Abstract
In the last years the aec (architecture, engineering and construction) industry has been influenced by the development of building information modelling (bim). With the creation of complex systems, the need for efficient interoperability arises. Based on a study of bim interoperability dimensions and its levels, this research presents an interoperability assessment of bim system in the structural domain, especially considering cast-in-place concrete structures, since they present some special challenges for system interoperability. This assessment was conducted by experiments that imported and exported structural models and structural elements through a non-proprietarz standard for bim models (ifc- industry foundation classes). The experiments were conducted twice, with a five year gap from each other, so the evolution of the interoperability could be assessed as well. The results showed that some special characteristics must be considered in order to achieve efficient interoperability for cast-in-place concrete structures – these structures are monolithic and they have reinforcement steel bars that need detailing. Also, the research showed that in the five-year gap there were evolutions in interoperability, like in object identifiers, which had a considerable improvement. However, some of the major problems remain, such as overlapping of structural parts.
Highlights
The AEC industry commonly presents some individualities, which may lead to distinct needs in communication between stakeholders and companies
This is strongly related to Building Smarts’ IDM – Information Delivery Manual, which formalizes the processes throughout the construction industry (Eastman et al 2008). ––Service: service interoperability is the concern of an enterprise to aggregate, register and consume services of external sources
Challenges presented by cast-in-place concrete structural models go beyond the fact that the structure is monolithic, there is the need for intricate reinforcing bars detailing, the use of specific concrete type, etc
Summary
The AEC industry commonly presents some individualities, which may lead to distinct needs in communication between stakeholders and companies. Muller et al Data interoperability assessment though IFC for BIM in structural design – a five-year gap analysis To aid this process in the AEC industry, Building information Modelling – BIM was created and has been developed as an important technology to support interoperability in this area. To better address interoperability issues in AEC/ BIM, literature points to a need for specific studies on interoperability influence factors and assessment methods (Grilo, Jardim-Goncalves 2010; Jeong et al 2009; Muller et al 2015) With this scenario in mind, the research described in this paper is structured as follows.
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