147
8.4.3 Tally
Tally is a WBLCA add-in for Autodesk Revit. It was developed by Philadelphiabased architecture firm KieranTimberlake in conjunction with Autodesk and Sphera
(formerly thinkstep) (Cays 2017). Tally is designed to be used iteratively throughout
the design process, from schematic design on. It offers either a full building study
or design option comparison. By assigning a relationship between BIM materials
and LCI data, which Tally sources from the German-based company Sphera, Tally
is able to provide designers with graphs that break down the environmental impacts
of a design across eight impact categories and five life cycle stages (KT Innovations
n.d.). These impacts can be viewed in broad categories, by material division or Revit
category or by individual products. Tally is a US-based application, and assessment
results are driven primarily by US data sources. The information presented here is
based on Version 2020.06.09.01. For more information, please visit www.choosetally.com.
8.4.3.1 Establish a New Study
Tally operates as a plugin to Revit and can be accessed from the “Add-Ins” tab in the
program. To start using Tally, the first decision that needs to be made is defining the
object of study. The three options are “Full Building Study,” “Design Option
Comparison,” and “Define Template File.” “Full Building Study” is the appropriate
object of study to complete a WBLCA. The next step, after choosing “Full Building
Study,” is to define which categories, work sets, and phases will be included in the
study. This method of filtering allows users to match the goal and scope of the project without having to alter the Revit model.
8.4.3.2 Assign Materials
After defining what will be included in the study, the next step is to match the material information from the Revit model to Tally’s LCI database. All of the Revit
materials are listed out, organized first by category, then Revit family, and then the
individual materials that make up the families. To assign data to a material, rightclick on the material, and a new menu with options, including the ability to define
the material, will open.
After picking the appropriate Tally entry to match to the Revit material, a new
window pops up to define more specific information about it. In the case of a structural steel column, there are choices for what type of steel is being used. The next
category, service life, is important in defining how long the material will be in the
building before getting replaced. The building’s structure will not be replaced
throughout the duration of the project, but something like gypsum board would be
replaced more frequently, and this is where that parameter would be set.
8.4 WBLCA Tools
8.4.3 Tally
Tally is a WBLCA add-in for Autodesk Revit. It was developed by Philadelphiabased architecture firm KieranTimberlake in conjunction with Autodesk and Sphera
(formerly thinkstep) (Cays 2017). Tally is designed to be used iteratively throughout
the design process, from schematic design on. It offers either a full building study
or design option comparison. By assigning a relationship between BIM materials
and LCI data, which Tally sources from the German-based company Sphera, Tally
is able to provide designers with graphs that break down the environmental impacts
of a design across eight impact categories and five life cycle stages (KT Innovations
n.d.). These impacts can be viewed in broad categories, by material division or Revit
category or by individual products. Tally is a US-based application, and assessment
results are driven primarily by US data sources. The information presented here is
based on Version 2020.06.09.01. For more information, please visit www.choosetally.com.
8.4.3.1 Establish a New Study
Tally operates as a plugin to Revit and can be accessed from the “Add-Ins” tab in the
program. To start using Tally, the first decision that needs to be made is defining the
object of study. The three options are “Full Building Study,” “Design Option
Comparison,” and “Define Template File.” “Full Building Study” is the appropriate
object of study to complete a WBLCA. The next step, after choosing “Full Building
Study,” is to define which categories, work sets, and phases will be included in the
study. This method of filtering allows users to match the goal and scope of the project without having to alter the Revit model.
8.4.3.2 Assign Materials
After defining what will be included in the study, the next step is to match the material information from the Revit model to Tally’s LCI database. All of the Revit
materials are listed out, organized first by category, then Revit family, and then the
individual materials that make up the families. To assign data to a material, rightclick on the material, and a new menu with options, including the ability to define
the material, will open.
After picking the appropriate Tally entry to match to the Revit material, a new
window pops up to define more specific information about it. In the case of a structural steel column, there are choices for what type of steel is being used. The next
category, service life, is important in defining how long the material will be in the
building before getting replaced. The building’s structure will not be replaced
throughout the duration of the project, but something like gypsum board would be
replaced more frequently, and this is where that parameter would be set.
8.4 WBLCA Tools