The MobiDik project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy under the 7th Energy Research Programme, ran from May 2020 to August 2023. Its aim was to create a mobile, digitally connected learning factory for construction 4.0 that would enable the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and recycling of energy‑optimised, climate‑neutral buildings across the entire life cycle. The research consortium was led by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (ifeu) and included IGA‑Ingenieurgesellschaft, mpool Consulting, NUCE Consulting, RIF Institut, and the practice partners Bau‑ und Liegenschaftsbetriebe (BLB) NRW and the Kreishandwerkerschaft Dortmund and Lünen. The project delivered a set of technical results and practical guidelines that can be applied by planners, architects, and construction firms.

The core scientific contribution was a BIM‑based life‑cycle assessment (LCA) workflow that links building information modelling (IFC) data directly to environmental impact calculations. The workflow was tested on three real‑world projects: the THINK research building at Ruhr‑Universität Bochum, the INCYTE building at Universität Siegen, and the new Kreisarchiv Viersen. For each building, greenhouse‑gas (GHG) emissions were quantified for all life‑cycle phases (A1–A4, B1–B5, C1–C4) and for individual building products. In the THINK building, total GHG emissions were dominated by construction materials, with a peak of 1.8 t CO₂e per square metre in the A1–A4 phase, while operational emissions were below 0.1 t CO₂e m⁻² yr⁻¹. The INCYTE building showed a similar pattern, with material emissions of 1.6 t CO₂e m⁻² and operational emissions of 0.08 t CO₂e m⁻² yr⁻¹. The Kreisarchiv Viersen had the lowest material emissions at 1.4 t CO₂e m⁻², but its operational phase was higher, 0.12 t CO₂e m⁻² yr⁻¹, due to a larger heating demand. Benchmarking against 205 office buildings in Western Europe (Q3 2021) revealed that the MobiDik buildings achieved 15–20 % lower total GHG emissions, confirming the effectiveness of the integrated BIM‑LCA approach.

The project also produced a set of technical guidelines for IFC data preparation. A checklist was developed to verify that IFC files contain the necessary product, quantity, and material information for a reliable LCA. The guidelines identify critical IFC classes that often lack detail, such as “IfcBuildingElementProxy” and “IfcMaterialLayer”, and recommend best practices for enriching these classes. The workflow was implemented in the One Click LCA tool, allowing users to generate a full life‑cycle report with a single click after the IFC model is uploaded. The LCA results include not only GHG emissions but also grey energy, water consumption, and resource depletion, providing a comprehensive environmental profile.

Energy demand calculations were integrated into the BIM workflow. Using the IFC geometry and material data, the project derived heating, cooling, and lighting loads for each building. The resulting energy demand was compared with the German building energy standard (EnEV) and the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). All three test buildings met the current EnEV requirements, and the LCA indicated that material choices contributed up to 30 % of the total energy demand, highlighting the importance of early material selection.

The project concluded with a set of recommendations for industry practice. First, BIM modelling requirements should be defined before the procurement of planners and architects to ensure that IFC files contain the necessary data for LCA. Second, the LCA workflow should be integrated into the project planning phase, allowing early identification of high‑impact materials and construction methods. Third, the mobile learning factory should provide hands‑on training for planners, contractors, and suppliers, using the developed IFC‑LCA guidelines and the One Click LCA tool. Finally, the project emphasised the need for continuous data quality checks throughout the project life cycle to maintain the accuracy of environmental assessments.

In summary, the MobiDik project delivered a validated BIM‑based LCA workflow, detailed emission data for three real buildings, and practical guidelines for IFC data preparation and energy demand calculation. These results support the design of climate‑neutral buildings and provide a framework that can be adopted by the German construction industry and beyond.