Model View Definition Research Articles

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.

MVDLite: A fast validation algorithm for Model View Definition rules

Model View Definition (MVD) is the mainstream method for formally representing the knowledge about the data exchange of building information models (BIMs). The MVD ruleset can be used in automatically validating the compliance of the BIM data against the exchange requirements and rule constraints. At present, MVD validation is performed with the “matching-checking” process according to the data structure templates and the rule statements respectively. However, there are redundant visit of edges and nodes in a process with separated subgraph matching and value checking, and the efficiency of MVD validation on large real-world models is still a challenge. In this paper, the MVDLite algorithm is proposed for the fast validation of MVD rules. By integrating the separated templates and statements into a “rule-chain” structure, a fast round-trip searching can be performed, which remarkably speeds up the MVD validation in the experiments. Discussions on the complexity of the MVD validation algorithms and the applicable scope of the proposed algorithm are also provided, which intends to bring some new ideas to the community about the future evolution of the MVD technology.

Sandpile-simulation-based graph data model for MVD generative design of shield tunnel lining using information entropy

BIM standard development is central to the performance and behavior of BIM model application across transmission, visualization, and information management perspectives. Tremendous effort has been made to ease the implementation of IFC data model in practice. Yet, the complexity of IFC data model hurdles the implementation of the import and export functionality by software vendors. To overcome this, buildingSMART introduced the concept of Model View Definitions to define which parts of an IFC data model need to be implemented for a specific data exchange scenario. With such, the certification of compatibility for software products with the IFC standard is formed. The Model View Definition is use case orientated to determine whether the specific information should be included in an IFC partial model. With the creation of ad-hoc, project-specific Exchange Requirements increasing, associated MVD development requires much more work to incorporate standard development. To resolve this issue, this paper attempts to exploit the potential of information entropy which has proven itself extremely crucial in many other industries in terms of information management, and then integrates it with sandpile simulation to propose a Top-down hierarchy to structure as well as interpret IFC partial model via Model View Definition. The proposed information entropy shifted MVD development approach would manage to unify the MVD development process that enables the reduction on confusion for various end users, specific organization, or project needs. Moreover, to better translate the BIM standard topology into sandpile simulations, a new notion system is proposed. Sandpile simulations are further implemented to prove their applicability, during the simulation, self-organized criticality is identified, and the existence of chaos is observed.

INTEGRATION OF STRUCTURAL INFORMATION WITHIN A BIM-BASED ENVIRONMENT FOR SEISMIC STRUCTURAL E-PERMITS

The assessment of the structural safety of buildings, with the related outcomes and other structural information, is typically reported in un-structured sets of documents (tables, drawings, reports, etc.). This happens even if Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflows, platforms, and standards are adopted. Generally, the BIM database provides input data for the structural design, but most of the data produced by structural designers, according to the structural codes, do not fully integrate into the BIM database along with other context-related information. These data are not easily recorded, especially in openBIM standard file formats such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). In the context of digital procedures for permit applications pertaining to seismic structural engineering, the authors propose an openBIM approach for the integration of structural information to support the activities of building authorities’ bodies (BABs). The proposed framework has led to the development of an Information Delivery Manual (IDM) and a Model View Definition (MVD), considering the IFC schema, for the integration and exchange of information within a BIM-based environment. Successively, the authors implemented the proposed IDM/MVD solution in a case study that provided an effective workflow for innovative future delivery of necessary information to building authorities to obtain seismic authorization permits.

Urban-Level Data Interoperability for Management of Building and Civil Infrastructure Systems during the Disaster Phases Using Model View Definitions

Urban-Level Data Interoperability for Management of Building and Civil Infrastructure Systems during the Disaster Phases Using Model View Definitions

EXPLICIT DIGITAL MODELS OF LINEAR COMPLEXES

It is obvious that the interoperability of existing digital models is insufficient. Current research on model view definitions and on their semantic enrichment addresses the issue of good interpretation of the results of existing models to improve interoperability. The alternative research presented in this paper is not concerned with interpretation. Instead, the influence of modifications in the geometric and topological concepts of the digital models themselves on their interoperability is investigated. The geometric and topological attributes of the models are made as explicit as possible. Two-dimensional line drawings are replaced by three-dimensional linear complexes to reduce the need for implicit information. The topology of a complex is described with topological tables containing all elements of the model, thus replacing the geometric neighborhood concept of the industry foundation classes. A highly efficient algorithm for the construction of new topological tables of large buildings is presented. The difficulties encountered in modifying existing topological tables are analyzed and solved. Topological and geometric aspects of linear complexes that cannot be treated explicitly with topological tables are identified and presented.

An IFC Approach for BIPV Technical Pre-design Consideration

The increasing demand for nearly-Zero Energy Buildings contributes to a broader discussion of implementing building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) on building envelopes. Existing research indicates that BIPV products should be digitally represented in Building Information Modeling (BIM) to facilitate the design process. The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) schema as data exchange standard needs to support the relevant BIPV use cases to enable the exchange of relevant BIM data between stakeholders. However, there is a lack of clear identification of BIPV use cases which are needed as a basis for assessing IFC’s ability to capture and represent BIPV products digitally. The identification of BIPV use cases is also necessary for the proper development of a Model View Definition (MVD) for IFCs in the BIPV domain. This study uses the technical pre-design consideration as sample use case to demonstrate the processes of developing an MVD for BIPV digital products in the Australian context. A three-step research approach is employed, including a collection of use cases through a literature review and interviews, defining exchange requirements and proposing an initial MVD based on IFC4 ADD2 TC1. This paper contributes to the BIPV area by providing a BIPV use case description for the Technical Pre-design Consideration use case in the Australian context and identifying existing challenges in the current IFC schema related to representing BIPV product information.

A review of methods to specify information requirements in digital construction projects

With the ever-growing digitalisation of the built environment, specifying information requirements (IR) is crucial to control the Building Information Modelling (BIM) data. However, the way of encoding these requirements is subject to a wide range of possibilities, making it difficult for the users to choose the most suitable method. The paper presents a comparative analysis of methods to define IR based on document study and expert group discussions. The study covers Data Dictionaries (ISO12006), Information Delivery Manual (IDM), IFC Property templates, Information Delivery Specification (IDS), Level of Information Need, Model View Definition (mvdXML), and Product Data Templates (PDT), as well as other, non-standardised methods such as Linked Data with SHACL. The comparison is based on criteria from the review of use-cases and covers aspects such as value constraints, properties of fields, geometry representation, metadata, expressiveness and dependency. The paper concludes that no single method covers all the discussed aspects, and selection should be made consciously based on a purpose. The results are relevant to information managers to understand the relations and differences between IR methods, suggest standardisation bodies a way forward to harmonise, integrate or differentiate the standards, and provide a framework for evaluating IR methods.

Digital twin-enabled built environment sensing and monitoring through semantic enrichment of BIM with SensorML

Effective environmental condition monitoring provides constant surveillance of the built environment and reveals deteriorations that could impact the daily operation of facilities, especially amid COVID situations. However, the current Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data schema for Building Information Modelling (BIM) provided limited support to represent full semantics related to environmental sensing and monitoring. How to semantically enrich the IFC schema with enhanced data description capability for informed decision-making in smart facilities management (FM) amid COVID situations remains an open question. This paper develops a semi-automatic extension and integration of IFC data schema with Sensor Model Language (SensorML) specification in order to support automated built environment sensing and monitoring. Referring to SensorML, an extended IFC model view definition for a comprehensive description of required sensor metadata and sensing entities is presented. An Internet of Things (IoT) sensor network is then established to realise continuous data collection from a variety of wireless sensing devices. The spatial-temporal data captured by the IoT sensor network are extracted by a regular expression-based data distillation algorithm and integrated with the digital twin, in which spatial interpolation algorithms further analyse, compute, and visualise the state of the environment. The proposed method is demonstrated via an experimental study which supports real-time environmental monitoring and delivers more actionable insights to facility managers to sustain the daily operation of buildings. This study contributes new methods and models to semantically enrich the digital twin from the data perspective for environmental condition monitoring during the pandemic time which fosters the development of holistic building facility management.

Automated generation of a model view definition from an information delivery manual using idmXSD and buildingSMART data dictionary

The development of an integrated information delivery manual (IDM) and model view definition (MVD) using the buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD) as a lexicon has been identified as an ideal way of developing IDMs and MVDs. Several previous studies proposed methods to integrate the IDM and MVD development process. However, they were inherently limited in various ways because they were proposed before the core relevant technologies were ready. This study proposes an integrated IDM and MVD development method using bSDD as a lexicon based on three international standards—ISO 12006-3, ISO 16739-1, and ISO 29481-3. In particular, ISO 29481-3 is deployed as a core data schema to integrate the entire process. ISO 29481-3, of which the authors were the main developers, is a new ISO standard that specifies the information delivery manual XML schema definition (idmXSD). In addition, the concept-based MVD generation algorithm was adopted to generate a syntactically valid MVD. The proposed method was validated against the basic Facility Management (FM) Handover MVD and the Construction–Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) MVD. The proposed approach is expected to help facilitate the development of IDM and MVD by allowing developers to utilize bSDD as a common lexicon and share and repurpose existing IDMs and their relationships to MVDs in a machine-readable format using idmXSD.

Digitalization of culturally significant buildings: ensuring high-quality data exchanges in the heritage domain using OpenBIM

Cultural heritage building information models (HBIMs) incorporate specific geometric and semantic data that are mandatory for supporting the workflows and decision making during a heritage study. The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) open data exchange standard can be used to migrate these data between different software solutions as an openBIM approach, and has the potential to mitigate data loss. Specific data-exchange scenarios can be supported by firstly developing an Information Delivery Manual (IDM) and subsequently filtering portions of the IFC schema and producing a specialized Model View Definition (MVD). This paper showcases the creation of a specialized IDM for the heritage domain in consultation with experts in the restoration and preservation of built heritage. The IDM was then translated into a pilot MVD for heritage. We tested our developments on an HBIM case study, where a historic building was semantically enriched with information about the case study’s conservation plan and then checked against the specified IDM requirements using the developed MVD. We concluded that the creation of an IDM and then the MVD for the heritage domain are achievable and will bring us one step closer to BIM standardisation in the field of digitised cultural buildings.

BIM-based graph data model for automatic generative design of modular buildings

As volumetric modular construction is gaining attention worldwide, there is a growing interest in the representation and model-based data exchange for modular buildings to optimise and communicate the design generation to prefabrication. This paper presents a Building Information Modelling (BIM)-based graph data model for the theoretic representation of essential characteristics in modular buildings, intending to automate and optimise the generative design for modular construction. The proposed new method involves the establishment of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) model view definition (MVD) to comprehensively describe the required information for designing modular buildings. Following this, the IFC MVD is mapped to a graph data model, which includes the explicit formulation of absent spatial attributes, topological relationships, geometries, and semantics for volumetric modules. In compliance with the graph-theoretic representation, data transformation algorithms are developed to convert the required information in BIM to the graph model for assorted information query. Provided the extracted information, a prototype system is developed and examined via an illustrative example focusing on the automatic generative design of modular buildings.

A theoretical holistic decision-making framework supporting collaborative design based on common data analysis (CDA) method

The enormous expansion of information, which is assembled from various design tools, has caused challenges in data exchange and compelled companies to find various solutions to improve collaboration. Data exchange within Building Information Modelling (BIM) context has been mainly focused on individual disciplines. Even though several attempts have been made to develop data exchange requirements for BIM models, there is still a lack of homogeneity since no method for classifying and sharing those requirements is clearly outlined. A clearly defined “single truth of information” is still not acknowledged yet. Software tools require unambiguous clarity of the semantics, which can help various stakeholders to proceed with their design tasks. However, there is still a lack of multi-dimensional knowledgebase for holistic decision-making within a BIM workflow. Therefore, this paper presents a common data analysis (CDA) referencing various concepts such as the standardised Information Delivery Manual (IDM) method, model view definition (MVD) and the concept of semantic intersection to conclude “single truth of information” and “partial truth of information” data sets that form the basis for a theoretical holistic decision-making framework to support collaborative design. The information defined in this research was validated based on existing resources and literature. Following the concluded data sets, a model can be transformed automatically at the minimum commonality level, creating a starting point for other professions. Following the analysis, a theoretical holistic decision-making framework was proposed. The innovation of the proposed framework lies in providing a holistic decision-making system that combines both data extraction using the concluded data sets and semantic web technology to eliminate inefficiencies in data sharing and improve the decision-making process in the early design stage by providing the stakeholders with rational solutions with less effort and time. This paper provides the essential requirement for a holistic decision framework from a data processing perspective.

Building Information Modeling for Bridges and Structures: Outcomes and Lessons Learned from the Steel Bridge Industry

The recent push to adopt building information modeling (BIM) for bridges and structures in the transportation industry has encountered major barriers owing to the lack of standardization. Unlike the building industry that has the National BIM Standard®–United States (NBIMS-US™) as a formal open platform standard and guide for the development of interoperable BIM software, the transportation industry does not currently have a similar open platform standard to enable the creation of interoperable BIM software to serve the needs of transportation stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of the research for one of the first use cases and development of data exchange requirements and model view definitions in adopting the open platform NBIMS-US applied to bridges and structures for the U.S. transportation industry. A subcommittee of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the National Steel Bridge Alliance Steel Bridge Collaboration was formed to conduct a pilot study into the creation of information delivery manuals (IDMs) for steel bridges. This study served as pilot for the development of future IDMs in the transportation industry. As a result, the current IDM for Steel Bridge Detailing and Fabrication serves as the starting point of TPF-5(372) BIM for Bridges and Structures development of the Design to Fabrication model view definition. Finally, this study provided the outcomes and recommendations needed to expedite the development of IDMs for other use cases in the bridge and transportation industry.

A New Framework to Address BIM Interoperability in the AEC Domain from Technical and Process Dimensions

Building information modelling (BIM) is an integrated informational process and plays a key role in enabling efficient planning and control of a project in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) domain. Industry foundation classes- (IFC-) based BIM allows building information to be interoperable among different BIM applications. Different stakeholders take different responsibilities in a project and therefore keep different types of information to meet project requirements. In this paper, the authors proposed and adopted a six-step methodology to support BIM interoperability between architectural design and structural analysis at both AEC project level and information level, in which (1) the intrinsic and extrinsic information transferred between architectural models and structural models was analyzed and demonstrated by a business process model and notation (BPMN) model that the authors developed; (2) the proposed technical routes with different combinations and their applications to different project delivery methods provided new instruments to stakeholders in industry for efficient and accurate decision making; (3) a new material-centered invariant signature with portability can improve information exchange between different data formats and models to support interoperable BIM applications; and (4) a newly developed formal material information representation and checking method was tested on a case study where its efficiency was demonstrated to outperform (i) proprietary representations and information checking method based on a manual operation, and (ii) the model view definition (MVD)-based information checking method. The proposed invariant signature-based material information representation and checking method brings a better efficiency for information transfer between architectural design and structural analysis, which can have significant positive effects on a project delivery due to the frequent and iterative update of a project design. This improves the information transfer and coordination between architects and structural engineers and therefore the efficiency of the whole project. The proposed method can be extended and applied to other application phases and functions such as cost estimation, scheduling, and energy analysis.

BIM integrated automation of whole building life cycle assessment using German LCA data base ÖKOBAUDAT and Industry Foundation Classes

The life cycle assessment (LCA) of buildings is an important evaluation method for the environmental quality of buildings and their impact on climate and environment. However, this method is time-consuming and cost intensive. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has a high potential to integrate LCA into day-to-day planning. This research project aims to form the basis for BIM (semi) automation of whole building LCA by enabling the integration of LCA data using the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). The DIN EN 15804 compliant and open access ÖKOBAUDAT is used as the database for LCA data. As a result, a BIM-LCA framework is proposed that includes the development of an Information Delivery Manual (IDM) describing the LCA according to a German assessment system for sustainable buildings (BNB). Based on this, a Model View Definition (MVD) is developed, which defines the software subset of an IFC data model to meet the exchange requirements (ER) for a whole building LCA. Solution approaches for adapting LCA databases and IFC 4 are presented. Finally, a first prototypical implementation of these results for the (semi) automation of whole building LCA is developed. In summary, the proposed IDM and MVD enable identifying the information exchange required to perform an LCA within a BIM-based environment. They also provide the background knowledge to develop a BIM tool to perform an LCA based on the framework proposed. Thereby, this research project contributes to achieve higher environmental quality of buildings by combining sustainable and digital planning methods.

Rules and validation processes for interoperable BIM data exchange

Abstract Diverse industries have recognized the significance of a neutral data standard for seamless building information modeling (BIM) data exchanges and adopted commonly agreed schemes such as the industry foundation classes (IFC) schema for enhancing BIM data interoperability. To selectively employ domain-specific data exchange requirements, the AEC-FM (the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Facility Management) industries have developed their own schema with a subset of the IFC schema, named a model view definition (MVD). However, because of latent human errors, inadequate MVD definitions, and error-prone data mapping problems, the adoption of IFC for exchanging and sharing BIM data is frequently limited with severe data integrity issues. This challenging situation requires the detailed examination of the limitations of the heterogeneous IFC translation processes of the current BIM authoring and application tools. To accomplish this objective, the authors thoroughly investigated the two MVDs, the Coordination View Version 2.0 and the Construction Operations Building Information Exchange, broadly used as an international standard for developing the IFC translation processes, and then identified their intrinsic requirements/rules and developed rule-based data validation processes. These new intrinsic knowledge of the two MVD specifications will be fundamental foundations to create coherent BIM data exchange systems that are currently scattered and dispersed in heterogeneous IFC translation processes and structures. Newly revealed rules pertaining to these two MVDs have been executed with IfcDoc, which is the IFC documentation tool. This BIM data validation process is expected to not only accurately evaluate the translation processes between BIM native data and IFC ones but also help industry professionals ensure the integrity and the accuracy of their BIM data according to the BIM data exchange standards using the two MVDs. In addition, the outcomes of this research study are expected to bolster the interoperable BIM adoption and offer the values of greater consistency of BIM data exchange.

The BIM2LCA Approach: An Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)-Based Interface to Integrate Life Cycle Assessment in Integral Planning

An increasing degree of digitalization in construction planning offers significant potential for building life cycle assessment (LCA) to reduce access barriers, as well as the assessment effort itself. To realize the widespread application of LCA tools and their potential to effectively minimize life cycle impacts, an open approach is required that allows for flexible application of comprehensive LCA studies and early integration in planning processes. The authors present an approach for LCA integration in all phases of digital planning which aims at a DGNB (Deutsche Gesellschaft für nachhaltiges Bauen) certification based on the open Building Information Modeling (BIM) standard Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). The approach takes into account varying levels of development and resulting data availability during integral planning phases, as well as resulting LCA application contexts. It goes beyond existing strategies and allows one to consider both BIM and LCA software through a workflow based on a single data format. The assessment framework is operationalized through standardized interface development and technical realization following the information delivery manual (IDM) process standardized for IFC interfaces. The Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema, as a specific implementation for certification, provides the target system for LCA data requirements and is generalized to a planning phase specific IDM base table. The technical realization based on respective model view definitions and distributed data suggests a pathway to the standardization of LCA-IFC integration based on an open approach. The overall approach exemplarily applies to the “LERNZENTRUM” at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) campus. We conclude that an open BIM approach for LCA integration in model-based planning is feasible, but requires several adjustments in IFC, LCA, and planning practice. Adding a lifecycle element to the IFC to connect BIM and LCA provides comprehensive feedback for informed decision making based on environmental impact.

Building performance and maintenance information model based on IFC schema

The integration of operational information in building life-cycle management is a relevant topic within the facilities management domain. A previous study proposed a methodology based on Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Facility Management (FM) systems integration, underpinned by a Performance Information Model, to support the performance assessment and the maintenance management. The purpose of this paper is to extend and validate that methodology with an open standard approach. A subset of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) schema related to performance assessment and maintenance procedures is mapped into a relational database. The database supports the integration between BIM models and facilities information systems. Case studies including healthcare buildings test the database and a new application. The results contribute to the BIM adoption in the FM domain. Also, the studied and validated IFC schema subset can be considered as a contribution to the Model View Definition for FM.

Development of a BIM-based Environmental and Economic Life Cycle Assessment tool

Currently, the built environment is one of the sectors that contribute the most to environmental impacts worldwide. As a result, the construction industry is increasingly adopting technologies and methodologies that promote the development of sustainable constructions, i.e. constructions that have low environmental, economic, and social impacts. Focusing on the environmental and economic impact of the construction, this research integrates the building information modelling (BIM) technology with the life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methodologies for the environmental and economic assessment of buildings. Building on the BIM-LCA/LCC framework and on the information delivery manual (IDM) and model view definition (MVD) for the BIM-LCA/LCC analysis, a BIM-based Environmental and Economic Life Cycle Assessment (BIMEELCA) tool is developed by the authors and detailed in this article. The BIMEELCA tool is used to support the decision-making process during early phases of a project and verify the feasibility of conducting automatic BIM-based LCA and LCC analyses in high-rise projects. A 250 m high-rise apartment, hotel, and office building is used to validate the usefulness of the tool at the early design stage. This case study demonstrates the feasibility to perform an automatic LCA and LCC analysis at this design stage by inserting in the model semantic information from generic databases. In the end, the benefits and limitations of the BIMEELCA tool are discussed. This research is expected to contribute to the promotion of semantically rich BIM models and the development of tailor-made BIM objects’ libraries specific to the needs of companies.