flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Meet Tally – the Revit app that calculates the environmental impact of building materials

Meet Tally – the Revit app that calculates the environmental impact of building materials

Tally provides AEC professionals with insight into how materials-related decisions made during design influence a building’s overall ecological footprint.


By KieranTimberlake | March 10, 2014

Architecture firm KieranTimberlake, in conjunction with PE International and Autodesk Sustainability Solutions, announce the commercial availability of Tally, a software application for Revit that calculates the environmental impact of building materials.

It is the only application to be fully integrated into Revit, providing architects, engineers, and building professionals with insight into how materials-related decisions made during design influence a building’s overall ecological footprint.

Backed by the rigor and credibility of GaBi data from PE International, the application enables life cycle assessment (LCA) on demand, documenting information across eight life cycle impact categories that align with LEED v4 and other rating systems.

The commercial release follows a three-month public beta, in which nearly 500 users tested Tally and provided feedback on a broad range of design scenarios. 

Bringing Life Cycle Data to the Design Process 

While working in a Revit model, Tally users correlate modeled elements to a custom LCA database built on GaBi, the largest environmental dataset for LCA used by leading corporations worldwide for both internal and critically-reviewed published studies. The database combines material attributes, assembly details, engineering and architectural specifications with environmental impact data, including branded information from manufacturer environmental product declarations (EPDs).

“Tally empowers design professionals to evaluate product impacts early in the design phase, enabling smarter material selection, and ultimately the construction of better, high-performance buildings,” states Heather Gadonniex, director of strategic business development for PE International. 

“Tally addresses a range of questions, whether comparing a whole building to a benchmark, exploring variations in building massing or construction type, or selecting finishes,” explains Roderick Bates, Tally development team leader at KieranTimberlake. “It can show where the largest environmental impacts reside within a design, and ways in which they compare across material options.”

Complete Bill of Materials 

Buildings are composed of thousands of parts, each with their own origins and manufacturing flows, not all of which are accounted for in a Revit model. Tally helps paint a comprehensive portrait of a building and the products that go into it.

The specific quantities of materials like paint, sealants, fasteners, or grout not modeled in Revit are essential to a life cycle assessment. Tally lets users assign materials and quantities, then leverage the tool to perform material takeoffs and provide a complete bill of goods for a building. Currently, no other environmental assessment tool provides this function.

New enhancements and features have been released in the commercial version: 

  •     Data can now be added to a Revit template to save time and promote firm-wide consistency.
  •     Elements from linked models can be filtered by phase and workset.
  •     New assemblies have been added, including a wide array of cladding panels, complete with hardware and finishes.
  •     New materials have been added, including actual GaBi life cycle data from product manufacturer EPDs.

Pricing and Information 

Tally is available immediately as a 30-day free trial through Autodesk Exchange or http://www.choosetally.com, where video tutorials are also available. After 30 days, a license must be purchased to continue use. The cost per floating license is $1,200 USD annually. Educational licenses for non-commercial use are available by request to support@choosetally.com.

Related Stories

| Jun 14, 2012

Viscardi joins LEO A DALY as VP, corporate director of aviation programs

Viscardi will be responsible for providing the vision and strategy for growing the firm’s aviation practice, identifying and establishing new clients, as well as maintaining existing client relationships.

| Jun 14, 2012

Sustainability consultant’s keynote highlights the evolution of LEED green building in Spain

Sustainability planning, green building and water efficiency consultant, Jerry Yudelson keynoted the celebration of Spain’s first LEED Platinum Municipal Green Building.

| Jun 13, 2012

Thornton Tomasetti founding principals receive CTBUH Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal

This is the first time the CTBUH Board of Trustees has awarded the prize to two individuals jointly.

| Jun 13, 2012

Free webinar on Designing and Building Green Schools scheduled for June 20

USGBC Center for Green Schools and other experts to present practical tips.

| Jun 13, 2012

GAF’s Roving Truck promotion coming to your town soon

Professional roofing contractors or builders/remodelers in the U.S. can enter to win a Ford F-150 truck.

| Jun 13, 2012

Is it time to stop building convention centers?

Over the last 20 years, convention space in the United States has increased by 50%; since 2005, 44 new convention spaces have been planned or constructed in this country alone.

| Jun 13, 2012

Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute to hold energy asset conference for property owners, senior real estate managers

Top-level real estate professionals have been ignored as the industry has pushed to get sustainability measures in place.

| Jun 12, 2012

SAC Federal Credit Union selects LEO A DALY to design corporate headquarters

LEO A DALY also provided site selection, programming and master planning services for the project over the past year.

| Jun 12, 2012

Restoration Millwork exterior trim achieves GreenCircle certification

Made from cellular polyvinyl chloride, the full line of Restoration Millwork trim, beadboard and accessories is engineered to look, feel and work like top-grade lumber.

| Jun 12, 2012

Piché joins C.W. Driver as director of business development

Piché will expand upon project opportunities for firm’s Southern California operations.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Urban Planning

The magic of L.A.’s Melrose Mile

Great streets are generally not initially curated or willed into being. Rather, they emerge organically from unintentional synergies of commercial, business, cultural and economic drivers. L.A.’s Melrose Avenue is a prime example. 


Curtain Wall

7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks

It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021