Abstract
There is a large stock of solid-wall homes in the UK with poor thermal insulation and low energy performance. Although the UK government has supported efforts to improve these buildings, the identification of appropriate technical solutions that effectively improve the existing stock remains challenging. This research investigates how four dimensional building information modelling (4D BIM) could improve the retrofit of social housing, specifically that of ‘no-fines’ solid-wall homes, through the development of what-if scenarios that enable the analysis of alternative solutions considering costs, energy performance and disruption to users. This paper focuses on the use of 4D building information models to evaluate disruption to end users. The results indicate that the development of such models supports a better understanding of the retrofit process on site. It also supports the definition of production plans with as minimal disruption as possible to users while delivering energy-oriented and cost-effective solutions.
Highlights
The UK has one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe, which has a strong identity and cultural significance
This scenario offers an interesting opportunity for investigating the applicability of building information modelling (BIM), which has been described as a means to support energy efficiency and improved processes in both new and refurbishment projects (Eastman et al, 2011)
Retrofit projects tend to be complex due to their intrinsic characteristics, such as (a) a high level of uncertainty (Bozorgi and Jones, 2013; Singh et al, 2014); (b) the construction process normally happens in short time frames (Manuel, 2011); (c) production generally needs to be undertaken in small batches; (d) challenges related to the poor understanding of user needs and to the technologies to be used (Gholami et al, 2013) and (e) such projects tend to have a high level of interference from users, as they may be occupying the building during construction works (Egbu, 1994; Mc Grath et al, 2013)
Summary
The UK has one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe, which has a strong identity and cultural significance. Other challenges include the uncertainty related to existing building measures, poor understanding of user needs, technical challenges and, most importantly, the lack of approaches to evaluate retrofit options (Gholami et al, 2013) This scenario offers an interesting opportunity for investigating the applicability of building information modelling (BIM), which has been described as a means to support energy efficiency and improved processes in both new and refurbishment projects (Eastman et al, 2011). The protocol delivers an evaluation of retrofit options – what-if scenarios – to support the client’s decisionmaking, focused on (a) potential reduction in energy consumption, (b) estimated costs and (c) construction plans that reduce disruptions to the housing occupier. This paper focuses only on the use of fourdimensional (4D) (physical plus time) BIM and the LPS to support better planning of construction works and reduced disruption to users
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