.
  • Updated energy raw material data to use the new non-feedstock fuels.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Softwood Plywood for Canadian Regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Oriented Strand Board for Canadian Regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Small Dimension Softwood Lumber Green for Canadian Regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Small Dimension Softwood Lumber Kiln Dried for Canadian Regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Large Dimension Softwood Lumber Green for Canadian Regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Large Dimension Softwood Lumber Kiln Dried for Canadian Regions.
  • Updated construction transportation data for New York City.
  • Corrected manufacturing emissions to water for Radium-226 and Radium-228.
  • Corrected envelope material data for Modified Bitumen membrane.
  • Corrected Material Demolition Energy Value for all Concrete materials.
  • Corrected Material Demolition Energy Value for all Steel materials.
  • Corrected Material Demolition Energy Value for all Wood materials.

 

 

CHANGES IN PREVIOUS RELEASES

Issues Addressed in Version 4.0 Build 64:

The following issues have been corrected in the Version 4.0 Build 64 release:

  1. Report : The title field does not resize properly to fit the report title for reports where the report title is so long that it spans three or more lines.
  2. Tree : The TRACI summary measure values in the Tree view are not identical to the corresponding Table report values.
  3. "Project Baseline" reports are not available in the Impact Estimator for Buildings.
  4. Tree : When open an existing project file is selected, a new project node is added to the tree control, but the new project node is not set as the active node.
  5. Tree : When add a new project is selected, a new project node is added to the tree control, but the new project node is not set as the active node.
  6. Custom Wall Assembly form is inheriting the Units setting from the Project, but is not displaying the Unit for Length and Height as "ft" when the Unit is Imperial.
  7. Custom Wall – Wall Component Sub–Assembly forms do not inherit the Units from the Custom Wall Assembly but rather always default to units as specified for the Project.
  8. Table - Absolute Value - By Life Cycle Stages : Report data is not refreshing when project data is updated. There seems to be a data refresh (caching) issue when the Project Data (i.e., Building Life Expectancy) is changed in the Modify Project dialog when a report is being displayed and while the "Reports" dialog is being displayed.
  9. Table - Summary Measure - By Life Cycle Stages : Report data is not refreshing when project data is updated. There seems to be a data refresh (caching) issue when the Project Data (i.e., Building Life Expectancy) is changed in the Modify Project dialog when a report is being displayed and while the "Reports" dialog is being displayed.
  10. Table - Absolute Value - Assembly Group Embodied Effects : Report data is not refreshing and reports are not auto-updating when Project Data is updated.
  11. Table - Summary Measure- Assembly Group Embodied Effects : Report data is not refreshing and reports are not auto-updating when Project Data is updated.
  12. Report - Report Type Radio Button Group is disabled after Close the Modify Project Dialog is selected.
  13. Report - Report Totals do not agree: When the user produces Summary Measure reports by Life Cycle Stages (LCS), and by Assembly Groups(AG), the totals do not agree.
  14. Custom Wall Assembly - Door Type material requirements issues:
    • Aluminum door type is overestimating the number of nails (fasteners) by a factor of 1000.
    • The quantity of Paint for the Steel Exterior Door 0% Glazing is wrong.
    • Steel Interior Door and Steel Interior Door 50% glazing have their BOMS switched.
    • Should be using 50% less paint for Steel Interior Door 50% Glazing than Steel Interior Door.
    • Should be using 50% less paint for Steel Exterior Door 50% Glazing than Steel Exterior Door.
  15. Project - Modify Project - Building Life Expectancy value is not refreshing properly when multiple projects are open.
  16. Report - Comparison Graphs : Comparison graphs are showing erroneous data. The values do not correspond to the project specific graphs and absolute value tables.
  17. Project - Building Operating Energy Consumption : The keyboard cannot be used to enter values. The user is limited to using the up/down buttons or the Compute Fuels form.
  18. Report - Summary Measures by Assembly Group Embodied Effects : Summary measures are being miscalculated when users sort the data by assembly groups. This group of reports is disabled.
  19. Report - Summary Measures for Weighted Resource Use and Eutrophication are not being calculated correctly.
  20. Report - Precombustion Effects are not being calculated properly.
  21. Opening values can only be entered by using the up/down buttons.
  22. Report - Bill of Materials : Units of measure for the Bill of Materials report defaults to the Project units of measure. However, the BOM units of measure can be manually changed from within the Report Viewer once the report has been generated.
  23. Project - Building Life Expectancy : Upper value needs to be increased to 1000 years.
  24. Project - Building Operating Energy Consumption : Default units of measure are not being inherited from the Add/Modify Project form.
  25. Extra Basic Materials - Cladding : Brick Type 2 needs to be removed.
  26. Extra Basic Materials - Gypsum Board : The factors being applied to Joint Compound and Paper Tape are incorrect.
  27. Extra Basic Materials - Roofing : TPO Membrane and Rubberized Asphalt Membrane need to be removed. The factors being applied to Polyester Felt and Polyethylene Filter Fabric are incorrect.
  28. Extra Basic Materials - Other : The factors being applied to Aluminum, Glazing Panel, and Polypropylene are incorrect.
  29. Extra Basic Materials - Steel : The factors being applied to - Nails, Welded Wire Mesh Ladder Wire, Screws, Nuts, Bolts, Wide Flange Sections, Open Web Joists, Rebar Rod Light Sections, Hollow Structural Steel, Steel Tubing, Hot Rolled Sheet, Cold Rolled Sheet, Galvanized Sheet, Galvanized Decking, and Galvanized Studs are incorrect.
  30. Duplicate Assembly With Unsaved Changes : With the "Modify Assembly" form open, if there are unsaved changes for the assembly and the "Duplicate" button is clicked, the "Modify Assembly" form is closed without saving the changes and the duplicated assembly is a clone of the assembly before any changes were made (i.e., the last saved state of the original assembly).
  31. Main Window Menu : If the user has one or more open dialogs then closes them all, the Window Menu remains available when it should be unavailable.
  32. Project Description : Some text formatting in the "Project Description" field is not properly preserved when the Add/Modify Project form is saved and closed. For instance, when editing the Project Description a new line character can be forced by hitting the CTRL-ENTER keys at the same time. When the Add/Modify Project form is saved and closed, this forced new line character is not preserved. An automatic line wrap around can be achieved by pressing and holding down the space bar until the cursor wraps to the next line.
  33. Report - Comparison Graphs : Comparison graph column value labels are not on the top layer and as a result are sometimes hidden behind adjacent columns. The Arrows that connect the numbers to the columns are also sometimes confusing when the column heights are similar.
  34. File - Open Project : The user cannot simultaneously open multiple project files.
  35. Report - Comparison Graphs : With two or more open projects and the Reports form open, the "Comparison Graphs" tab disappears if any of the projects is closed. The "Comparison Graphs" tab should only disappear when there is one open project.
  36. Report - Comparison Graphs : With two or more open projects and the Reports form open, the list of projects has all the open project names added to the list each time one of the open projects is modified via the "Modify Project" form.
  37. Smog Potential Summary Measure values are calculated as negative numbers for a Custom Wall Assembly with an excessively large wall area.
  38. Assembly - Columns & Beams : The span is not being validated in such a way as to prevent negative material quantities.
  39. Report - Summary Measure : some negative values are being calculated in Summary Measure reports for the following assemblies when the presently unconstrained Span values are exceedingly large:
    • Concrete Hollow Core Floor
    • Concrete Hollow Core Roof
    • Wood Chord and Steel Web Truss Floor
    • Wood Chord and Steel Web Truss Roof
  40. Assembly : Hollow Core Floor & Hollow Core Roof : Rebar mass and Concrete volume for concrete hollow core floor and roof assemblies are being miscalculated. When the entered span value was outside of the design span, concrete and rebar quantities were being underestimated by as much as 40% depending on how far outside of the design range the input span value was.
  41. Assembly : Design Span Range needs to be updated for the following Floor and Roof assemblies:
    • Concrete Suspended Slab
    • Concrete Parking Garage
    • Precast Double T Concrete
    • Light Frame Wood Truss
    • Open Web Steel Joist with Metal Decking and Concrete Topping
    • Steel Joist and Plywood or OSB
    • Glulam Joist and Plank Decking
    • Wood I-Joist and Plywood or OSB Decking
    • Wood Joist and Plywood or OSB Decking
    • Wood Chord and Steel Web Truss
    For each of the above assemblies, the span must be greater than zero for all loads. If an entered span is less than the live load specific minimum value, the live load specific minimum design span is used for calculating material requirements. The material requirements are then factored by multiplying the material requirements quantities by the entered span divided by the minimum span.
  42. Save as Text is missing some of the assembly data. This feature was disabled in Build 64.
  43. Assembly : Columns & Beams - Wide Flange Gerber Columns : The Wide Flange Gerber Column material is not being accounted for in the Bill of Materials.
  44. Help File : there are broken links for the following topics:
    • Introduction-7-Basic application operation - Add a new project.
    • Introduction-8-Keyboard Shortcuts.
    • Results Graphs and Tables - Graphs summary measures - Summary Measure Graphs Comparing Total Operating with Embodied Effects - 2 - Global Warming Potential - Summary Measure Graph Comparing the Global Warming Potential due to Total Operating Energy with Global Warming Potential due to Embodied Energy.

Database Updates

The following database updates have been made in the Version 4.0 Build 64 release:

  • Corrected Material requirements for Doors.
  • Corrected Traci Pollutant mapping for Ammonia.
  • Added new material Glass Fibre. It is used for Fibreglass Doors. Glass Fibre has also been added to the "Add/Modify Extra Envelope Materials - Other" form.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Screws Nuts & Bolts for all regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Isocyanurate for all regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Polyisocyanurate for all regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Glass Based Shingles 30 Year for all regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Ontario Brick for all regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for Metric Modular Brick for all regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for 3 mil Polyethylene vapour barrier for all regions.
  • Updated manufacturing related data for 6 mil Polyethylene vapour barrier for all regions.
  • Updated Life span values for Asphalt and Glass Based Shingles for all Building Types.
  • Updated Conversion to Tonnes factor for GluLam Sections; Large Dimension Softwood Lumber, Green; Large Dimension Softwood Lumber, kiln-dried; Oriented Strand Board; Parallel Strand Lumber; Small Dimension Softwood Lumber, Green; Small Dimension Softwood Lumber, kiln-dried; and Softwood Plywood

 

 

Issues Addressed in Version 4.0 Build 56

The following issues arose after the release of Version 4. They were addressed in Version 4.0 Build 56 as follows.

  1. Custom Walls - Envelope Materials - Emissions for envelope materials on custom walls were being double-counted. This bug has been fixed, so it is recommended that users reload any previously used project files and reproduce the summary measures and absolute value tables.
    Original Bug details: Custom Wall Assembly - summary measure impacts due to envelope materials seem to be double-counted when compared with the same materials added using Extra Basic Materials. For instance, if you input a wood stud wall with batt fibreglass insulation, and then input the same wood stud wall without insulation, the difference between the absolute values of the two projects represents the total impacts of the fibreglass insulation. If you input that same amount of insulation in extra basic materials you should get the same (or very close) values.
  2. Comparison Graphs - Comparison graphs are showing erroneous data. The values do not correspond to the project specific graphs and absolute value tables. Users will not be able to produce comparison graphs until it has been corrected. This bug was corrected in Build 64.
  3. Summary Measures by Assembly Group Embodied Effects - Summary measures are being miscalculated when users sort the data by assembly groups. Until this bug is fixed, this feature has been disabled. Absolute value reports when sorted by assembly groups are correct and are still available. Summary measures and absolute values, when sorted by Life Cycle Stages are both still available. This bug was corrected in Build 64.
  4. The TRACI summary measure values in the Tree view are not identical to the corresponding Table report values.Until this bug is fixed, this feature has been disabled. This bug was corrected in Build 64.
  5. The Envelope Configuration utility has been disabled. User feedback has indicated that this feature, while valuable, has a buggy user interface that makes it unpredictable.
  6. Custom Wall – Window Opening Area is not being validated properly when the Units are Imperial. Validation is fine when the Units are SI.
  7. Concrete Suspended Slab Roof form validation on Cancel Button does not catch unsaved changes to input fields on the Assembly tab.
  8. Assembly Forms with the wrong Validation Sequence:
    • Wall : Custom Wall
    • Wall Component : Curtain Wall
    • Floor : Precast Hollow Core Floor
    • Floor : Precast Double T Concrete System Floor
    • Floor : Modify Steel Joist and Plywood/OSB Flooring System
    • Roof : Precast Hollow Core Roof
    • Roof : Precast Double T Concrete System Roof
    • Roof : Modify Steel Joist and Plywood/OSB Roofing System
  9. Duplicated Project XBM (extra basic materials) Assembly remains linked to the original project XBM assembly.
  10. Summary Measure units are labelled incorrectly in the summary measure reports. Except for Weighted Resource Use and Primary Energy, the Summary Measure reports with a /kg basis, should not be "kg of equivalent something". For instance, Global Warming Potential presently has "kg eq CO2/kg" which should just be "kg eq CO2".
  11. The Tree Control is not being properly updated when two or more projects are open and one of the projects is deleted.
  12. Unhandled Exception Error: With multiple projects open, expand one of the assembly groups containing multiple assemblies (i.e., floors) then delete one of the assemblies. Immediately click the Duplicate button. An unhandled exception error is thrown.
  13. Unit Conversion Error: In the "Add or Modify Project" form, the "Gross Floor Area" is not being properly converted from SI to Imperial. The conversion factor should be 1.0 m2 = 10.7639 ft2. The sole purpose of this optional input field is for summarizing the results on a unit floor area basis.
  14. The Span constraints are not being properly applied for the following Assemblies:
    • Concrete Suspended Slab Floor Span 3.6m – 9.75m;
    • Concrete Suspended Slab Roof Span 3.6m – 9.75m;
    • Wood Joist and Plywood or OSB Decking System Floor Span 0.3m – 4.56m for 2.4kPa loads, 0.3m – 4.9m for 3.6kPa loads, 0.3m – 3.7m for 4.8kPa. loads
    This caused unhandled exception errors during Assembly form validation and when switching the Summary Measure displayed in the Tree Control. This also caused erroneous summary measure results when Span values were extremely large.
  15. The Main Menu is not updating properly following the Delete All Assemblies request.
  16. Forms that are not linked to the correct help file include the following:
    • Tools->Options->Envelope Configurations
    • Tools->Options->Envelope Configurations->Insert->Select Envelope Material
    • Add/Modify Concrete Parking Garage Floor
    • Add/Modify Concrete Parking Garage Roof
    • Add/Modify Concrete Tilt Up Wall
  17. Project Change is not being registered when Delete an Assembly Group is selected.
  18. No confirmation message is being displayed when Delete All Assemblies is requested.
  19. With one or more projects open, select one of the project nodes, close it then select Delete All Assemblies; an unhandled exception error is thrown.
  20. Unhandled exception error is being thrown when the user switches Tree Control Summary Measure to Acidification Potential or Energy Consumption for Custom Wall Assembly for an excessively large wall area.
  21. No confirmation message is being displayed: When the Project node is selected and the "Delete All Assemblies" Edit Menu option is selected, a confirmation message should be displayed to the user before proceeding to delete all assemblies.
  22. The Columns and Beams assembly help files have been updated and need to be replaced.
  23. Assembly Forms with integer input fields are not validating correctly: Concrete Hollow Core Roof, Parking Garage Roof, Precast Double T Concrete Roof.
  24. The Main Menu is not being updated properly after Closing All projects is requested.
  25. When an Assembly Group is deleted, the application enters an unstable state if you immediately attempt to add a new assembly.

 

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ATHENA® is a registered trade mark of the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute
page updated  18 February, 2010