BIM-Based Code Compliance Checking

Abstract

In the construction industry, a large number of codes and guidelines define technical specifications and standardized requirements to ensure a building’s structural stability, accessibility, and energy efficiency, among others. Today, checking the compliance with the applicable guidelines is an iterative, manual process which is based to a large extent on 2D drawings. In consequence, this process is cumbersome, time-consuming and error-prone. With the increasing adoption of digital methods in the construction industry, most importantly Building Information Modeling (BIM), new technologies are available to improve and partially automate this process. In a BIM-based construction project, digital models that include 3D geometric as well as semantic information comprehensively describe the building to be erected across the different involved disciplines. This rich information provides an excellent basis for automating the code compliance checking process. With Automated Code Compliance Checking, not only a higher degree of compliance with the different regulations can be achieved, but also a significant reduction of effort is possible. The chapter first discusses the major challenges of Automated Code Compliance Checking. Subsequently, representative available software solutions are presented and current research activities are discussed. Finally, an outlook for the development of code compliance checking in the construction industry is given.