Integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Sustainability Indicators and Criteria to Select Associated Construction Method at the Conceptual Design Stage of Buildings

Abstract

The construction industry has an extensive direct impact on the environment, society, and economy since it consumes more than one-half of the world’s physical resources and accounts for 30% to 40% of the world’s energy usage. By 2050, it is expected that city living will reach 6.5 billion people of all humanity. Therefore, the adoption of sustainable construction to accommodate the increase in populations without depleting critical resources will be unsuccessful if the construction industry does not significantly transform its ways of building and managing urban spaces. A thorough examination of that process is necessary to identify the prerequisites needed to develop a model that integrates sustainable design with BIM concept. Thus, this study presents an integrated BIM and sustainable design model for buildings that automates the evaluation and selection of associated construction methods (i.e., conventional, modular, and 3D printing) at the conceptual design stage. The proposed model will provide designers with the ability to assess different design alternatives at the early design stage of the project’s life, which will lead to a suitable construction method. Lifecycle Assessment (LCA), Lifecycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), energy analysis and sustainability certification (LEED rating system) are the modules that will be incorporated and used by the proposed model to execute all necessary calculations, analysis, and simulation. However, this paper is part of an ongoing research; thus, it will be limited to developing and testing the database design engine. To commence a design, COMOTH (the database design engine) is initiated in Revit architecture, with a form requesting users to select an option related to the number of floors and the building construction method. The successful implementation of the proposed model will contribute to advancing the process of integrating BIM and sustainability by providing users with more options during the sustainable design process and afterwards identify the associated construction methods for buildings. That will evolve the adoption of sustainable design and construction processes by the AEC industry.