Life Cycle Costing for Facilities

Alphonse J. Dell'Isola, PE, CVS

and Dr. Stephen Kirk, FAIA, CVS

Essential Guidance for Optimizing the Cost of Facilities Ownership

Owners and facility designers are frustrated with traditional cost-cutting approaches that yield the cheapest product, but end up sacrificing quality. Life Cycle Costing (LCC), properly done, enables them to achieve both: higher quality (incorporating innovative design) and costs within overall budget constraints.

The authors, widely recognized leaders in these techniques, show how LCC can work for a broad variety of projects — from several types of buildings, to roads and bridges, HVAC and electrical upgrades, and materials/equipment procurement. 16 Case Studies show how to apply LCC to particular facility types and building components, in new construction and remodeling.

Case Studies Include:

• Health care and nursing facilities

• College campus and high school

• Office building, courthouse, and bank

• GSA equipment procurement

• Chemical plant, museum renovation

• Regional highway system

• Exterior walls, elevators, lighting, HVAC. . . and other components.

Life Cycle Costs

Maintenance and replacement costs for facility elements — from foundation and structure to walls and floors, plumbing, HVAC and electrical, and landscaping. An Excel®-based LCC spreadsheet program (downloadable from the book's Web site) simplifies the process of applying LCC.

LCC is equally effective in new construction, remodeling, renovations and restorations, and materials/equipment procurement. LCC can make desirable and needed projects, like Green Building measures and Security Systems, feasible — with design innovations that work within budget.

Energy savings and other benefits, such as increased space availability, can bring returns of 50% and more over traditional alternatives.

The book gives owners, facility managers, and developers a working understanding of LCC to optimize their decision-making and enhance long-term profits . . . and helps architects and engineers develop LCC skills to meet owner requirements.