Building Information Modeling Tools Research Articles

Efficiency of utilizing building information modeling tools for examining smart materials behavior in a hot climate

The significance of smart materials aligns seamlessly with promoting the seventh goal of Sustainable Development, given their adaptability and energy-efficient properties in the construction sector. Using BIM tools to simulate environmental performance can enhance understanding of the behavior of smart materials within building components. Therefore, this study proposes integrating genetic algorithms (GA) with Building Information Modeling (BIM) through the Dynamo plugin. Where genetic algorithms help link the properties of smart materials and external stimuli, which outperforms traditional simulation tools for energy analysis.A comparison between the analysis process in Dynamo and Green Building Studio (GBS) emphasizes Dynamo's efficiency in simulating energy performance within the BIM environment in a shorter process. The effectiveness of simulating smart materials in Dynamo was validated in a hot climate through two scenarios of Phase change materials (BioPCM 29) and thermochromic materials (TCM), that were used in a lecture hall in an educational building in the Faculty of Engineering at Port Said University. Through the heat transfer rate indicator, energy consumption reduction rates were calculated. Integrating (BioPCM 29) into walls, ceilings, and glazing demonstrated a notable reduction in energy consumption for cooling in the summer months by a rate ranging between 23.3% and 23.4%. While (TCM) helped reduce consumption by 19.3%–19.4% in the same period of months. These findings affirm the research objective, highlighting BIM's potential as a tool to compare the environmental performance of smart materials and thus reach the optimal choice from the initial design stages.

Gamification using technologies for occupational safety training in the civil construction sector.

Although regulatory norms on work safety offer guidelines for organizing and preventing accidents, the construction site is an environment susceptible to deviations, sometimes due to the lack of effective training. To this end, technologies such as virtual reality become possibilities for innovations with great advantages, as they allow simulations, modeling, exploratory environments and games, which allow the user to create a greater connection and interest in the subject in question. This study aimed to present the technological advances applied in safety-oriented training in the construction industry worldwide, emphasizing serious games through a systematic review of the literature. The review was carried out using five scientific databases, with a research protocol to answer questions about the application of gamification to guarantee the safety of workers. Fifteen articles were evaluated, with descriptive, observational research and case studies. It was found that the use of technologies in construction safety is not yet a common reality in the sector, as it presents challenges and limitations, such as gameplay and issues related to cost. However, they show great potential as a dynamic solution in the training of civil construction workers, effectively collaborating in accident prevention and work safety. Several software programs and applications were found for creating three-dimensional scenes and for providing users with a customized experience according to the needs observed in the virtual interaction; building information modeling tools, which promote realistic project modeling; and equipment to visualize the scenes created. Furthermore, the possibility of combining traditional theoretical teaching with serious games was verified. However, gamification applicability is an alternative that still has limitations, in addition to the lack of flexibility in the rules imposed on the game, hampering users' authenticity in making decisions.

Energy Transition: Semi-Automatic BIM Tool Approach for Elevating Sustainability in the Maputo Natural History Museum

Mozambique is experiencing the consequences of a severe energy crisis with economic and social impacts. Its strict dependence on hydroelectric sources is being severely tested by recent droughts that have drastically reduced water levels in dams. However, Mozambique is addressing energy poverty by exploring renewable energy sources thanks to investments in the sector by the European Union. The research concerns an energy analysis profile of the country and the penetration of renewable energy, presenting an energy upgrading scope through a semi-automatic calculation methodology in a Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment. The building under study, located in Maputo, is the Natural History Museum, which plays an important role in biodiversity conservation. Therefore, this paper proposes a BIM methodology for sizing an environmental control system tailored to serve the museum. The proposed system replaces the previous one and includes a photovoltaic system that not only meets the museum’s load but also supplies electricity to the surrounding area. Energy production from renewable sources with a surplus of 30% has been achieved. The proposed digital methodology has identified a maximum gap of 1.5% between the dimensions of the BIM duct and those of a traditional plant design, meeting ASHRAE requirements for environmental control.

BIM and Sustainable Design: A Review of Strategies and Tools for Green Building Practices

Building Information Modeling (BIM) provides a robust foundation for driving sustainability across architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) practices. This paper presents a systematic review of literature elucidating the confluence of BIM tools and processes with accelerated performance simulations and green building certification systems needed to guide environmentally sensitive design. Integrated Revit-Insight 360 is shown to enable 21% lower energy use intensity (EUI) and 8.5% reduced lifecycle costs over baseline for an office building through rapid multi-objective optimization spanning orientation, envelope and HVAC properties. Enhanced integrated platforms perform detailed thermal zoning analysis capturing realistic solar gains and heat storage effects, right-sizing heating equipment by 7.2% over conventional workflows. Further, BIM automation mitigates nearly 50-80% of manual calculations for BEAM Plus, LEED prerequisites and accelerates documentation for certification. However, interoperability issues inhibiting holistic sustainability evaluations persist due to lack of modeling standards. Emerging tools exemplify modular green assessment connecting multi-vendor engines to resolve underlying technical barriers. As BIM object definitions and seamless analytical integration matures, widespread mainstreaming for sustainability is foreseeable. While current measured metrics revolve around energy use, emissions and green certification, future work needs to address social and economic indicators also enabled by data-rich BIMs. Nevertheless, coupled with continuous monitoring for validation, BIM provides the foundation for the AEC industry to progress towards comprehensive sustainable building lifecycles.

Green Retrofitting of Building using BIM-based Sustainability Optimization

The construction industry consumes around 55 percent of Pakistan’s annual energy and is the country’s most energy-intensive sector. It is, therefore, significant to devise a novel and effective model of green retrofitting of current buildings based on Building Information Modelling (BIM) which aims to reduce building energy consumption to effectively meet diversified climatic concerns and to promote sustainable structures. This research aims to reform the existing building by modifying the design parameters for an inefficient building envelope based on BIM simulation and data optimization results to optimize the overall energy consumption. BIM tools, such as Autodesk Revit and DesignBuilder have been used for the evaluation of the optimized energy-efficient design by comparing different design alternatives. After a detailed analysis, this research has concluded that the existing building is consuming a high amount of annual energy. With the help of BIM tools, which possess advanced algorithms for an effective optimization process, a list of ‘green’ solutions i.e., optimal designs has been generated, out of which the optimal and cost-effective design saved 46% of energy in total. In this study, the design variables selection has been fulfilled according to the local environmental sustainability.

Keeping up with changing technologies: The nexus between architecture and engineering

Advancements in technology are fundamentally transforming architectural and engineering domains within the building and construction sector. This study investigates the intersection of both fields in assimilating emerging innovations by eliciting empirical perspectives from practitioners. Embracing a quantitative approach, a survey was conducted among 203 architects and 392 engineers within Enugu metropolis, Nigeria using proportionate random sampling. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, revealing insights into awareness, perception, and collaboration concerning emerging technologies. Findings revealed high awareness but uneven adoption of building information modeling tools, with 97.3% of architects employing them versus only 25.4% of engineers. Although virtual reality and cloud-based platforms showed promise for enhancing project coordination, actual usage lagged significantly, likely owing to systemic and attitudinal barriers. However, respondents strongly endorsed tighter, technologically unified partnerships to smooth industry transformation, necessitating digital literacy interventions, supportive policy and binding protocols bridging persistent digital divides stalling seamless innovation diffusion along construction value chains.

A way to sustainable development of a slum rehabilitation residential project through building information model

Sustainable development in the construction industry majorly relies on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. It has been well proven that building contribute to majority of energy consumption. Also, orienting the building as per sun path, providing insulation to external elements of the building helps in reducing the energy consumption of a building. But desired orientation and providing additional insulation may not be always possible especially to a slum rehabilitation project. Thus, choosing appropriate materials especially external wall material which is crucial for heat gain inside the building is important. Considering a case of Slum Rehabilitation residential project situated in Pune city, G+2 model is created using Building Information modelling tools (Revit, Autodesk Insight) with actual material usage on the existing project based on survey. This study focuses on reducing the energy consumption by choosing appropriate wall material considering cost, CO2 emission, and energy analysis. The matrix providing energy consumption, cost and CO2 emission for the considered wall alternatives will help to choose optimum option for wall having benefits to a project like lesser energy consumption, cost and lower CO2emissions. The outcome will help the developers and slum rehabilitation authority to reduce the energy usage and thus CO2 emissions and cost to deliver energy flexible and low carbon building at optimum cost.

BIM to BEM for Building Energy Analysis: A Review of Interoperability Strategies

The main objective of this review is to summarize and thoroughly investigate the most popular and promising BIM (building information modeling) and BEM (building energy modeling) interoperability strategies employed in the last years (2004–2023), highlighting pros and cons of each strategy and trying to understand the reason for the still limited BIM–BEM interaction. This review summarizes the main countries, areas, modeling tools, and interoperability strategies, with the advantages and disadvantages of each one. The methodology is based on the PRISMA protocol, and two databases were used for the research: Scopus and Google Scholar. A total of 532 publications were selected and 100 papers were deemed useful for the purposes of this review. The main findings led to the identification of four different interoperability strategies between BIM and BEM tools: (1) real-time connection; (2) standardized exchange formats and middleware corrective tools; (3) adherence to model view definitions; (4) proprietary tool-chain. These strategies were found to be characterized by different degrees of complexity, time required for information exchange, proprietary or opensource software, ability to reduce information loss, and detailed energy results. The results of this study showed that, to date, there is no better interoperability strategy, and that further efforts are needed so that interoperability between the two tools can become commonplace.

Mitigating product data management challenges in the wooden single-family house industry

The housing industry faces challenges in product data management, resulting in negative effects on productivity, efficiency, and quality. The purpose of the study presented in this paper is to elaborate on requirements and functions of a support system to mitigate challenges with product data management in the wooden single-family house industry. As a support system, a pilot product lifecycle management (PLM) system was developed with functions to fulfill the requirements. The support system was installed and tested in a real-world setting, a wooden single-family house company, Company T. The paper contributes with the insights that a PLM system for industrialized house building can be developed, fulfilling the requirements in this specific industry. The functions developed were perceived to have value and could, for Company T, mitigate their challenges with product data management. The support system facilitate integration between the pilot PLM system, the building information modeling tool and the enterprise resource planning system at Company T. Based on the study carried out, the paper concludes that a PLM system is feasible, and that it might be a way to mitigate challenges with product data management in the wooden single-family house industry.

Mitigating product data management challenges in the wooden single-family house industry (REDIRECT)

The housing industry faces challenges in product data management, resulting in negative effects on productivity, efficiency, and quality. The purpose of the study presented in this paper is to elaborate on requirements and functions of a support system to mitigate challenges with product data management in the wooden single-family house industry. As a support system, a pilot product lifecycle management (PLM) system was developed with functions to fulfill the requirements. The support system was installed and tested in a real-world setting, a wooden single-family house company, Company T. The paper contributes with the insights that a PLM system for industrialized house building can be developed, fulfilling the requirements in this specific industry. The functions developed were perceived to have value and could, for Company T, mitigate their challenges with product data management. The support system facilitate integration between the pilot PLM system, the building information modeling tool and the enterprise resource planning system at Company T. Based on the study carried out, the paper concludes that a PLM system is feasible, and that it might be a way to mitigate challenges with product data management in the wooden single-family house industry.

Carbon emission assessment during construction phase based on building information model (BIM) and life cycle assessment (LCA)

In recent decades, the carbon emissions from building structures have posed a huge threat to the environment and to some extent contributed to global warming. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the most commonly used carbon emission assessment technique. However, this is a challenging task as the amount of data for a single material is enormous and difficult to process. A new method utilizing the latest computer technology has been proposed. This paper uses Building Information Model (BIM) and Revit software to establish a three-dimensional model of the structure. BIM can export and imply material information based on other platforms. This makes it possible to link BIM tools with lifecycle assessment by defining environmental data for each unit in the model. The entire process is divided into six stages. This article focuses on the calculation of carbon emissions during the construction phase and introduces a method that helps with early structural decision-making. Through case studies of existing buildings, the quantity of materials used in the building was analyzed, and the relationship between pre construction carbon emission factors and material quantity was solved.

An Analysis of the Qualitative Impacts of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on Life Cycle Cost (LCC): A Qualitative Case Study of the KSA

Building information modelling (BIM) continues gaining popularity in engineering construction as it helps lower the life cycle cost and ensure sustainability. The primary aim of this study was to delve into the effectiveness of BIM implementation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) construction industry and understand the benefits, challenges, and risks associated with it. The present study has incorporated a qualitative and case study research design to investigate the effectiveness of BIM implementation. To this end, information was gathered through interviews involving BIM experts in the KSA, from which a thematic analysis was derived with the help of NVivo software. The results obtained highlight various benefits, challenges, and risks associated with the implementation of BIM tools, also covering the life cycle cost (LCC) and the procurement and type of contracts, initially referred to during the interviews, indicating that the importance of estimating the LCC in a project is crucial in the design phase, which also informs the decision making. In this case, 96.7% of the participants agreed with this view. Moreover, two case studies were analysed to further demonstrate the effectiveness of BIM adoption. The outcomes of this study have the potential to add significant value to various aspects of engineering practice in the KSA.

From Building Information Model to Digital Twin: A Framework for Building Thermal Comfort Monitoring, Visualizing, and Assessment

The existing building stock is globally responsible for 17.5% of greenhouse gas emissions due to their operation to achieve occupant satisfaction, thus requiring a vast intervention. However, reducing building stock emissions and optimizing building energy performance cannot be considered independently by the users’ well-being. The thermal comfort conditions and their monitoring represent a central issue that could optimize building energy usage while achieving good indoor environmental conditions. This document describes the first findings of ongoing research focused on the development of a building monitoring system, based on the integration of Building Information Modeling tools and sensor technology through Dynamo Visual Programming. Starting from the development of an Asset Information Model, which represents the virtual replica of a building that currently hosts the administrative offices of the municipality of Cagliari, the first step presented in this contribution shows a thermal comfort monitoring system, scalable and modular, that allows effective gathering and elaboration of data about comfort levels in each of the building’s rooms. The system proves to be a helpful support for facility managers to control building thermal comfort conditions and HVAC systems to assure their best operative status or plan suitable interventions to achieve it.

Implementation of hydraulic and sanitary engineering under the concept building information modeling, in a nine-floor intelligent building, Zapopan, Jalisco

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the way to work in a coordinated manner among the actors involved in the construction project. This modeling includes all phases of the project: Design, Execution and Maintenance, providing real time information on the building modeling. BIM focuses on empowering and facilitating the understanding of the work program of all the actor in the construction process: Engineers, Architects, Owners, Product Manufactures, Subcontractors, etc., ordering and coordinating the information in each phase of the project, in order to make decisions, avoiding the minimum mistakes or unexpected calculations. The goal of this project is the modeling of the engineering hydraulic and sanitary, for an intelligent building of 9 floors, using REVIT software, the results obtained were the sizing of the pluvial water retention tank and the determination of available pressures (high and low pressure). It is concluded that the use of BIM tools allowed to display 3D, evaluating a logical sequence despite the complexity of its use.

BIM-based simulation tools for occupant evacuation: a scoping review

PurposeThis paper aims to present a systematic review of the published literature on building information model (BIM)-based simulation tools used for occupant evacuation over the past 23 years.Design/methodology/approachA literature review was conducted on BIM-based simulation tools used for occupant evacuation over the past 23 years. The search identified a total of 37 relevant papers, which were reviewed. The paper describes the use of BIM-based simulation tools over the years and identifies the research gaps.FindingsBIM-based simulation tools have undergone progressive development, with constant improvements through the integration of advanced tools and collection of more data. These tools can assist in identifying faults in the building design. The outcomes of the simulation were not entirely accurate, as real-life scenarios vary depending on the various building types and the behavior of their occupants.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the literature through reviewing the capabilities of BIM-based simulation tools and the different simulation methods along with their limitations.Practical implicationsFire safety engineers and architects can comprehend the utilization of BIM-based simulation tools to enhance the fire evacuation in light of their shortcomings and flaws.Originality/valueBIM-based simulation tools are becoming more advanced and widely used. There has not been a comprehensive evaluation of the capabilities of the integration of BIM tools and simulation modeling for occupant evacuation. This study guides researchers on the capabilities and efficiencies of integrated solutions for occupant evacuations and their inherent shortcomings. The study identifies future research areas in BIM-based tools for occupant evacuation.

Energy retrofit strategies of built heritage: using Building Information Modelling tools for streamlined energy and economic analysis.

Dynamic simulation tools are widely used in the workflow of energy retrofitting historic buildings as they contribute to the development of an optimised, cost-effective renovation strategy. Additionally, Building Information Modelling (BIM) applied in heritage buildings can provide a holistic platform that improves collaboration between different stakeholders involved in the management, restoration and energy-retrofit of heritage buildings, by facilitating data sharing and project coordination. However, the use of BIM for energy simulation is rarely implemented due to emerging technical complexities regarding data interoperability. In response to the above shortcomings, the paper addresses the challenges of integrating a) dynamic energy performance analysis and b) financial feasibility analysis, using Heritage-BIM (H-BIM) tools. Insights and knowledge acquired through the case of a deep renovation of a historic building in ruin condition is presented. Specifically, an integrated H-BIM approach was developed by the authors in order to propose cost-effective energy efficiency upgrade measures. The energy improvement measures concern the upgrade of the thermal transmission of the building envelope, the incorporation of efficient heating, cooling and mechanical ventilation systems, as well as the incorporation of renewable energy systems. The economic feasibility study is based on widely used financial indicators, including life cycle cost analysis (LCCA). The proposed workflow aims to become a useful methodological tool for public authorities, assisting the attraction of financing mechanisms for the restoration and energy-upgrade of the historic building stock.

Generic goal-oriented design for layout and cutting of floor tiles

Current building information modeling tools for floor tiling lack attention to procurement and construction, resulting in wasted material and extra labor. This research proposes a generic framework for planning the layout and cutting of floor tiles. Specifically, We put forward a layout algorithm based on a general representation of paving patterns. For cutting, our proposed algorithms combine tiles with complementary shapes to reduce waste rate and support edge-to-edge cuts to improve cutting efficiency. Functional testing shows that our approach supports the common paving patterns, with waste rates significantly lower than industry benchmark. Goal-oriented design experiment demonstrates that our approach obtains accurate numerical results to balance the waste rate, cutting efficiency, and aesthetics. The robustness testing demonstrates that our method can efficiently obtain high-quality solutions regardless of the different sizes and divided paving regions of the apartments. Our method is meaningful to promote sustainable development in the home decoration industry.

Computational BIM tool for automated LEED certification process

Building information modeling (BIM) and sustainable building certification integration have been the focus of several studies in recent years, aiming to create a simpler and more effective building certification process. This paper describes a novel computational tool for architects and engineers, considering that the certification process takes place in a work environment that is familiar to them. The goal is to present a method for developing a computational tool that will automate the process of verifying the achievement of certain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits using visual programming in a BIM environment. In this way, designers can have an insight into the achievement of certain LEED credits at any phase during the design process. Considering the complexity of the digital parameterization of LEED credits, this method includes the achievement of three credits listed in the Material and Resources chapter of the LEED for Building Design and Construction protocol. Apart from similar research, the presented tool enables visibility of real-time LEED credits achievement at every moment of the design, from the building concept development to the final stage. The presented method creates space for the elaboration on the other LEED credits, as well as research in the area of applicability to other green rating certification programs and evaluation of existing building stock.

Assessment of Building Information Modeling (BIM) as a Time and Cost-Saving Construction Management Tool: Evidence from Two-Story Villas in Jeddah

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a well-known construction technology for improving management. Its implementation in Saudi Arabia’s construction industry is increasing as it adapts to futuristic construction management practices. This quantitative case study examines the factors that led to the success of employing the BIM tool in managing a recent home development project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After a survey of the available literature, 28 success criteria were identified and validated by an expert panel of 18 industry professionals. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is used to analyze data from a pilot survey of 132 people. A total of three factors are deleted because of factors leading to a value of less than 0.6. Further, there were 212 people who filled out the main survey questionnaire, and the data are analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings show that BIM significantly improved the house development project in terms of cost, time, quality, safety, efficiency and environmental effect. Implications for management are highlighted, along with the study’s limitations and suggestions for further investigation. Overall, this research offers helpful information for residential building experts who want to make the most of BIM.

Building Energy Performance Modeling through Regression Analysis: A Case of Tyree Energy Technologies Building at UNSW Sydney

Addressing clients’ demands, designers have become increasingly concerned about the operation phases of buildings and, more specifically, energy consumption. This issue has become more prominent as people realize that the Earth’s resources are limited and depleted, and buildings are major energy consumers. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has gained popularity in recent years and is now widely used by architects, engineers, and construction teams to collaborate and provide a comprehensive design that follows a sustainable strategy. The objective of this research is to examine how building variables are linked to energy consumption in various building shapes, achieved by building prototypes. The accuracy of the regression models is evaluated by undergoing a validation process. Consequently, this study created building information models of selected education facility office rooms and used Autodesk Insight 360 and Green Building Studio (GBS) to perform energy simulations. A 6 Green Star education building in Australia is chosen as the case study of this paper. Thirteen variables related to building internal design were examined, and five were found to endure a substantial effect on building energy consumption. The study also looked at the window-to-wall ratio (WWR), which was analyzed by multi-linear regression; however, the results showed that the model did not fit well, and the error obtained during the validation process ranged from 1.0% to 26.0%, which is unacceptable for this research. These findings highlight some limitations in using BIM tools and linear regression methods and discuss some potential improvements that can be achieved in future studies.