The Sustainability Dashboard
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Command |
Workspace: Path |
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Sustainability Dashboard |
Design Suite, Architect: AEC Landmark: Landmark |
The Sustainability Dashboard allows you to check the status of your project for a number of sustainability metrics, including Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), embodied carbon, biomass, Urban Greening Factor (UGF), and others; more frameworks may be added over time. Different indicators apply to different global regions and local municipalities.
The dashboard calculations help you evaluate the effect of design decisions as you compare real time sustainability metrics against project goals. Checking the sustainability progress as you develop the design, rather than only after all decisions are made, helps you efficiently prepare before submitting your project to an official approval process.
Image generated with the Vectorworks AI Visualizer
To open the Sustainability Dashboard and select a metric for evaluation:
Select the command.
The Sustainability Dashboard opens. You can leave the dashboard open while you continue working.
Click on one of the metrics to evaluate. You can evaluate several sustainability factors concurrently (though you can only look at one at a time). Each metric has a different setup and required information.
Click Select Layers to determine which layers to include in (or exclude from) the calculation.
Each metric has an overview display and a detailed view. Use the overview as you work, to see how design changes affect the metric; view the details as needed, and to select geometry that requires an adjustment. Click Recalculate to get the latest data from the design.
When you are ready, export the metric's information, and view it, share it, and submit it.
All of the metrics share some of the same functionality, as described below. Individual metrics are described separately.
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Parameter |
Description |
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Zoom |
Adjusts the magnification of the display; zooms in (1), zooms out (3), or in-between (2), by clicking on one the buttons |
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Overview |
Displays a summary of the metric's parameters, calculations, and results |
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Details |
Displays a detailed view of the metric; each metric has a different setup and values to display. Some of the metrics have lists of the relevant objects and allow you to select the geometry in the drawing, making it easier to adjust the design. |
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Selects the geometry |
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Export |
Exports the results to a text file; select the file location and file name |
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Recalculate |
Recalculates the metric values; this is required after making changes to the drawing which affect the results |
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Select Layers |
Opens the Select Layers dialog box, to choose which design layers and/or sheet layers should participate in the metric and which should be excluded. Select from the design layers and sheet layers lists by clicking the appropriate tab. Search for layers by entering a search term. Place a check box next to the layers to include. |
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Selects all of the layers |
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Deselects all of the layers |
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Returns to the main Sustainability Dashboard |
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The dashboard includes:
Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator (VECC): As targets for achieving net zero carbon in both construction and operation are set by governments and legislative bodies, the need to reduce embodied carbon emissions becomes more critical, as does the requirement for intelligent digital tools to assess it. Embodied carbon represents the sum total of emissions required to produce goods (such as a building material) or activities (such as transporting those materials to the construction site).
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) calculator: A UK law requires that all projects over a certain size show a minimum 10% increase in biodiversity, which must be sustainable for 30 years. BNG is calculated using one of two metrics: the full metric or the Small Site Metric (SSM). The size of the project, among other factors, determines whether the SSM can be used; the Vectorworks Sustainability Dashboard calculates the SSM only at this time.
Urban Greening Factor (UGF): The UGF considers several variables when assessing a project's health, but the main concern is how the surface is used. A preset list of alternatives is available, and each area is simply weighted with a multiplier depending on its use.
Biomass calculation: The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) biomass index compares the percentage of plant biomass on a site before development with a predicted post-development value.
