Area: Design, planning and building
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the process of creating a set of digital representations which consists of both graphical and non-graphical data for the entire building cycle (Eastman et al., 2011). This process involves documenting, gathering, organising, and updating this information throughout the whole life cycle of a building from conception to demolition (Eschenbruch & Bodden, 2018). Beyond the demolition stage BIM can also support circular principles; managing the re-use, recovery, and recycling-potential of a building (Akbarieh et al., 2020; Xue et al., 2021). Whilst the concept of BIM as a process is supported by the International Organisation for Standardisation in ISO 19650-1:2018 (ISO, 2018), the National BIM Standard describes BIM as a digital technology (NBIMS-US, 2015). Despite the origins of BIM dating back to the 1970s, it did not become widely adopted by the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry as a computer design tool until the 2000s (Costa, 2017).
The digital building information model uses intelligent objects to store information in the form of three-dimensional geometric components along with its functional characteristics such as type, materials, technical properties, or costs (Eschenbruch & Bodden, 2018). This model forms the basis of a shared knowledge resource to support the various digital workflows of multidisciplinary stakeholders (Chong, Lee and Wang, 2017; Barile et al., 2018). Moreover, it serves the purpose of visualisation, clash detection between different building components, code criteria checking, environmental analysis, and cost estimation to name a few (Kamel & Memari, 2019; Krygiel & Nies, 2008). Therefore, utilising BIM can improve construction accuracy and enhance the built asset’s performance (Kubba, 2017; Love et al., 2013). The building information model facilitates the knowledge transfer between experts and project participants to satisfy end-user needs and support early-stage decision-making (Chong et al., 2017; Lu et al., 2017). Therefore, BIM can be considered a transdisciplinary practice as it communicates AEC, computation, and science (Correia et al., 2017).
In the AEC industry implementing BIM involves several stages, which are known as BIM maturity models. The maturity here means the extent of the user’s ability to produce and exchange information. These stages are the milestones, or levels, of collaboration and sharing of information that teams, and organisations aspire to. Defining these milestones is the main purpose of the different BIM maturity models that exist nowadays (Succar et al., 2012). The European Commission (EC) encourages step-by-step maturity models starting from BIM level 0 up to 4, to move the industry from a traditional modelling approach towards an open BIM approach. According to the EC, to reach BIM level 4 “all project, operational documentation and history are linked to objects in the model” (European Commission, 2017).
Due to growing concerns over the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the built environment, BIM is increasingly used to facilitate various sustainability analyses. In this regard, the concept of Green BIM initiated as the systematic digitalisation of building life cycles to accomplish established sustainability goals (Barile et al., 2018; Wong & Zhou, 2015). As such BIM has been integrated with Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), Life Cycle Costing Analysis (LCCA), and recently with Social Life Cycle Analysis (S-LCA) (Llatas et al., 2020). Today several BIM applications perform sustainability analysis in conjunction with Green Building Rating Systems (Sartori et al., 2021). In relation to housing BIM plays a crucial role in addressing affordability and sustainability issues from creation to maintenance, as well as the beyond end-of-life phases. However, many challenges remain for it to be fully and inclusively integrated within the AEC practice and for the full potential of BIM to be realised.
References
Akbarieh, A., Jayasinghe, L. B., Waldmann, D., & Teferle, F. N. (2020). BIM-based end-of-lifecycle decision making and digital deconstruction: Literature review. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072670
Barile, S., Orecchini, F., Saviano, M., & Farioli, F. (2018). People, technology, and governance for sustainability: the contribution of systems and cyber-systemic thinking. Sustainability Science, 13(5), 1197–1208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-018-0621-y
Chong, H. Y., Lee, C. Y., & Wang, X. (2017). A mixed review of the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) for sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 142, 4114–4126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.09.222
Correia, R. M., Brandão, F., & Paio, A. (2017). Transdisciplinary insight of digital architecture. XXI Congreso de La Sociedad Ibero-Americana de Gráfica Digital, 3. https://doi.org/10.5151/sigradi2017-034
Costa Jutglar, G. (2017). Integration of building product data with BIM modelling: a semantic-based product catalogue and rule checking system [Universitat Ramon Llull]. In TDX (Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa). http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/450865
Eastman, C., Teicholz, P., Sacks, R., & Liston, K. (2011). BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors. www.EngineeringBooksPdf.com
Eschenbruch, K., & Bodden, J. L. (2018). Chapter 17: Integrating BIM in Construction Contracts. In Building Information Modeling - Technology Foundations and Industry Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92862-3
European Commission. (2017). JRC Technical Report Building Information Modelling (BIM) standardization. In JRC Technical Reports. https://doi.org/10.2760/36471
ISO. (2018). ISO 19650-1:2018(en). https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:68078:en
Kamel, E., & Memari, A. M. (2019). Review of BIM’s application in energy simulation: Tools, issues, and solutions. Automation in Construction, 97, 164–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2018.11.008
Krygiel, E., & Nies, B. (2008). Green BIM: Successful Sustainable Design With Building Information Modeling. Wiley Publishing.
Kubba, S. (2017). Building Information Modeling (BIM). In Handbook of Green Building Design and Construction (pp. 227–256). Butterworth-Heinemann.
Llatas, C., Soust-Verdaguer, B., & Passer, A. (2020). Implementing Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment during design stages in Building Information Modelling: From systematic literature review to a methodological approach. Building and Environment, 182, 107164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107164
Love, P. E. D., Simpson, I., Hill, A., & Standing, C. (2013). From justification to evaluation: Building information modeling for asset owners. Automation in Construction, 35, 208–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2013.05.008
Lu, Y., Wu, Z., Chang, R., & Li, Y. (2017). Building Information Modeling (BIM) for green buildings: A critical review and future directions. Automation in Construction, 83(June), 134–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2017.08.024
NBIMS-US. (2015). About the National BIM Standard-United States® | National BIM Standard - United States. National Institute of Building Sciences. https://www.nationalbimstandard.org/about
Sartori, T., Drogemuller, R., Omrani, S., & Lamari, F. (2021). A schematic framework for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Green Building Rating System (GBRS). Journal of Building Engineering, 38, 102180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102180
Succar, B., Sher, W., & Williams, A. (2012). Measuring BIM performance: Five metrics. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 8(2), 120–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/17452007.2012.659506
Wong, J. K. W., & Zhou, J. (2015). Enhancing environmental sustainability over building life cycles through green BIM: A review. Automation in Construction, 57, 156–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2015.06.003
Xue, K., Hossain, M., Liu, M., Ma, M., Zhang, Y., Hu, M., Chen, X., & Cao, G. (2021). BIM Integrated LCA for Promoting Circular Economy towards Sustainable Construction: An Analytical Review. Sustainability, 13, 1310. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031310
Created on 16-02-2022 | Update on 23-10-2024
Related definitions
Transdisciplinarity
Area: Community participation
Created on 05-07-2022 | Update on 23-10-2024
Read more ->Mass Customisation
Area: Design, planning and building
Created on 06-07-2022 | Update on 23-10-2024
Read more ->Life Cycle Costing
Area: Design, planning and building
Created on 05-12-2022 | Update on 23-10-2024
Read more ->Industrialised Construction
Area: Design, planning and building
Created on 09-11-2023 | Update on 23-10-2024
Read more ->Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Area: Design, planning and building
Created on 30-09-2024 | Update on 23-10-2024
Read more ->Related cases
Solar Decathlon Europe 2022
Created on 25-10-2024
Related publications
No entries