Building green needs to get easier. From both an environmental and technological perspective, the building industry has made incredible strides forward, but we’re not there yet. Ratings systems like LEED, CHPS and others that require specific metrics from products have set the bar for responsible building. And while BIM sets the standard for how we’ll work tomorrow, simplifying the documentation process that proves we’ve done the right thing needs to be integrated into that process. In other words, we need to embed our product models with their environmental performance metrics and green attributes. Doing so will allow the BIM user to evaluate options and their impacts with a instantaneous feedback mechanism.

Ask any architect, designer or specifier what the most arduous part of the green building process is and they’ll tell you it’s the documentation. Years ago, finding a “green product” was an exercise in perseverance that required the patience of a saint. Then, as green began to mainstream every building product manufacturer (BPM) shifted into high gear to make sure they had green products to offer. And while products were presented as being green, the component information about those products hasn’t always been reliable or accessible.

Parallel to the growth of the green building movement, BIM is changing the entire building process. Never before has there been a single system that could provide context to all parties thinking about building. And while parametric data, solar and energy modeling, quantity take offs and immense image libraries offer architects and designers the opportunity to model and build as they never had before, a gap remains between the information required by the green building rating systems and those tools. Even with all the sophisticated technology now available, BPMs still need a platform that allows them to embed and enable their products with the environmental information required by rating systems like LEED.

Companies like ecoScorecard are working on platforms that enable models, and BIM users, with the ability to “drag, drop and document©” an object and to produce the credit information on how that object specifically supports one of 12 rating systems. And while workforces have been slashed, companies consolidated and manufacturing lines idled as a result of the recent economic downturn; the call for greener buildings has grown louder. Smart companies are realizing the business case for sustainability, and that building green contributes to the bottom line. By integrating product environmental information and rating system documentation platforms, BIM could significantly simplify the path forward for building green movement. It’s that easy.