Abstract
There is a lack of decision-making tools for water efficiency design and construction to maximize project benefits and water conservation. An increasing number of research studies indicate that building information modelling (BIM) can enhance the cooperation, improve work efficiency, and conduct simulation and analysis of sustainability performance in building projects. However, BIM’s potential to enhance water efficiency is yet to be established, such as water gird design optimization, clash detection, combination of BIM with smart appliances and sensors. The research adopted a mixed method approach to investigate the potential impact of BIM on water efficiency in building projects. It involved 50 practitioners from the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry through a questionnaire survey and the follow-up interviews. The quantitative results of questionnaire data and qualitative results of interviews were used to develop a “BIM-based Water Efficiency (BWe) Framework” which was subsequently validated by five experienced practitioners and researchers in the form of semi-structured interviews. The framework applies BIM to optimize traditional water efficiency measures based on an information database. The geometry, attributes, status information of building components or non-component objects stored in the database greatly improve information integration degree of construction engineering. This study provided a reference for the use of BIM for water conservation in building design and construction.
Highlights
Introduction and Literature ReviewThere are various green building rating systems providing guidance for building water efficiency around the world, indicating that water efficiency as an important sustainability performance has been increasingly emphasized
Differences in perceptions of the potentials among the two groups of professionals were tested for their statistical significance using analysis of variance (ANOVA) methods
based Water Efficiency (BWe) framework and the conceptual formula are proved to be effective in the combination of building information modelling (BIM) and water efficiency
Summary
There are various green building rating systems providing guidance for building water efficiency around the world, indicating that water efficiency as an important sustainability performance has been increasingly emphasized. There is still a lack of decision-making tools supporting water efficiency design and construction. A tool for integrating building information, building information modelling (BIM) has been verified to enhance green building construction activities. Its potential for water efficiency is yet to be studied. Water Efficiency Issues in Green Building Rating Systems
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