Can we do embodied energy analyis?

[Any architect]

Hi:
The discussions on green buildings remind me of how complex it is
to really assess a piece of architecture. If we look at it very
clinically, we sometimes seek recourse to reductionist approaches
such as quick rules of the thumb and use of arbitrary and
unrealistic technical recommendations that win "energy awards". In
most fields, the use of reductionist
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductionism) methods is over. I
believe that we should seek more holistic ways of assessing our
works.

I believe that to know the whether a piece of architecture is
sustainable or not, one intelligent approach is to use "Embodied
Energy Analysis" However it is a very complex approach and it
would require a lot of systemization in the way architectural
information is made available to us.

I've explained this at:

http://in.anyarchitect.org/node/101

Regards
--anyarchitect--
www.anyarchitect.org