When considered, Environmentally Conscious Design (Eco-Design) of complex systems is a difficult task.
It is often done by engineers specialized in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), relying on specific softwares and methods to evaluate the system impacts throughout its life cycle: production, transportation, use, maintenance and end of life. While architecture and design teams use the Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE) approach, they work with different tooling to master the system complexity and to evaluate the best architectural trade-off. Using different methods and tools introduces a digital and methodological gap between the two teams.
In this session we will present the EcoPlex project (https://www.ecoplex.fr/). It aims at defining a methodology and extending the Eclipse-based Capella workbench (https://www.eclipse.org/capella/) in order to provide a digital continuity in the eco-design process.
Based on an educational example, we will show that the MBSE and LCA methodologies can be connected. From an MBSE model extended with eco-design information (quantified materials, emissions and consumptions in the whole lifecycle) we will explain how Life Cycle Assessment models can be produced and the gains provided by the approach. This will allow us to conduct an early evaluation of the systems’ environmental impacts, in order to make the best eco-design decisions.
