Building Information Modeling Software Research Articles

Optimal BIM and LCA integration approach for embodied environmental impact assessment

It has been widely acknowledged that applications of building information modeling (BIM) can facilitate the effectiveness of embodied environmental impact assessment of buildings. Various approaches for integrating BIM software and life cycle assessment (LCA) tools have been developed in recent years. However, limited research has been conducted in defining appropriate BIM-LCA integration approaches for embodied environmental impact assessment. To address this issue, this research develops a way of selecting the optimal BIM-LCA integration approach that incorporates the needs of different scenarios for the performance of the integration approach. Three scenarios of environmental impact assessment are designed to demonstrate the application of the proposed way, including 1) environmental impact assessment in early design stage, 2) environmental impact assessment in the detailed design stage, and 3) environmental impact assessment in construction design stage. The demonstration results indicate that the method of “using visual programming languages” is the optimal BIM-LCA integration approach for assessing environmental impacts in the early and construction design stages. The methods of “adopting LCA plugin for BIM-software” and “using visual programming languages” are the optimal approaches for environmental assessment in the scenario of detailed design stages. This research assists LCA practitioners in selecting optimal BIM-LCA integration approaches in different scenarios and further promotes the applications of BIM-LCA integration approaches during the whole design process of a building.

Application of BIM in Tunnel Design with Compaction Pile Reinforced Foundation Carrying Carbon Assessment Based on Advanced Dynamo Visual Programming: A Case Study in China

Carbon emission assessment in civil engineering has gained worldwide attention due to the negative effects of greenhouse gases on the environment. Significant amounts of building materials and electric power are consumed during the construction of tunnels, causing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In addition, building information modeling (BIM) can be utilized to realize the computerized design of tunnels, and improve construction efficiency. However, the traditional BIM software (Autodesk Revit) lacks tunnel components and is unable to directly create a three-dimensional tunnel axis. This paper adopted BIM to build a three-dimensional model of the tunnel components for tunnel and carried out batch parameterization and component lofting based on Dynamo visual programming. The BIM of the tunnel guided the construction procedures and improved the construction efficiency. Based on the emission coefficient method, we calculated the carbon emissions from each component and loaded them into the BIM during the parameterization process. After the tunnel modeling design was completed, a bill of quantities was obtained. Then, the carbon emissions from the whole tunnel construction were calculated according to the bill. Thus, the combination of BIM technology and tunnel engineering was realized; this has practical significance for reductions in emissions, and cleaner construction in relation to tunnel engineering.

BIMobility Simulator as a BIM-based solution for integration of e-mobility in design process.

Electromobility is an opportunity to reduce the effects of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on climate change. For this reason, electromobility use is increasing and designers must consider Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) as part of the building system. Building Information Modelling (BIM)-based technologies are potentially useful for considering sustainable aspects and systems in the building process. This paper deals with the development of a BIM-based tool that integrates electromobility into construction design. The goal is to support the integration of electromobility into the design of buildings or neighbourhoods and to guide the project towards an optimal configuration. The components of the electromobility infrastructure are included in the building model and an automated data exchange process between BIM software and Microsoft Excel evaluates some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The KPIs are shown by means of a user interface with a series of graphs and they allow to evaluate the most efficient scenario by comparing different project alternatives. The paper describes how the information flow has been structured, in order to automatically evaluate the electromobility integration and optimize the design process.

BIM methods and CDE in professional education for sustainable Design and Production

Implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) methods in education to support lecturing, consulting, and decision-making cooperates in shaping an environmentally conscious student’s design approach. Within KEA’s bachelor in Architectural Technology and Construction Management (ATCO), the didactic supports digitalisation for building design and production. About the design aspects, for instance, in the 4th semester, 3D virtual digital building models are developed via BIM software with engineered timber load-bearing structural system, parametric formulas for embodied CO2 volumes calculation, thermal requirements, envelope design, light transmittance, low energy consumption, adequate acoustic conditions, and good indoor climate conditions. These factors can play an essential role in actual and future carbon-neutral buildings. Regarding production, environmentally friendly buildings use sustainable materials and efficient operational solutions and handle the BIM data and metadata in the corresponding Common Data Environment (CDE). In this fashion, production, operation and maintenance phases can be run appropriately. As a study case, we bring the KEA ATCO’s 4th semester mandatory joint assignment based on a combination of students’ group and individual work. The assignment requires BIM methods and CDE to control sustainability parameters related to the manufacturing and the site operation.

Full integration of building information modelling education in civil engineering curricula: a proposal

ABSTRACT Building Information Modelling (BIM) has changed the way many civil engineers organise and execute their job in recent years. Many universities around the world have been adapting their curricula to include BIM education. However, this adaptation has been incomplete, occurring only in a small number of subjects. To fill this gap, this paper presents a proposal for a full integration of BIM education into civil engineering curricula. Based on a literature review on BIM outcomes and their supporting knowledge, learning activities, BIM software, types of assessment, and civil engineering curricula, it was possible to define an alignment blueprint for all BIM-related subjects. It was concluded that (i) nearly 62% of civil engineering curricula is BIM-related; (ii) the main BIM outcomes are mostly common in all universities; (iii) activities such as problem-based learning, interdisciplinary projects, and case studies are recommended; and (iv) for a successful application, an implementation plan is required, including monitoring and improvements.

Building Information Modelling Implementation in the Design Stage of Chinese Prefabrication Construction

Prefabrication construction has gained popularity in the construction industry during the last few years. Due to the complexity of prefabrication design, building information modelling (BIM) is adopted in the design stage to improve efficiency and accuracy. Many previous studies have examined the adoption of BIM in the design stage and explored the current practice of BIM adoption in prefabrication construction, however fewer first-hand investigations are made on assessing the adoption of BIM. This study aims to identify the opportunities and challenges of utilizing BIM technology in the design stage of prefabrication construction from the perspective of designers. A semi-structured interview was conducted for qualitative data collection and the data are analysed by thematic analysis. A total of eight designers from Chinese prefabrication construction projects were interviewed. The research identified 8 opportunities and 15 challenges of BIM adoption in prefabrication construction. The top four challenges are: (1) inaccurate prefabrication production drawings generated by BIM software, (2) late adoption of BIM in the design stage, (3) lack of communication platform for different designers, and (4) lack of sharing the updated design model among designers, manufacturers, and onsite engineers. These findings provide directions for improving BIM adoption in the design of prefabrication construction.

Internet of Things (IoT)-Integrated Embodied Carbon Assessment and Monitoring of Prefabricated Buildings

Buildings contribute significantly to carbon emissions over their life cycle. Recently, embodied carbon (EC) accounts for an increasing share of life cycle carbon emissions of new buildings as their energy efficiency is improving. However, traditional methods of data collection and communication from diverse carbon sources such as manual recording lead to low-efficient and prone-to-error estimation of embodied carbon emissions. Therefore, this paper aims to propose an Internet of Things (IoT)-integrated embodied carbon assessment and monitoring system (ECAMS) for prefabricated buildings. This system involves three layers, i.e., of data collection, data communication, and data analysis. To provide a theoretical foundation, the EC assessment model is firstly modified to distribute carbon emissions into twelve construction statuses and at five levels of analysis of prefabricated buildings. IoT sensors including radio frequency identification (RFID), acceleration transducer, and global positioning system (GPS) are employed for automated real-time data collection. IoT data will be communicated with building information modelling (BIM) and carbon assessment software through application programming interfaces (APIs). Laboratory tests were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of sensor-based data collection and communication. The proposed system facilitates more efficient and accurate estimations of prefabricated buildings’ embodied carbon, which should help practitioners to explore effective carbon reduction strategies.

The Development of BIM-MyCREST Process Model for Concept Design of Green Buildings

The synergies of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process and green building assessment tools (GBATs) like the Malaysian Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST) known as green BIM, ensure that information is accurately exchanged during the green building design (GBD) practices. However, the issue of poor Information Exchange synthesis persists due to the lack of a standard model for green BIM implementation. Therefore, this study aims to develop the BIM-MyCREST Process Model (BMPM) for the concept design of green buildings. To actualize the research aim, an in-depth interview was conducted with 10 construction experts. Using the narrative analysis technique, the interview data were analyzed to identify the incidents that take place during the BIM process execution in GBD practices. With reference to MyCREST Guide, BIM standards; and the use of Integrated DEFinition (IDEF) language (IDEF0 and IDEF3), the BMPM was explicitly coordinated following the narratives of the interviewees. The developed BMPM will enable the multi-disciplinary GBD team to use the diverse domain BIM software to exchange accurate information and make critical decisions during the design of green buildings; thereby developing a building with high sustainability performance and accomplishing the business and commercial objectives of the MyCREST rating.

Analysis of Benefits and Barriers Factors in the Implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Building Construction for Contractor

Abstract. Everywhere in the world, especially as the fourth industrial revolution begins, technological advancements are being discussed. This technological advancement also affects the building industry, one example being the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology. All technologies, particularly BIM, will advance and redevelop throughout this Covid-19 epidemic. BIM has benefits and barriers to implementation that increase with its development and sophistication, particularly for contractors. Therefore, it's important to research the advantages of using BIM as well as the barriers for contractors. The purpose of this study is to analyze the benefits and inhibiting factors in the implementation of BIM in building construction for contractor. This research was conducted by using literature from previous studies to find out what statements are the benefits and barrier factors in the implementation of BIM 4D for contractors with top and middle qualifications. Then the statement was compiled into a questionnaire and distributed to respondents via online platform. In addition to obtaining the mean value for each research variable, the questionnaire survey responses were processed utilizing validity and reliability tests. The findings of this study show that the benefits of BIM implementation for top contractors include better and more appealing building design or modeling, more accurate documentation, as well as better and more attractive building design or modeling for middle contractors. The lack of training and education in BIM itself is the main obstacle to its implementation for these top contractors, while the cost of licensing BIM software or apps is fairly high for midrange contractors.

Integration of manufacturers' product data in BIM platforms using semantic web technologies

As building information modeling (BIM) gains popularity in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, manufacturers are required to distribute their product specifications in digital product models. Currently, manufacturers mainly employ proprietary formats, such as BIM objects supplemented by PDF documents to represent their product data descriptions. However, these formats do not support flexible automated product search and data integration. This paper describes the use of Semantic Web technologies in combination with BIM-based visual programming language (VPL) to automatically integrate product data from external databases. To facilitate data integration, we introduced a method to semantically represent product data linked with the CEN/TS 17623:2021 standard using ontologies in web ontology language (OWL). The study has focused on the use case of a manufacturer of lighting products. Results show that building designers are able to execute a more efficient product search that satisfies their query requirements and returns suitable products of their choice from the manufacturer's database based on their requests. This approach eliminates the time-consuming and error-prone process of manually entering product data into BIM software.

The Application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Quantity Surveying Firm Towards Quality Improvement

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a detailed process of designing and building in construction industry collaboratively by using one integrated system generated by computer rather than separate the work by separate drawings. On the other hand, it provides a large amount of benefit in terms of cost saving and time, much better accuracy in estimation and reducing arithmetical error and any amendment due to loss of information. Existing studies have determined the quantity surveying firm readiness due to BIM implementation in Malaysia. However, this research is aimed to establish the status of BIM application in quantity surveying firms for quality improvement, especially in current practices by unveiling the present findings. The study objectives are to find out the importance of BIM in the construction industry, to investigate the challenges faced by quantity surveying firms in the implementation of BIM and to suggest a suitable solution for quality improvement to quantity surveying firms. The data collection was conducted by using the quantitative method, which is through the questionnaire survey. The scope is narrowed down to quantity surveying firms that registered in Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia at Northern Region of Peninsular Malaysia only. The findings of this study revealed that quantity surveying firms had difficulties in implementing BIM due to lack of capability and complexity in using BIM software itself such as Cubicost by Glodon. It also revealed difficulties in collaboration during implementing BIM software which causes the firms to decline from using BIM. Hopefully, this research will help the quantity surveying firms by giving a clear exposure on the BIM implementation and how to use it in their current practices for quality improvement.

8D BIM Model in Urban Rehabilitation Projects: Enhanced Occupational Safety for Temporary Construction Works

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a relevant booster to the modernization of construction. The adoption of digital technologies positively contributes to more agile and integrated processes in all phases of the building life-cycle, namely with regard to project management activities. The implementation of BIM has been predominant in new building projects, but the current market cycle of the rehabilitation or refurbishing of existing buildings offers new opportunities of application to be explored. This paper explores such opportunities, namely with regard to the temporary construction works involved in urban rehabilitation projects with the preservation of the façades of the original buildings. It specifically addresses the impacts of the modeling efforts of steel frames and structures needed to temporarily support façades, after the demolition of the old buildings, and until the original façade is reintegrated into the structural elements of the new building. In a BIM context, an 8D model is created to explore BIM capabilities in enabling more efficient occupation safety and health coordination and management activities in building rehabilitation projects, namely in improving and validating the demolitions and construction methods and sequencing, the scheduling of construction works, and the mandatory occupational risk prevention documents for the construction site. The development of the research was supported on the use of the available BIM software: Revit, to model the façade and the temporary steel structural system; Microsoft Project, to schedule the construction works; Navisworks, to perform clash detection analyses and enable visual simulations for occupational risk, and its identification and mitigation. The study intends to contribute to the dissemination of BIM capabilities to improve occupation safety and health in construction, namely in rehabilitation projects involving temporary structures while contributing with innovative perspectives toward higher maturity in BIM implementation and use in the construction sector.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MULTISTORIED BUILDINGS USING THE BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING (BIM) METHOD & CONVENTIONAL MODELING METHOD

Although the construction industry has been evolving for centuries and researchers have been seeking innovative solutions for decades, diverse challenges still exist in making the construction process faster, safer, cheaper, and more accurate. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is one of the emerging tools in the field of architectural engineering to overcome these problems. Applications of this tool are very promising but its uses are still relatively limited in many countries including Bangladesh. So this study conducted a pilot project and case study analysis using Building Information Modeling (BIM) to control the project’s time and cost from Bangladesh's perspective. The objectives of this study are: (1) to examine the benefits of using BIM for project time and cost control and (2) to study the challenges of applying BIM to a case project during its life cycle. This project is being achieved by introducing Autodesk Revit MEP (2021) as the methodological tool of BIM software. The resultant data in the BIM system are extremely useful and can be generated to optimize the project delivery processes. The results also revealed that using a case study, BIM functions to help reduce costs, optimise the schedule, and make benefits for all project participants. Thus, model-based cost estimation and time schedule optimization show effective results of using BIM instead of conventional modelling methods.

Scan-to-BIM technique in building maintenance projects: practicing quantity take-off

PurposeIn Hong Kong, over 20,000 private residential buildings will be 50 plus years old by 2039. However, building maintenance has not been owners’ popular interest because of the high cost as well as the complexities in justifying whether the quantities and prices of the maintenance works are reasonable. This paper therefore aims to validate the practicality of adopting Scan-to-BIM: Terrestrial Laser Scan (TLS) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) to perform quantity take-offs (QTO) for estimating building maintenance costs.Design/methodology/approachA 64-year-old tenement building was selected to conduct a case study. In this instance, the building had undergone a Scan-to-BIM survey approach to generate QTO for the bills of quantities for external painting works. The Scan-to-BIM approach includes site visit, positioning of scanning equipment, assignment of circular scan routes, point cloud registration and identification of residual error. After that, time, cost and quality data were logged into contrast with QTO on as-built plans for external wall plastering works.FindingsThe “time”, “cost” and “quality” of the Scan-to BIM practice were then examined and compared with the prevailing practices of manual measurements on as-built drawings. As noted from the results, the initial cost of Scan-to BIM is high, owing to the cost of equipment, software and capable available operators. However, the authors identified that the time and cost can be significantly minimised by developing and implementing efficient practices such as preparing a detailed scan plan, equipping modeller with quantity surveying knowledge, using automated object recognition and 5D BIM software packages such as Vico Office and CostX.Practical implicationsThe upshot is that Scan-to-BIM could be one of the measures to advance the clarity in the QTO and estimated price of the maintenance projects.Originality/valueThe practicability of Scan-to-BIM has received limited attention on existing building maintenance project. The Scan-to-BIM approach was examined using a case building of a 64-year-old tenement building. The approach demonstrated in this research study is promised to advance the clarity in the QTO and estimated price of maintenance project.

Contribution of BIM in the projects compatibility of different specialties encompass by civil construction

This article consists of an explanatory contribution of BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology applied during the project’s compatibility in the modeling stages of the various specialties that may be included in a specific project. Therefore, bibliographical research was carried out describing the incompatibilities found by other authors and a case study developed in Revit software by the authors of this review. The main objective was to promote knowledge of the importance of spatial visualization provided by BIM software in reducing construction problems, while emphasizing the immediate need for the technology to be disseminated in the civil construction sector. Currently, the sector still adopts limited techniques that are prone to numerous errors. Accordingly, BIM is considered the recent technological innovation for the project of buildings. Thus, the existing interferences between the projects are easily identified for the adaptation of elements towards conformity.

Review of BIM-Based Software in Architectural Design: Graphisoft Archicad VS Autodesk Revit

Revolution Industry 4.0 delivers impact on world development AEC (architect, engineering, and construction), especially in the development of useful digital technology for acceleration development infrastructure namely BIM ( Building Information Modeling ). BIM uses 3D software to support all potential and productivity in designing building construction. This article aims to review the advantages and limitations of the software Graphisoft Archicad and Autodesk Revit, especially in the field of BIM. the method used in writing an article is a review paper with a review of six journals and three expert opinions. The results of the review show that the Archicad software dominates the criteria for the field of work and 3D display. Temporary software Revit dominates in the field of work criteria in terms of the number of owned features because integrated by the developers of the Autodesk program. Archicad software is more compatible for users who want to have a more concise and easy-to-understand interface, while Revit software is more compatible for users with more complex project scales. Both of these software support parametric design. In Archicad and Revit Rhinoceros-grasshopper software can be used for Live Connection, but Archicad also has Param-O parametric object library and Revit has Dynamo for visual programming of parameter modeling. This shows that users should know more about their needs before choosing to use one of this BIM software.

A framework for obtaining a BIM-compatible design solution based on quantitative decisions on building performance

The direction towards high-performance buildings soars the complexity of the design process. Therefore, Building Performance Simulation (BPS) tools are used to aid designers to realize the implications of early design decisions. Coupling BPS tools and geometrical tools featured with Building Information Modeling (BIM) has recently received much attention. Yet, Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD-based) geometrical tools are still the preferred choice for a large portion of designers. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a Performance-based Design Framework (PbDF) to aid designers in obtaining an optimal design solution compatible with BIM software based on a quantitative decision that satisfies both daylighting, energy, and cost of buildings at the early stage of design. The PbDF included 3 D modeling, daylight and energy simulations, cost calculations, decision-making using Technique for Order by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and BIM generation. The framework was tested through two stages and validated by face validity approach. The test results demonstrated that the proposed framework can assist designers to efficiently propose high-performance designs and send them to BIM software to complete the rest of the tasks required for design and construction. The PbDF was accepted as reasonable for its intended purpose by people who are knowledgeable about the performance-based design.

Building Information Modeling Application in Civil Engineering Field -- Take Gongbei Tunnel as an Example

Building Information Modelling (BIM), the direct product of digital technology, is now widely applied in the civil engineering field as a tool to enhance the overall construction project design and implement. Compared with Europe and the US, China has a later start in BIM technology, but has still achieved certain results in the past decade. Therefore, this research studies the application of BIM technology in the field of civil engineering and selects an example to analyze. This research reviews the development of BIM in China, revealing the broad development prospects in China's market. And by selecting the BIM application in Gongbei tunnel as an example, the detail functions of BIM software and their advantages are concluded: (1) Visualization of models; (2) Higher collaboration efficiency; (3) Higher cost management efficiency. This research can help promoting the future development of BIM in China.

Investigating the Impact of Changing the Usage Type of Existing Structure Using BIM

Many real estate owners change the building in terms of the type of usage in response to changes in economic conditions and the requirements of the surrounding environment to get the best potential financial return. To investigate the possibilities of changing the real estate's usage, the owners of these existing structures turned to feasibility study experts for assistance in making the optimum alternatives. So, they need an integrated model between VE and BIM, especially applicable to an existing structure, to determine the optimum usage type for the existing structure. Value Engineering (VE) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) must be connected to profit from both outputs simultaneously. Previous studies only investigated the VE alternatives during the design phase; when they decided to reduce project costs by using construction materials alternatives, they ignored existing structure alternatives significantly when changing the usage type. This study attempts to provide an integrated model between VE and BIM that can be applied to the existing structure to assist in determining the best alternative in terms of the type of usage for such existing structures by conducting BIM methodology such as a feasibility study, including BIM software such as Revit and Primavera. A feasibility study that contains the bank rate of interest. As a result, the maximum financial return is obtained based on predetermined criteria and in compliance with decision-making requirements. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-08-06 Full Text: PDF

COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING BASED COST ESTIMATION AGAINST THE CONTRACTOR'S COST BUDGET PLAN IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OF BANJARBARU BAUNTUNG MARKET

This study focuses on the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) which begins with creating a 3D digital model (virtual building) which serves as a means for planning, designing, implementing development, and maintaining the building and its infrastructure for all parties involved in the project. Unlike other studies that use concrete structures, this study refers to the Bauntung Banjarbaru Market building with a steel structure. BIM software program is specific and correct. Specific is within the use of BIM information is taken and adapted to real conditions within the area. Correct is a constructible model, that is, the model that is created is the same as the model that was constructed. Besides, when there is a change in the model, the resulting cost estimate can change automatically.Modeling of building structures includes modeling of reinforced concrete structures and steel structures. The modeling is done using a software called Tekla Structures with a South-East Asia environment that refers to the plan drawing. After the modeling is complete, the work unit price is inputted into the software. The output of this modeling is direct cost estimation for structural work. For manual cost estimation using cost budget plan that has been obtained from the contractor in the form of a Microsoft Excel file.From the results of the analysis of the two cost estimates, the resulting comparison of the cost difference is quite scanty. The difference between manual cost estimation and BIM based cost estimation is 0.26%. So, it can be concluded that the use of BIM based cost estimation can be used because it produces cost estimates that are faster than using manual calculations made by contractors.The use of BIM can reduce costs and inaccuracies in the calculation of estimates in projects because it can be done more thoroughly. Keywords: BIM-based cost estimation, Tekla Structures, building structures