Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Building Information Modeling'

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Arquitetura, com a especialização em Arquitetura apresentada na Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre.
O Building Information Modeling (BIM) é considerado como o mais recente paradigma a adotar no exercício da Arquitetura, Engenharias e Construção (AEC) e Design. Um método de trabalho destacado como a aptidão a ter no futuro do setor mundial, onde todas as suas fases e dimensões validam o espírito de colaboração, partilha de informação, interajuda e otimização. Sendo já aplicado em diversos países como cariz obrigatório na profissão, desde 2016 como os Estados Unidos, Reino Unido e Singapura, a visão mundial a cerca desta ferramenta no ensino é ainda bastante elementar comparativamente com as suas imensas potencialidades, principalmente em Portugal. Ciente de que um profissional adquire conhecimentos e competências fulcrais à profissão numa fase anterior a este estatuto é de interesse geral que as habilitações que se adquirem com a metodologia BIM sejam ensinadas no curso de Arquitetura. Porém tal importância não se verifica, tendo como resultado um curso desajustado das novas necessidades da profissão. Perante o problema apresentado surgiu a motivação para o desenvolvimento de uma dissertação que apostasse numa proposta de um modelo curricular para o curso de Mestrado Integrado em Arquitetura que incorpore o Building Information Modeling.
ABSTRACT: The Building Information Modeling (BIM) it’s considered as the latest paradigm to be adopted in the exercise of Architecture, Engeneering, and Construction (AEC) and Design. A working method model highlighted as the ability to have in the future of the global sector, where all of its fases and dimensions validate the spirit of colaboration, sharing of information, mutual aid and optimization. Having already been aplied in several countries as required in the profession, since 2016 like the United States, United Kingdom and Singapore, the world vision about this tool in education it’s rader elementary compared to its immense potentialities, mainly in Portugal. Aware that a professional acquires knowledge and core competencies at a stage prior to this status is of general interest that the qualifications that are acquired with the BIM methodology are taught in the Architecture course. But such importance is not verified, resulting in a misfiting course face of the new needs of the profession. Faced with the presented problem, the motivation rised for the development of a dissertation that focused on a proposal of a curricular model for the Mestrado Integrado em Arquitetura course that incorporate Building Information Modeling.
N/A

"Nowadays, many companies in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) industry are using Building Information Modeling (BIM) in achieving a faster, sustainable and more economic project. Among the new developed concepts and BIM applications, two of the concepts most frequently used with the support of BIM technology in the planning, organization and scheduling of projects are 4D and 5D in which a 3D model is tied to its time execution (4D) at any point in time and its corresponding cost (5D). However, most of these applications concentrate on modeling the building but it does not include a corresponding modeling of the site in which the building is located. To date, there are few studies and systematic implementation of the site and the building integrated into one BIM model. This site-building integrated model can also be conceptualized as ¡°6D BIM¡± model. The benefit of integrating the site and building together into one model is that the building is no longer treated in isolation of its surround site but incorporates extremely helpful short-term and long-term information for the owner, designer, and builder regarding site topography, landscaping, access roads, ground conditions and the location of site utilities. Major existing research and technology issues that are preventing this site-building integration deal with functionality and interoperability of the BIM software, different orientation and coordination of building model and site model. The objectives of this thesis are to explore current organizational and technological issues preventing this integration, to investigate a feasible method to create a site-linked BIM model, and to discuss the benefits and limitations of bringing BIM concept to the site conditions. The research has been conducted by an extensive review on the literature related to the topic of interest published primarily by AEC. A review on current applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has also been included because of the wider context provided by this technology to the specific topic of this research. Related BIM software developed by three different vendors ¡ªhas been discussed and compared to determine the level of feasibility and operational features of technological support necessary to implement the site-linked BIM model. A case study based on the design and construction of the WPI Recreational & Sports Center, currently under construction, was developed to explore and understand the details that are involved in creating a new site model and to link it with the existing 3D building model. What has been learned from the analysis of this case study is presented, discussed and analyzed in terms of benefits and limitations. Recommendations for future extensions from both the research aspect and the technology support aspect finally presented. These include the creation of 3D BIM Campus Map, which is one site model with several building models placed on it to facilitate future planning of new building and/or maintenance and operation of the current buildings and campus infrastructure.   "

Dalla raffigurazione artistica fino alla modellazione digitale, passando per il disegno tecnico, la rappresentazione del progetto d’architettura ha conosciuto nel tempo evoluzioni significative che solo di recente hanno raggiunto l’apice nell’utilizzo di modelli cognitivi in grado di collezionare ed organizzare il patrimonio di informazioni che gravitano attorno all’intero processo edilizio. L’impiego sempre più diffuso dello strumento informatico, insieme al coordinamento delle specializzazioni nelle molte discipline coinvolte nel progetto, ha favorito negli ultimi anni l’adozione del Building Information Modeling un processo che permette di rivoluzionare il mondo delle costruzioni, coprendo molteplici aspetti del ciclo di vita per un manufatto edilizio. Questa Tesi intende presentare in maniera specifica le tappe che hanno consentito il formarsi del BIM. La migliore capacità di gestione, un linguaggio comune tra i progettisti, un’ottimizzazione di risorse e costi, unito ad un controllo convincente ed accurato delle fasi di lavoro, sono alcune delle potenzialità non ancora completamente espresse dal Building Information Modeling che è destinato a divenire una consapevolezza strategica nel bagaglio culturale del professionista contemporaneo.

Tese de Doutoramento em Arquitetura, com a especialização em Conservação e Restauro apresentada na Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Doutor.
As metodologias associadas ao software BIM (Building Information Modeling) representam nos dias de hoje um dos sistemas integrados mais utilizado para a construção de novos edifícios. Ao usar BIM no desenvolvimento de projetos, a colaboração entre os diferentes intervenientes num projeto de arquitetura, engenharia e construção, melhora de um modo muito significativo. Esta tecnologia também pode ser aplicada para intervenções em edifícios existentes. Na presente tese pretende-se melhorar os processos de registo, documentação e gestão da informação, recorrendo a ferramentas BIM para estabelecer um conjunto de diretrizes de fluxo de trabalho, para modelar de forma eficiente as estruturas existentes a partir de nuvens de pontos, complementados com outros métodos apropriados. Há vários desafios que impedem a adoção do software BIM para o planeamento de intervenções em edifícios existentes. Volk et al. (2014) indica que os principais obstáculos de adoção BIM são o esforço de modelação/conversão dos elementos do edifício captados em objetos BIM, a dificuldade em actualizar informação em BIM e as dificuldades em lidar com as incertezas associadas a dados, objetos e relações que ocorrem em edifícios existentes. A partir desta análise, foram desenvolvidas algumas diretrizes de fluxo de trabalho BIM para modelação de edifícios existentes. As propostas indicadas para as diretrizes BIM em edifícios existentes, incluem tolerâncias e standards para modelar elementos de edifícios existentes. Tal metodologia permite que as partes interessadas tenham um entendimento e um acordo sobre o que é suposto ser modelado. Na presente tese, foi investigado um conjunto de tópicos de pesquisa que foram formuladas e colocadas, enquadrando os diferentes obstáculos e direcionando o foco de pesquisa segundo quatro vectores fundamentais: 1. Os diferentes tipos de dados de um edifício que podem ser adquiridos a partir de nuvens de pontos; 2. Os diferentes tipos de análise de edifícios; 3. A utilização de standards e BIM para edifícios existentes; 4. Fluxos de trabalho BIM para edifícios existentes e diretrizes para ateliers de arquitectura. A partir da pesquisa efetuada, pode-se concluir que é há necessidade de uma melhor utilização da informação na tomada de decisão no âmbito de um projeto de intervenção arquitetónica. Diferentes tipos de dados, não apenas geométricos, são necessários como base para a análise dos edifícios. Os dados não geométricos podem referir-se a características físicas do tecido construído, tais como materiais, aparência e condição. Além disso, o desempenho ambiental, estrutural e mecânico de um edifício, bem como valores culturais, históricos e arquitetónicos, essenciais para a compreensão do seu estado atual. Estas informações são fundamentais para uma análise mais profunda que permita a compreensão das ações de intervenção que são necessárias no edifício. Através de tecnologias Fotogrametria (ADP) e Laser Scanning (TLS), pode ser gerada informação precisa e actual. O produto final da ADP e TLS são nuvens de pontos, que podem ser usadas de forma complementar. A combinação destas técnicas com o levantamento tradicional Robotic Total Station (RTS) fornece uma base de dados exata que, juntamente com outras informações existentes, permitem o planeamento adequado da intervenção. Os problemas de utilização de BIM para intervenção em edifícios existentes referem-se principalmente à análise e criação de geometria do edifício, o que geralmente é uma etapa prévia para a conexão de informação não-geométrica de edifícios. Por esta razão, a presente tese centra-se principalmente na busca de diretrizes para diminuir a dificuldade em criar os elementos necessários para o BIMs. Para tratar dados incertos e pouco claros ou informações semânticas não visíveis, pode-se complementar os dados originais com informação adicional. Os fluxos de trabalho apresentados na presente tese focam-se principalmente na falta de informação visível. No caso de projetos de remodelação, a informação não visível pode ser adquirida de forma limitada através de levantamentos ADP ou TLS após a demolição de alguns elementos e/ou camadas de parede. Tal metodologia permite um melhor entendimento das camadas de materiais não visíveis dos elementos do edifício, quando a intervenção é uma demolição parcial. Este processo é útil apenas se uma parte do material do elemento é removida e não pode ser aplicada a elementos não intervencionados. O tratamento da informação em falta pode ser feito através da integração de diferentes tipos de dados com diferentes origens. Devem ser implementados os fluxos de trabalho para a integração da informação. Diferentes fluxos de trabalho podem criar informação em falta, usada como complemento ou como base para a tomada de decisão quando não há dados disponíveis. Relativamente à adição de dados em falta através da geração de nuvem de pontos, os casos de estudo destacam a importância de planear o levantamento, fazendo com que todas as partes compreendam as necessidades associadas ao projeto. Além da precisão, o nível de tolerância de interpretação e modelação, requeridos pelo projeto, também devem ser acordados e entendidos. Nem todas as ferramentas e métodos de pesquisa são adequados para todos os edifícios. A escala, os materiais e a acessibilidade do edifício desempenham um papel importante no planeamento do levantamento. Para lidar com o elevado esforço de modelação, é necessário entender os fluxos de trabalho necessários para analisar a geometria dos elementos do edifício. Os BIMs construídos são normalmente gerados manualmente através de desenhos CAD e/ou nuvens de pontos. Estes são usados como base geométrica a partir da qual a informação é extraída. A informação utilizada para planear a intervenção do edifício deve ser verificada, confirmando se é uma representação do estado actual do edifício. As técnicas de levantamento 3D para capturar a condição atual do edifício devem ser integradas no fluxo de trabalho BIM, construído para capturar os dados do edifício sobre os quais serão feitas as decisões de intervenção. O resultado destas técnicas deve ser integrado com diferentes tipos de dados para fornecer uma base mais precisa e completa. O atelier de arquitetura deve estar habilitado com competências técnicas adequadas para saber o que pedir e o que utilizar da forma mais adequada. Os requisitos de modelação devem concentrar-se principalmente no conteúdo deste processo, ou seja, o que modelar, como desenvolver os elementos no modelo, quais as informações que o modelo deve conter e como deve ocorrer a troca de informações no modelo. O levantamento das nuvens de pontos deve ser efectuado após ter sido estipulado o objetivo do projeto, standards, tolerâncias e tipo de conteúdo na modelação. As tolerâncias e normas de modelação são diferentes entre empresas e países. Independentemente destas diferenças, os documentos standard têm como objetivo produzir e receber informação num formato de dados consistente e em fluxos de trabalho de troca eficiente entre os diferentes intervenientes do projeto. O pensamento crítico do fluxo de trabalho de modelação e a comunicação e acordo entre todas os intervenientes são os principais objetivos das diretrizes apresentadas nesta tese. O estabelecimento e o acordo de tolerâncias de modelação e o nível de desenvolvimento e detalhes presentes nas BIMs, entre as diferentes partes envolvidas no projeto, são mais importantes do que as definições existentes atualmente e que são utilizadas pela indústria da AEC. As ferramentas automáticas ou semi-automáticas para extração da forma geométrica, eliminação ou redução de tarefas repetitivas durante o desenvolvimento de BIMs e a análise de condições de ambiente ou de cenários, são também um processo de diminuição do esforço de modelação. Uma das razões que justifica a necessidade de standards é a estrutura e a melhoria da colaboração, não só para os intervenientes fora da empresa, mas também dentro dos ateliers de arquitetura. Os dados e standards de fluxo de trabalho são difíceis de implementar diariamente de forma eficiente, resultando muitas vezes em dados e fluxos de trabalho confusos. Quando tal situação ocorre, a qualidade dos resultados do projeto reduz-se e pode ficar comprometida. As normas aplicadas aos BIMs construídos, exatamente como as normas aplicadas aos BIMs para edifícios novos, contribuem para a criação de informação credível e útil. Para atualizar um BIMs durante o ciclo de vida de um edifício,é necessário adquirir a informação sobre o estado actual do edifício. A monitorização de dados pode ser composta por fotografias, PCM, dados de sensores, ou dados resultantes da comparação de PCM e BIMs e podem representar uma maneira de atualizar BIMs existentes. Isto permite adicionar continuamente informações, documentando a evolução e a história da construção e possibilita avaliar possíveis intervenções de prevenção para a sua valorização. BIM não é geralmente usado para documentar edifícios existentes ou intervenções em edifícios existentes. No presente trabalho propõe-se melhorar tal situação usando standards e/ou diretrizes BIM e apresentar uma visão inicial e geral dos componentes que devem ser incluídos em tais standards e/ou linhas de orientação.
ABSTRACT: Building information modeling (BIM) is most often used for the construction of new buildings. By using BIM in such projects, collaboration among stakeholders in an architecture, engineering and construction project is improved. This scenario might also be targeted for interventions in existing buildings. This thesis intends to enhance processes of recording, documenting and managing information by establishing a set of workflow guidelines to efficiently model existing structures with BIM tools from point cloud data, complemented with any other appropriate methods. There are several challenges hampering BIM software adoption for planning interventions in existing buildings. Volk et al. (2014) outlines that the as-built BIM adoption main obstacles are: the required modeling/conversion effort from captured building data into semantic BIM objects; the difficulty in maintaining information in a BIM; and the difficulties in handling uncertain data, objects, and relations occurring in existing buildings. From this analysis, it was developped a case for devising BIM workflow guidelines for modeling existing buildings. The proposed content for BIM guidelines includes tolerances and standards for modeling existing building elements. This allows stakeholders to have a common understanding and agreement of what is supposed to be modeled and exchanged.In this thesis, the authors investigate a set of research questions that were formed and posed, framing obstacles and directing the research focus in four parts: 1. the different kind of building data acquired; 2. the different kind of building data analysis processes; 3. the use of standards and as-built BIM and; 4. as-built BIM workflows and guidelines for architectural offices. From this research, the authors can conclude that there is a need for better use of documentation in which architectural intervention project decisions are made. Different kind of data, not just geometric, is needed as a basis for the analysis of the current building state. Non-geometric information can refer to physical characteristics of the built fabric, such as materials, appearance and condition. Furthermore environmental, structural and mechanical building performance, as well as cultural, historical and architectural values, style and age are vital to the understanding of the current state of the building. These information is necessary for further analysis allowing the understanding of the necessary actions to intervene. Accurate and up to date information information can be generated through ADP and TLS surveys. The final product of ADP and TLS are the point clouds, which can be used to complement each other. The combination of these techniques with traditional RTS survey provide an accurate and up to date base that, along with other existing information, allow the planning of building interventions. As-built BIM adoption problems refer mainly to the analysis and generation of building geometry, which usually is a previous step to the link of non-geometric building information. For this reason the present thesis focus mainly in finding guidelines to decrease the difficulty in generating the as-built-BIMs elements. To handle uncertain data and unclear or hidden semantic information, one can complement the original data with additional missing information. The workflows in the present thesis address mainly the missing visible information. In the case of refurbishment projects the hidden information can be acquired to some extend with ADP or TLS surveys after demolition of some elements and wall layers. This allows a better understanding of the non visible materials layers of a building element whenever it is a partial demolition. This process is only useful if a part of the element material is removed, it can not be applied to the non intervened elements. The handling of visible missing data, objects and relations can be done by integrating different kind of data from different kind of sources. Workflows to connect them in a more integrated way should be implemented. Different workflows can create additional missing information, used to complement or as a base for decision making when no data is available. Relating to adding missing data through point cloud data generation the study cases outlined the importance of planning the survey, with all parts understanding what the project needs are. In addition to accuracy, the level of interpretation and modelling tolerances, required by the project, must also be agreed and understood. Not all survey tools and methods are suitable for all buildings: the scale, materials and accessibility of building play a major role in the survey planning. To handle the high modeling/conversion effort one has to understand the current workflows to analyse building geometry. As-built BIMs are majorly manually generated through CAD drawings and/or PCM data. These are used as a geometric basis input from where information is extracted. The information used to plan the building intervention should be checked, confirming it is a representation of the as-is state of the building. The 3D surveys techniques to capture the as-is state of the building should be integrated in the as-built BIM workflow to capture the building data in which intervention decisions are made. The output of these techniques should be integrated with different kind of data to provide the most accurate and complete basis. The architectural company should have technical skills to know what to ask for and to use it appropriately. Modeling requirements should focus primarily on the content of this process: what to model, how to develop the elements in the model, what information should the model contain, and how should information in the model be exchanged. The point clouds survey should be done after stipulating the project goal, standards, tolerances and modeling content. Tolerances and modeling guidelines change across companies and countries. Regardless of these differences the standards documents have the purpose of producing and receiving information in a consistent data format, in efficient exchange workflows between project stakeholders. The critical thinking of the modeling workflow and, the communication and agreement between all parts involved in the project, is the prime product of this thesis guidelines. The establishment and agreement of modeling tolerances and the level of development and detail present in the BIMs, between the different parts involved on the project, is more important than which of the existing definitions currently in use by the AEC industry is chosen. Automated or semi-automated tools for elements shape extraction, elimination or reduction of repetitive tasks during the BIMs development and, analysis of environment or scenario conditions are also a way of decreasing the modeling effort. One of the reasons why standards are needed is the structure and improvement of the collaboration not only with outside parts but also inside architectural offices. Data and workflow standards are very hard to implement daily, in a practical way, resulting in confusing data and workflows. These reduce the quality of communication and project outputs. As-built BIM standards, exactly like BIM standards, contribute to the creation of reliable and useful information. To update a BIMs during the building life-cycle, one needs to acquire the as-is building state information. Monitoring data, whether consisted by photos, PCM, sensor data, or data resulting from the comparison of PCM and BIMs can be a way of updating existing BIMs. It allows adding continuously information, documenting the building evolution and story, and evaluating possible prevention interventions for its enhancement. BIM environments are not often used to document existing buildings or interventions in existing buildings. The authors propose to improve the situation by using BIM standards and/or guidelines, and the authors give an initial overview of components that should be included in such a standard and/or guideline.
N/A

Just nu pågår stora förändringar i byggbranschen. Kostnaderna för att bygga är idag för stora och branschen letar efter nya metoder för att effektivisera byggandet och minska kostnaderna. Genom att använda sig av den relativt nya Building Information Modeling-tekniken (BIM) öppnar sig flera nya dörrar för vad som är möjligt.BIM är kort sagt en digital modell där all information för hur ett byggprojekts utformning, konstruktion, utrustning och förvaltning ska hanteras. En gemensam modell skapas som arkitekten, byggnadskonstruktörer, vvs-konstruktörer, el-konstruktörer och förvaltare har tillgång till. Ändringar som görs i modellen blir direkt synliga för de andra parterna.Den gemensamma modellen ligger lagrad på en gemensam server för att underlätta kommunikationen.I produktionen har man mycket att vinna av BIM. Först och främst upptäcks många brister och planeringsfel innan de ens kommer ut i produktionen där det blir betydligt dyrare att rätta till. Dessutom följer vid användadet av BIM också en del verktyg som kan användas för planering i produktionen. Två av dessa är kollisionskontroll och 4D-simulering, där tidplanen kopplas samman med ritningen för att simulera fortskridandet av ett byggprojekt.Dessa två verktyg kommer som en biprodukt när BIM nyttjas i ett byggnadsprojekt. I denna rapport presenteras dessa verktyg och vilka fördelar dessa ger i produktionenSyftet med examensarbetet har varit att få en fördjupad kunskap av vad BIM är, både i teorin och praktiskt. Men också att hitta fördelar som Skanska kan nyttja som en följd av användandet av BIM.

This thesis explores the benefits of using Building Information Modeling (BIM) during the programming and conceptual design phase of a project. The research was based on a case study undertaken dealing with the decisions and assumptions made during the design phases of the Center for Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The project team used a traditional approach to project plan development. The finding of this study was that the project process would have greatly benefited utilizing BIM tools and a collaborative team approach in the programming and conceptual design phase. Because decisions made early in the project have enormous implications to aesthetics and cost, the increase in analysis of design options afforded by the use of BIM tools would have minimized inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable information, and allowed the design team to work in a more efficient, collaborative manner transmitting through all phases of the project.

More than thirty years after the definition of the concept of sustainable development, the European Union's Agenda 2030 renews its commitment to protect the Planet and to support the needs of present and future generations. All sectors of human activity have to make their contribution to this significant challenge of our time. Therefore, the construction sector can also make an essential contribution in terms of its impact. In this context, designers are called upon to modify their actions in order to take into account the environmental, social, and economic impacts during the entire life cycle of construction. Therefore, a substantial transformation in the designer's "mentality" is necessary. The digital revolution could be a suitable opportunity for a profound renewal oriented towards sustainability. The new digital technologies and the increased computing power are useful to manage the increasing complexity in current projects and to support collaboration between the many experts involved. The thesis aim is to analyse the current state and identify the signs of change and the cues to imagine possible virtuous complicity between sustainable development goals and the potential of the digital revolution, supported by the operational features of optimization methods. The further intent is to translate the synergy between the three key topics - sustainability, digitization, and optimization - through an operational strategy that can be a concrete demonstration of what is proposed and offered to designers.

Building Information Modeling (BIM), used by many for building design and construction, and Geographic Information GIS System (GIS), used for city planning, contain large spatial and attribute data which could be used for Lean and green city planning and development. However, there exist a systematic gap and interoperability challenge between BIM and GIS that creates a disjointed workflow between city planning data in GIS and building data in BIM. This hinders the seamless analysis of data between BIM and GIS for lean and green developments. This study targets the creation of a system which integrates BIM and GIS system data. The methods involve the establishment of a novel Environmental Information Modeling (EIM) framework to bridge the gap using Microsoft Visual C#. The application of this framework shows the potential of this concept. The research results provide an opportunity for more analysis for lean and green construction planning, development and management.

Successful management of design changes is critical for the efficient delivery of construction projects. Building Information Models (BIM) and the use of parametric modeling provide significant benefits in coordinating changes across different views in a model. However, coordinating changes across several discipline-specific models is significantly more challenging to manage. In this thesis, I present a case study that used observation-based empirical research methods to investigate current practices and the requirements of practitioners in conducting change management during the design and construction of a building project. The case study examines change management in the context of a multi-disciplinary collaborative BIM environment during the design and construction of a fast-track project. I documented the design changes, analyzed the change management processes and evaluated existing BIM tools in support of this process. Using examples from the case study, I identified the characteristics of design changes required for tracking the history of changes and understanding the consequences of changes. I developed an ontology of changes based on the identified characteristics and patterns in the observed changes. The ontology characterizes design changes based on changed component attributes (the geometry, position, and specification), dependencies between components (analytical and spatial), level of changes (conceptual, primary and secondary), timing of changes (design, procurement or construction stages) and time and cost impacts of changes. Based on the developed ontology, I further categorized numerous examples of changes encountered throughout the design and construction of the building in a taxonomy of changes. I then proposed a computational approach for tracking the consequence of changes in an information model. This research provides a common understanding of design change characteristics for practitioners who develop or utilize BIM tools for managing changes. The results of this study provide some possible directions for future developments in change management systems, particularly in reference to a BIM-based delivery process. Additional research is needed to implement and test these characteristics in a decision support system, and to analyze different types of changes across different types of projects.

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. It is believed that Building Information Modeling (BIM) can lead to greater efficiency through the incremental collaboration. The data in BIM system is extremely useful and can be generated to optimize the project delivery processes. However, since BIM increases the project design cost and requires a big learning curve, project participants are concerned about the cost of project, which has hindered the adoption of BIM for the project delivery. This paper, using a case study, describes how BIM functions to help cut down costs, optimize schedule, and benefit the project participants. The analysis of project cost and time control focuses on life cycle. The recommendations for the future use of BIM are made generally.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the latest development in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry. This development can be used for planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of any facility. The majority of the users of BIM technology are architects. Although its benefits had been highlighted and underlined especially in comparison with older developments such us Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools, its implementation is considered still in an early stage due to low adoption from architects. Right now in Sweden and more specifically in the Stockholm area, the construction sector is booming due to the increased demand for housing.  Thus, there is an increased demand for more houses in a shorter time. BIM is a technology that can enhance the society in terms of design and construction with regard to the building environment. This can be achieved by avoiding human errors, decreasing project costs, increasing the productivity and quality, and reducing the project delivery time. Moreover, BIM can assist the management team in maintaining and operating different facilities. The focus of this research is on the barriers to adopting BIM technology in architectural companies. Furthermore, the attempt will be to investigate the individual, organizational and technical aspects that affect BIM adoption.  This study will implement a qualitative research method by in-depth interviewing four professionals in the area of architectural design. This investigation will be driven by the main research question, which is: What are the barriers to adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM) in architectural companies?

There has been an increase in adoption of building information modeling (BIM) by commercial contractors over the past few years but there is not a clear indication of current application or the frequency of each use. This research was undertaken to determine the frequency and best practices of using BIM in commercial construction. Leading commercial contracting firms were contacted and employees were selected to complete a telephone survey that was designed to determine how they are using BIM. It was found that BIM is being used with more frequency on projects, with plans to continue to implement it even further on all projects that allow for its use. Most companies are incorporating trade contractors in their coordination meetings but are taking the lead to ensure a high standard is maintained. Trade contractors are given responsibility to resolve smaller clashes while bringing the larger problems to the clash detection meetings. The model quality being received is increasing as well the frequency of models being received from the design team; however, there is a lack of consensus as to the level of development requirement to ensure the model can be used for facilities management. Commercial contractors are adopting building information modeling for a variety of reasons. These include client requirements, innovative technology strategies, and fear of being left behind. Overall its use improves processes within their companies. The general agreement is that BIM is having a positive impact on profitability, schedules and sales. BIM further improves the efficiency, effectiveness and competitiveness. The best practices undertaken by commercial contractors include using BIM as a sales and marketing tool, utilizing subcontractors knowledge and allowing them to resolve minor clashes, having combination of BIM teams and BIM experts and investing in training employees and further development of BIM uses.

Building Information Modeling, abbreviated BIM, is a process of information sharing which enhances communication and which helps in visualizing complex problems in the building industry. BIM has not been used in a larger extent in the production phase of civil works. The purpose of the study is therefore to investigate driving forces behind the use of BIM and the resistors against it and to investigate in what ways BIM could be used in the production phase. The theoretical framework is based on one licentiate thesis, two degree projects, three research papers and three books. A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews was used. The interviews were made with a calculator, a supervisor and a CAD planner from Skanska, a constructor and project manager from ELU, a Project Information Officer from Tyréns and a VDC coordinator and VDC business developer from Veidekke who all have been working with BIM. This was to get a good representation from different actors and people with different professional roles. The study shows that the driving forces behind a use of BIM are that it enhances collaboration and communication between the actors, it makes it easier to visualize the project and the scope, and it provides a higher degree of accuracy of coordination’s. BIM also makes the work more effective and results in fewer errors. Above all, BIM give a possibility for a shorter production phase, shorter total project duration and a lower total cost. The study also shows that the resistors against the use of BIM are employee’s negative attitude against administrative work, that it is hard to measure profitability of using BIM, the uncertainty of who has the legal ownership of the data, and who has the responsibility of the accuracy of it. 3 That the implementation cost and the design phase are more expensive is also a resistor against a use of BIM. BIM could be used in visualization with 3D models in collision controls and co-reviews in meetings, work preparations and at site. A workplace outline could also be printed from the 3D model to be placed on the site for visualization. 4D scheduling and 4D animations could be used for visualization in meetings, work preparations and at site. The study showed that quantity takeoff and cost estimation with 5D is only reconciled in the meetings in the production phase and that the programs for it are not needed in this phase. RFID tags could be used at site for logistics and tracking materials, and field verifications could be used to verify that a work task is executed according to exact coordination’s in the 3D model. Furthermore tablet computers could be used for bringing the technique of BIM to the site which enables a better understanding of complex work tasks for the workers. A BIM coordinator who understands the process of working with BIM and who could work as a bridge between the users and the technical development team is important in a successful implementation. The study also shows that the focus of BIM should lie on how to make use of the technique. The examples of how BIM could be used in the production phase of civil works have to be useful and meet the needs and demands of the users. The processes of using 3D models, 4D scheduling, 4D animations, RFID tags, field verifications and tablet computers should therefore be studied thoroughly to find how the technique could be applicable at site, in meetings and work preparations and how it could enhance the daily activities and work tasks. If the demands are met it will be accepted by both the user and the organization. Further research should therefore lie on how 3D models, 4D scheduling, 4D animations, RFID tags, field verifications and tablet computers could be useful in the production phase. These BIM techniques should then be tested on a real project to investigate how the processes could be useful at site, in meetings and in work preparations. Further research should also be made on how countries like Norway, Finland and USA have made use of BIM in the production of civil works.

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2007.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-55).
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry severely lags behind the manufacturing industry in terms of efficiency and productivity growth. This lag is a result of the fragmented nature of the industry and its resistance to adopting innovative technologies and processes that enable collaboration and efficiency. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is one of these innovations. Since building owners ultimately absorb every cost associated with a building project, they are in the best position to lead the AEC industry into an era of increased productivity through the adoption of collaborative practices and technologies such as BIM. However, owners cannot be expected to venture down this path unless they are aware of the potential value that the proper use of BIM can create for them. Therefore, this paper provides evidence of the value created for owners and developers by the use of BIM, and conveys that evidence in a framework that follows the actual phases and tasks of a real development project. Those phases are as follows: Market Research, Feasibility Analysis, Design, Construction, and Operations. In addition to actual examples of value creation, theoretical examples of future applications are discussed. The value created for owners and developers by implementing BIM on their projects is manifested primarily in the form of improved design quality and savings in time and money.
by John C. Clason.
S.M.in Real Estate Development

Master of Science
Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science
Kimberly W. Kramer
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is altering the way that the construction industry is developing design documents by involving all members of the design team as well as the general contractor early in the design process. The members are encouraged to offer advice on the design and constructability on the project. However, not only is the design process changing, but the liability and responsibility of each team member is changing as well. The alteration in responsibility can severely impact structural engineers because of the level of responsibility already associated with their role in the design process. This report looks at the concerns industry leaders and legal professionals have with how BIM is altering the liability landscape, such as standard contracts, software interoperability, data misuse, intellectual property, loss of data, the legal status of the model, the standard of care, and design delegation. In addition to the liability concerns, this report examines the steps that industry leaders have taken to prevent any unnecessary additional liability from affecting structural engineers.

Over the past several decades, increasing awareness of sustainable building has led to the development and maturity of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a method used to assess the environmental impacts and resources through buildings’ life cycle. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an intelligent process based on 3D model that enables architecture, engineering and construction designers to collaborate. Because of its advantages and the collaborative alternative, the integrations of BIM and LCA have been studied and developed in many ways. However, none of the integrating approaches have been widely used due to interoperability issues and accuracy problems. Detailed information of LCA and BIM are introduced in this thesis, and then innovated integration of BIM and LCA are proposed. This is done with the direct access to the LCA data in XML format from EPD database by using Dynamo that is a plug-in Revit application, LCA can be conducted within the BIM environment. The results of life cycle impact calculation can be instantly presented in diagram, and users can visualize the results by color coding different materials in BIM model. Future research could focus on how to widely use the integrating method in real project and connect this approach into environmental certification system in order to demonstrate the environmental performance of buildings and projects in a standardized manner.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been in use in the Hong Kong Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry as an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tool for more than a decade. However, the increasing usage and rapid development in both the AEC industry and academia point to the potential multiple applications, impacts and much broader potential benefits that may be generated from BIM implementation. The current frequently used BIM applications have advanced the project performances levels and consequential benefits of relevant stakeholders in different dimensions. However, BIM development in the Hong Kong industry has not been smooth. Attention has been diverted from potential benefits to the barriers and constraints that retard BIM implementation. This has in turn limited the applications, hence not convincing industry participants of their potential benefits in quantitative terms. Furthermore, conflicts between BIM implementation and the existing project processes also retard the smooth development of BIM. A higher level of collaborative working is required for deriving more benefits from BIM. This research aims to develop possible feasible solutions to reduce the conflicts/barriers in BIM implementation and advance current BIM implementation towards more collaborative and integrated working arrangements (IWAs), with expected broader potential benefits in the context of the Hong Kong industry. IWAs in this research refer to: a) organization structures, b) information exchange mechanisms, and c) project processes. An inter-locking set of research methods were applied in this study to achieve the research goal. Literature reviews were conducted to extract and illustrate the basic concepts in BIM and lay the foundation for proposal development. Semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted to explore BIM implementation scenarios in the Hong Kong AEC industry. Two case studies helped to map out BIM implementation processes in real projects in Hong Kong. Finally, a focus group meeting was held to discuss, validate and improve the relevant research findings and improvement proposals. The main outcomes of this research are the proposed short term IWAs and long term IWAs for optimizing overall potential benefits of BIM implementation. The proposed short term IWAs consist of specific measures for participants to address the barriers and conflicts in BIM implementation within existing project processes. The proposed long term IWAs are based on a conceptual framework and processes to build an integrated working environment for BIM. The outcomes of this research can help industry practitioners to overcome current barriers and derive more benefits from BIM by developing specific measures targeting the current scenarios, as well as provide possible directions for moving further forward in the long term. The research outcomes also offer relevant contributions to knowledge by proposing fresh concepts and approaches to creating and developing collaborative working environment for BIM implementation based on relevant principles and guidelines that are in turn derived from Relational Contracting (RC) frameworks.
published_or_final_version
Civil Engineering
Master
Master of Philosophy

Integrated building design necessitates the Architecture-Engineering-Construction-Owner-Operator (AECOO) Industry’s participants to collaborate efficiently with each other through the different phases of a building. Nevertheless, to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of a building, the emphasis is on the early design phases, since if accurate energy calculations and strategies are developed in an early design stage, the sustainable footprint of the building will be significantly reduced. That said, Building Information Modelling (BIM) promotes collaboration among the stakeholders by allowing them to design and store and access the data related to a project into one building information model. Furthermore, this model can be used for energy analysis through Building Energy Modelling (BEM) tools in the early design stages of the project, and through the whole life-cycle. For this, BIM and BEM tools must be able to communicate and exchange information with one another, seamlessly. This means that these tools should be interoperable. However, currently, there are some issues in the BIM to BEM exchange process, which obliges the user to check for the interoperability issues and fix them manually. Therefore, as a result of these interoperability issues, the BIM to BEM process in not automated, and creating an accurate BIM-based BEM is quite time-consuming, laborious and prone to human-made errors. Hence, this thesis aims to systematically investigate the interoperability issues and the state of automated data exchange between BIM and BEM tools, based on the Industry Foundation Class (IFC) exchange data schema. For this, Revit and IDA-ICE are used as BIM, and BEM tools, respectively. The outcome is the presentation of a set of interoperability issues that were found based on the investigation of 19 case studies, with some suggestions for Revit and IDA-ICE developers and future researchers in the end.

Lately the construction industry has become more interested in designing and constructing environmentally friendly buildings (e.g. sustainable buildings) that can provide both high performance and monetary savings. Analyzing various parameters during sustainable design such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and energy consumption, lighting simulation, green building rating system criteria and associated cost of building components at the conceptual design stage is very useful for designers needing to make decisions related to the selection of optimum design alternatives. Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers designers the ability to assess different design options and to select vital energy strategies and systems at the conceptual stage of proposed buildings. This thesis describes a methodology to implement sustainable design for proposed buildings at their conceptual stage. The proposed methodology is to be implemented through the design and development of a model that simplifies the process of designing sustainable buildings, evaluating their Environmental Impacts (EI), assessing their operational and embodied energy and listing their potential accumulated certification points in an integrated environment. Therefore, a Decision Support System (DSS) is developed by using Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques to help design team decides and selects the best type of sustainable building components and design families for proposed projects based on three main criteria (i.e. Environmental, Economical factor «cost efficiency » and Social wellbeing) in an attempt to identify the influence of design variations on the sustainable performance of the whole building. The DSS outcomes are incorporated in an integrated model capable of guiding users when performing sustainable design for building projects. The proposed methodology contains five modules: 1) Database Management System (DBMS), 2) Energy and lighting analysis, 3) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), 4) LEED and 5) Life Cycle Cost (LCC). To improve the workability of the proposed model, a use case of abovementioned modules are going to be created as plug-ins in BIM tool. The successful implementation of such a methodology represents a significant advancement in the ability to attain sustainable design of a building during the early stages, to evaluate its EI, and to list its potentially earned certification points and associated soft costs.

To challenge the competition within the construction business there are requirements in effectiveness and use of operating computer based programs and work-methods. The computer based programs are continuously improved and can at some point be the start of a new work-method. The work-method of tomorrow can be Building Information Modeling (BIM). This Master of Science Thesis gives an understanding in what BIM is and what the requirements for Sweco Theorells are in a future BIM-use as a consulting-firm. The understanding is presented through a study of theory within the subject. The way of thinking and acting among different disciplines and individuals within the building process is explained through an interview study. The term BIM is regularly used. The main issue is that nobody has a clear understanding of what BIM means and what it contains. Each individual has his/her own definition. The misunderstanding is that BIM has to be seen as a natural development based on the possibilities given with the modern object based programs with interoperability. When the object based programs with interoperability are correctly used a possible result is a new workmethod. The aim and object of BIM is to make it easier to build better new housing estates. A productification of a modern Design and Construction Process focused on BIM and belonging benefits is a possibility to enable future competitiveness for Sweco Theorells. The new modern Design and Construction Process aim is to produce a virtual model of the building by all included disciplines and individuals. To enable the productification of the modern Design and Construction Process, Sweco Theorells has to start an intimate co-operation with architects, constructers and project managers and together create collective standards and categorizations of information and data.
För att möta konkurrensen inom byggbranschen ställs det krav på effektivitet och användning av fungerande datorverktyg och arbetsmetoder. Datorverktygen som utvecklas kontinuerligt kan ligga till grund för en ny arbetsmetod. Morgondagens arbetsmetod kan vara Building Information Modeling (BIM). I detta examensarbete ges en förståelse för vad BIM är och vilka krav det ställer på Sweco Theorells för att det ska kunna användas effektivt. Förståelsen ges genom att teori inom ämnet sammanställts och utförda BIM-projekt identifierats. Olika discipliners och individers sätt att agera och tänka i byggprocessen förklaras genom en intervjustudie som genomförts. Begreppet BIM används flitigt inom byggbranschen. Problemet är att ingen har en klar förståelse för vad BIM är och vad det innebär. Var individ har sin definition av begreppet. BIM måste ses som en framtida naturlig utveckling av främst projekteringsprocessen utifrån de möjligheter som ges med objektbaserade datorverktyg och interoperabillitet dem emellan. Då de moderna objektbaserade datorverktygens fulla kapacitet används blir en modern arbetsmetod ett naturligt steg i utvecklingen. Målet och syftet med BIM är att underlätta ett effektivt arbete för att möjliggöra bättre nybyggnationer. En produktifiering av en modern projekteringsprocess i linje med BIM är en möjlig framtida utveckling för Sweco Theorells. Den nya projekteringsprocessens riktas mot att effektivt och strukturerat skapa en virtuell modell av byggnaden. För att möjliggöra produktifieringen av projekteringsprocessen ställs det krav på att involverade arkitekter, konstruktörer, installationskonsulter och projektledare tillsammans genomför produktifieringen och skapar gemensamma standarder och kategoriseringar av information och data.

Recent advancements in Building Information Modeling (BIM) hold great promise for addressing the challenges of the construction industry by allowing project teams to ‘test out’ a design prior to construction. The projects that have successfully implemented BIM demonstrate numerous benefits, including increased design quality, improved field productivity, cost predictability, less rework, and reduced construction cost and duration. However, much of the research to date has focused more on the preconstruction phase with less research on uses for the construction phase, The goal of this research was to evaluate specific uses of BIM in the construction phase of the project. I investigated two construction applications of BIM: (1) BIM for developing lift drawings to support formwork construction on the BC Hydro Substation project, and (2) BIM for quantity takeoff to support life-cycle assessment (LCA) and construction cost estimating on the Pharmaceutical Sciences project. The BC Hydro project provided an opportunity to examine the use of BIM for the field crew. I developed 3D coordinated lift drawings that conveyed the necessary information for forming the components accurately and clearly. I believe that creating the lift drawings increased the crew’s productivity by providing the necessary information for building a component, resolving conflicts prior to construction, and reducing mistakes. I evaluated the use of BIM for quantity takeoff using the Pharmaceutical Sciences project. I evaluated two BIM-based and one 2D-based quantity takeoff software, and based on several parameters of importance to cost and sustainability consultants. I found that calculating quantities from a BIM model is faster and more accurate as long as the model is created correctly and accurately to suit the needs of the users. This thesis provides evidence for the benefits of BIM for construction uses at different stages in the project. The BC Hydro case study provides significant detail on how a BIM can be utilized by construction field personnel. The Pharmaceutical Sciences project demonstrates the benefits and challenges of utilizing a BIM for quantity takeoff. More case studies are needed to demonstrate the benefits of BIM for different applications in the project delivery process to enable more widespread BIM adoption.

Building Information Modeling has provided many benefits to the architectural, engineering, construction and facilities management communities. Many studies have been done to validate the asserted benefits, including benefits to the field of estimating. The studies on estimating are currently limited to the realm of conceptual estimates, and have only treated detailed estimates in the abstract. The purpose of this study was to determine how BIM was being used by companies in a hard bid, or detailed estimate scenario. The research team used the Deseret Towers housing project at Brigham Young University as the basis for the research. A building information model (BIM) was provided to all bidders on the project, and at the conclusion of the bidding process a survey was used to determine how the contractors used the model in their bidding processes. The findings determined that a few of the contractors did use the model for quantity takeoff, and one actually used the quantities as the basis for the submitted bid. Additionally, the survey attempted to determine the prevailing attitudes of the estimators toward BIM as a tool in estimating, and their opinions of the future of BIM in estimating.

Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility that serves as a shared resource for information for decision-making throughout the project lifecycle (National Institute of Building Sciences, 2007). The masonry construction industry currently suffers from the lack of BIM integration. Where other industries and trades have increased productivity by implementing standards for software-enhanced workflows, masonry construction has failed to adopt information tools and processes. New information technology and process modeling tools have grown in popularity and their use is helping to understand and improve construction processes. The Systems Modeling Language, or SysML, is one of the process modeling tools we can use to model and analyze the various processes and workflows. In this research, a case study methodology was applied to analyze the masonry construction industry to understand the current state of masonry construction processes and workflows. This thesis reviews these concepts and the applied case studies which are necessary to move forward with the implementation of BIM for masonry.

The purpose of this thesis work has been to analyze the usability and the feasibility formodeling with MathWorks simulation tool Simscape by building a simplified model ofthe automatic gearbox ZF-ECOMAT 4 (HP 504 C / HP 594 C / HP 604 C). It hasbeen shown throughout the thesis how this model is build. First has systemknowledge been acquired by studying relevant literature and speaking with thepersons concerned. The second step was to get acquainted with Simscape and thephysical network approach. The physical network approach that is accessible throughthe Simscape language makes is easy to build custom made components with means ofphysical and mathematical relationships. With this background a stepwise approachbeen conducted which has led to the final model of the gearbox and the validationconcept. The results from this thesis work indicates that Simscape is a powerful tool formodeling physical systems and the results of the model validation gives a good signthat it is possible to build and simulate physical models with the Simscape software.However, during the modeling of the ZF-ECOMAT 4 some things have beendiscovered which could improve the usability of the tool and make the learning curvefor an inexperienced user of physical modeling tools less steep. In particular, a largermodel library should be included from the beginning, more examples of simple andmore complex models, the object-oriented related parts such as own MATLABfunctions should be expanded, and a better troubleshooting guidance.

Innovation implementation within an organization has always been associated with barriers from all aspects. As a key innovation in the building industry, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been adopted rapidly in the design and construction process. Facilities management (FM) which contributed far more values than design and construction however did not seems to catch up with this trend. High cost, poor technology and other factors inherent within organizations were mostly mentioned in research papers and industry to be the key obstacles. This paper aimed to explore and identify the key organizational barriers of the implementation process of BIM in FM. Three case studies on large FM organizations in Hong Kong were reported through in-depth interviews. Two FM software providers were also interviewed to have a comprehensive understanding of BIM in FM interfacing technology. Before the data collection process, two theoretical models were built to guide the data collection and analysis process. The first model was based on the information flow during the BIM in FM implementation process whilst the second model was about the required conditions for such process. FM managers from three leading organizations in BIM implementation in Hong Kong were interviewed. Some published documents from the targeted organizations were reviewed to facilitate the research findings. Soft system analysis was adopted to analyze the barriers which impeded the implementation of BIM in FM. A cross case study was also conducted to strengthen the findings from the three case studies. Two overseas software providers with successful BIM in FM experiences were also interviewed. The technology of BIM in FM is found to be ready for importing the construction stage information to FM software packages. The additional functions based on BIM in FM, however, are still not readily available in the market. The fragmentation between the project and facilities management teams was found to be the most significant barriers for BIM implementation. To overcome such barriers, organizations may consider establishing a coordination platform between the project management team and FM team. It could be the most efficient way when the fragmented organizational structure was not possible to be changed in a short time. A company-wide BIM standard would also be useful to help during the coordination process.
published_or_final_version
Real Estate and Construction
Master
Master of Philosophy

Building Information Modeling“BIM" is becoming a better known established collaboration process in the construction industry. Owners are increasingly requiring BIM services from construction managers, architects and engineering firms. Many construction firms are now investing in“BIM" technologies during bidding, preconstruction, construction and post construction. The goal of this project is to understand the uses and benefits of BIM for construction managers and examine BIM based scheduling. There are two objectives to this project. First is to identify the current uses of BIM in the Architectural / Engineering / Construction / Facility Management industry to better understand how the BIM-based“build to design" and“design to build" concepts can be used by construction managers under the Construction Management at Risk project delivery system. Second, a focus is placed on analyzing 3D and 4D BIM as well as BIM based scheduling. The research was conducted through literature review, case studies, and interviews. First, the research identified the uses of Building Information Modeling for preconstruction, construction and post construction phases. Then, the project examined the uses and benefits of BIM in the construction of a research facility. Subsequently, a prototype 4D Building Information Model was created and studied. Furthermore, the BIM-based schedule was integrated to the 4D model. Finally, the project concluded with an analysis on the use, advantages and setbacks of BIM and its tools.

In recent years, the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) databases has enabled architects/engineers to quantify the environmental impact of building materials for whole building analysis and comparative analyses of design alternatives. The application of building information modeling (BIM) has facilitated this process by providing designers and engineers with the detailed bill of materials required for LCA. However three limitations exist: First, LCA assessments have been limited to the design phase of a project delivery or post completion phase. Consequently, it does not help incentivize the choice of suppliers and delivery strategies that minimize the cradle-to-site impacts. Second, majority LCA tools ignore the impact of construction means and methods during the construction phase. Third, there is a lack of metrics and visualization tools that assess environmental impacts of decisions made during pre-construction and construction phase. As a result, little incentive exists for suppliers to provide embodied carbon footprint rates, and similarly, for contractors to balance project costs, schedule objectives with the corresponding environmental impact. To address these challenges, we propose and develop a new framework that applies BIM for reliable, effective benchmarking, monitoring, and visualization of embodied carbon footprint of construction projects. It comprises of a benchmarking module, and a monitoring and visualization module. In the experiments, this framework is implemented on concrete placement activities during the construction of the Center for the Arts facility at Virginia Tech. The developed framework can revolutionize construction by a) a rapid assessment and visualization of the deviations between expected and released carbon footprint, b) incentivizing contractors to request that manufacturers and suppliers gauge and share their carbon footprints as a part of contractor submittal process and c) incentivizing those construction firms that can complete their project with an overall carbon footprint rate lower than what is budgeted during the pre-construction or compared to the values from the design phase, while documenting and using the performance results as a benchmark for future similar projects.
Master of Science

The  construction  industry  is  a  costly  business  such  in  respect  of  capital  for  most construction defects which then require rework, tear down and rebuild again. This study is  meaningful  awareness  of  tools  that  can  reduce  this  best  through  communication  and information sharing between the parties.  The  construction  industry  is  known  as  temporary  projects  organizations,  where  the construction  project  consists  of  several  actors  who  have  to  communicate  and  share information  between  them  to  avoid  mistakes  later  in  the  build  time.  These  actors  are bounded together thus for the duration of the project, then broken when the project has reached its end. The challenge here is for these actors to apply a tool that can help and simplify communications, information sharing, and perhaps the most important aspect is to  create  a  routine  for  the  association  and  the  shattering  of  these  actors.  To  implement such  behavior  using  a  tool  such  as  BIM  in  the  industry  whose  size  perhaps  is indescribable may be a very hard task.  BIM (Building Information Model) could be seen as the solution to this problem because it  acts  as  a  portal  where  the  actors  involved  must  sign  in  and  communicate,  share information, and eventually create a behavior, a routine for this association and division of  the  actors  following  the  end  of  the  project.  The  technology  could  help  the  involved from  the  beginning  of  the  project,  already  in  the  model  stage,  break  down  and  prevent any construction barriers when the building has been placed in the works.  In the current situation used paper models, 2D models and three-dimensional models, 3D, where  the  last  one  is  a  part  of  the  BIM.  BIM  makes  it  also  possible  to  implement  4D, price  calculation  for  the  construction  from  beginning  to  end  and  5D  ie  construction details such as what kind of wood the door is made of, what kind of concrete it is, and even the amount of cable for the construction for example.  BIM  is  seen  as  a  information  technology  used  primarily  in  construction,  where  to encounter  several  obstacles  during  the  implementation  and  use  of  such  technology  is expensive  to  implement  in  a  small  operation,  but  it  creates  many  drivers,  many  agents that  have  implemented  BIM,  which  ultimately  pays  according  to  those  who  can  afford and in the current situation using it

Green buildings aim to save land, energy, water, and material, as well as to create a healthy and comfortable environment for their occupants throughout the life-cycle. One of the primary goals for the design of green buildings is reducing operating energy costs. Mainly due to the energy performance requirements of various green building rating systems, building energy modeling (BEM) is being increasingly used in the building industry, which definitely improves building energy efficiency through code and standard compliances. However, as a scientific and standardized method, using BEM can provide far more benefits than just code and standard compliances. BEM can be used for many other purposes at different stages of the building life-cycle. This dissertation has developed and demonstrated the concept of Design-build-operate Energy Information Modeling (DBO-EIM) infrastructure, which can be used at different stages of the building life-cycle to improve energy and thermal comfort performance. The whole process is tested using a medium-size office building in Pittsburgh, PA. At the design stage, for the purpose of design decision making a parametric BEM process is demonstrated in the test-bed building. The case study results show that the proposed design case building has better energy performance than the baseline, design alternatives, and various benchmark buildings. At the commissioning and early operation stages, an EnergyPlus model calibration method is introduced using empirical data that are collected from the test-bed building. The final calibrated model has a mean biased error of 1.27% and a coefficient of variation of the root mean squared error of 6.01%. This calibration method provides a scientific and systematic framework to conduct high accuracy EnergyPlus model calibration. At the operation stage, on the basis of the calibrated EnergyPlus model, an occupant-oriented mixed-mode EnergyPlus predictive control (OME+PC) system is developed. Given the Pittsburgh weather context and current operation assumptions, the simulation results suggest a potential 29.37% reduction in annual HVAC energy consumption. In addition, OME+PC enables building occupants to control their thermal environment through an internet-based dashboard. Several important research findings are also concluded from the studies in the DBO-EIM development process that may benefit future work in the building science realm, including the development of an occupant behavior modeling method, the integration of the real-time building operation data collection system, an passive cooling control simulation study, and an occupant subjective thermal comfort field study. In order to show the applicability of the Design-build-operation Energy Information Modeling infrastructure, the process is demonstrated again in a generic Department of Energy prototype medium office EnergyPlus model. Step-by-step instructions and computation time are documented to facilitate future studies. In summary, this dissertation has demonstrated that an original design stage EnergyPlus model can be updated and utilized through the entire DBO-EIM process. Compared to typical building operation, implementing this process can achieve better energy performance and maintain occupant thermal comfort.

Syfte – Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur BIM kan användas för att förbättra leveransprecisionen av materialleveranser till byggarbetsplatsen gällande nybyggnationer. För att besvara studiens syfte har två frågeställningar formulerats. Första frågeställningen utgör en grund för att sedan kunna besvara andra frågeställningen. - Vilka faktorer påverkar leveransprecisionen av materialleveranser till byggarbetsplatsen? - Hur kan leveransprecisionen av materialleveranser till byggarbetsplatsen förbättras med hjälp av BIM? Metod – För att uppnå studiens syfte och frågeställningar genomfördes en fallstudie i form av intervju och dokumentstudie på två olika företag inom byggindustrin. En litteraturstudie genomfördes med syfte att forma det teoretiska ramverket som sedan varit en grund för att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar. Resultat – Studien har identifierat faktorer som påverkar leveransprecisionen av materialleveranser till byggarbetsplatsen och kategoriserat in dem i två huvudfaktorer, samordning och planering. För ett effektivare arbete i byggprocessen är BIM ett verktyg som bland annat underlättar samordning och planering. Detta kan resultera i att leveransprecisionen av materialleveranser till byggarbetsplatsen kan förbättras med hjälp av BIM. Implikationer – Studien utgår från befintliga teorier som sedan jämförs med verkligheten. Studien belyser ingen ny teori men illustrerar nya synvinklar till ett redan befintligt problem. Svårigheten har varit i att hitta teorier om hur BIM kan påverka leveransprecisionen av materialleveranser. Teorier har därför tolkats och analyserats för att hitta möjliga förbättringar. Begränsningar – Studien omfattar leveransprecisionen av materialleveranser till nybyggnationer och tar enbart hänsyn till leveransprecisionen från leverantören till byggarbetsplatsen. Inom BIM omfattar studien 3D- och 4D BIM och utesluter 5D- och 6D BIM.
Purpose – The purpose of the study is to investigate how BIM can improve the ontime delivery of material to construction sites for new constructions. To answer the purpose of the study, two research questions have been formulated. - Which factors effect on-time delivery of material to the construction site? - How can on-time delivery of material to the construction site be improved by using BIM? Method – In order to achieve the purpose and research questions of the study, a case study was conducted at two different companies in the construction industry. The empirical data from the case study were collected through interviews and document studies. A literature study was conducted with the purpose of formulating the theoretical framework that subsequently been used to answer the purpose and research questions. Findings – The study has identified factors that effect on-time delivery of material to the construction site and categorized them into two main factors, coordination and planning. BIM is a tool, among other thing, for a more efficient work in the construction process that facilitates coordination and planning. Using BIM can result in that on-time delivery of material to the construction site can be improved. Implications – The study is based on existing theories that compares to reality. The study does not develop new theory, but it illustrates new perspectives on an already existing problem. It has been difficult to find theories about how BIM may effect ontime delivery of materials. Theories have therefore been interpreted and analysed to find possible improvements. Limitations – The study covers the on-time delivery of materials to new constructions. The study also covers the on-time delivery from supplier to the construction site. Within BIM, the study covers 3D- and 4D BIM and excludes 5D- and 6D BIM.

碩士
國立高雄應用科技大學
土木工程與防災科技研究所
101
The energy efficiency of new constructions and existing buildings can be determined via energy performance evaluation. Low energy consumption and reduced carbon dioxide emissions can be achieved if the energy-saving index is taken into account when a building is being designed. Building envelopes can be considered the most significant factors among the various energy impact factors. For example, reduced use of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting equipment can be achieved by simply considering the interaction between the building envelope and the surrounding environment, such as ventilation, sunshade, and ambient lighting. Currently, in Taiwan, this evaluation is conducted manually. This approach is time-consuming because of the need to constantly consult tables and regulations. It is also susceptible to human error. This research discusses, in detail, the role of the building envelope in influencing the energy performance of the building itself, and demonstrates the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for visual and automated evaluation of building energy performance so as to assist planners in determining whether energy-saving standards have been effectively met. In this research, the feasibility of using BIM for building energy performance evaluation was examined by applying this approach to an engineering project example. This system showed effectiveness in assisting planners in identifying and understanding the possible blind spots affecting the achievement of energy-saving requirements of the designed buildings, and enabled the examination of further design modifications to optimize energy-saving effects.

碩士
國立交通大學
土木工程系所
101
When the disaster occurs, escape officer’s comprehension often decrease. Therefore, it’s the key to enhance the survival rate that how to make the officer quickly learn the disaster location, evacuation route and exit which should be selected. The traditional evacuation route map presented in 2D plane apart from can’t perform the sense of architectural space in three-dimension, also increase the difficulty of directional interpretation. If there is a special architectural style (such as a circle, ring or outlet level inconsistent) or users are not familiar with the building environment, this lost sense of direction must be even more serious. There is a function that rendering architectural space configuration in Building Information Modeling (BIM), the model can also be mounted component and information related to anti-disaster relief. Planning evacuation route and training disaster-prevented education based on BIM model, not only reduce the lost sense of direction but provide a reference for firefighters to make the relief program, integrates disaster planning, disaster-prevented training and disaster relief operation. In this study, we choose a high-tech plant which is circular in Hsinchu for example, based on the BIM model which is composed of components and information related to disaster-prevention relief and combine fire simulation software (FDS) to assess personnel security, plan safe evacuation routes and make the refuge film for public space according to the result of planning. It enhances the disaster-prevention management ability and training quality of the building operating management units. Research results show that BIM models can be fully integrated with FDS software, it plans evacuation routes and reviews the public space of disaster-prevention equipment configuration. 3D evacuation routes map allowing users quickly understand their position and select proper appropriate evacuation routes.

碩士
國立交通大學
土木工程系所
106
Popularization Green Building Assessment system is an efficient way to curb the global warming. Accompany with the view of green building, not only increase the usage of the building energy consumption effectively, but also stimulate people the awareness of environmental protection. The combination of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Green Building Assessment (GBA) can help the stakeholders to capture the project information, parameters and output the reliable assessment results. The architectures and designers can change the projects design base on the assessment. Meanwhile, if the building projects apply the view of BIM form the design stage, compared with traditional method, the assessment cycle will shorten significantly. Presently, example from the Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design (LEED) in the US and Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment (BREEAM) demonstrated that the desirable potential of combination BIM and GBA. It also prove that applying BIM on Ecology, Energy, Waste Reduction, Health (EEWH) can enhance the building sustainable performance. This study develop an EEWH Tool base on Revit Application Programming Interface (API), and use different Level of Development (LOD) models to test it possibility and integrity. The results show that the EEWH Tool can earn 43 EEWH’s credits among 100 credits. Moreover, a references table has been establish to identify the relationship between BIM, GBA and EEWH Tool.

In the current context, the standardization of building construction is not limited to a specific country or to a specific building code. Trade globalization has emphasized the need for standardization in the process of exchange of design information, whether it is in the form of drawings or documents. Building Information Modeling is the latest transformational technology that supports interactive development of design information for buildings. No single Building Information Modeling software package is used in the Architecture Engineering Construction and Facilities Management industries, which is strength as new ideas develop, but a hindrance as the new ideas flow at a different pace into the various programs. The standards divergence of various software results in a limited ability to exchange data between and within projects, especially one sees the difficulty in moving data from one program to another. The Document eXchange File format represents an early attempt to standardize the exchange of drawing information by Autodesk. However, the data was limited to geometric data required for the production of plotted drawings. Metadata in a Building Information Model provides a method to add information to the basic geometric configuration provided in a Document eXchange File. Building Information Model programs use data structures to define smart objects that encapsulate building data in a searchable and robust format. Due to the complexity of building designs eXtensible Markup Language schemas of three dimensional models are often large files that can contain considerable amounts of superfluous information. The aim of this research is to exclude all the superfluous information from the design information and determine the absolute minimum information required to execute the construction of a project. A plain concrete beam element was used as the case study for this research. The results show that a minimal information schema can be developed for a simple building element. Further research is required on more complex elements.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
土木工程學研究所
102
As science progresses, the function and scale of buildings become greater and greater. With respect to building life cycle from development, design, bidding, construction, operation to maintenance management, the interface to be integrated is cumbersome and complex and the operation efficiency is low for ideas of various professional designers, operation flows of construction contractors and requirements of owners and so on in every stage. In correspondence to the requirement on construction management, BIM (Building Information Modeling) is imported effectively, and construction is simulated actually. The common operation platform, mutually supported operation system is provided through BIM technology for integration of life cycles of buildings. Therefore, the critical factors that impact the implementation of BIM technology are understood through literature reviews and by collecting questionnaires from field of experts. Questionnaires are made with members of BIM department in engineering consulting companies, construction firms, designer’s offices, contractors, and real estate companies as target respondents. There are total 38 impact factors classified into 5 aspects: The staff, operation process, tools and software, benefit, and contract. Statistical methodology including descriptive statistics and average test (ANOVA, Analysis of Variance) are used for analysis. After arranging all the averages from each impact factor, it is concluded that staff, operation process, tools and software, benefit, and contract are all important factors for BIM implementation. Further analysis is conducted to determine the aspects that impact the implementation of BIM technology. Result shows that staff, operation process, tools and software are the key factors for BIM implementation. In addition, engineering consultant companies, construction firm and building companies, the members in BIM centers, are interviewed to provide improvement, recommendation for problems encountered in executing and importing BIM technology actually. Staffs (building, structure, electro-mechanics and so forth) have to be ready as BIM technology is imported in a project. The operation flow is adjusted according to project features.Also, mutually supported tools (software, hardware) may be utilized to integrate interfaces effectively, show efficiency and import BIM successfully.

碩士
國立交通大學
土木工程系所
103
In recent years, with the rise of high-tech industries, building types have changed from the traditional and residential buildings to high-tech plants. Owing to the complexity of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) system designs in high-tech plants, the construction costs of MEP systems alone accounted for more than half of the overall total cost of construction. Therefore, MEP construction has a certain influence for building completion time and cost control. The MEP cost estimations are highly error prone because of the complexity of the items on the construction budget. Moreover, the errors are difficult to detect which affects the project's cost control. This study proposes a BIM-based quantity takeoff model for MEP systems. By implementing Building Information Modeling’s characteristics regarding storing of component information, MEP systems’ components and information such as system and piping names are established directly within the model, which would be used as references to categorize components when performing quantity takeoffs. Next, with the support of quantity takeoff software, the components with identical information can be categorized and calculated in order to effectively reduce the errors caused by the complexity of the items on the construction budget. Finally, the proposed BIM-based quantity takeoff model for MEP systems is implemented in a case study to verify its reliability. The results show that the method can effectively save time and enhance the quantity takeoff accuracy.

碩士
國立成功大學
土木工程學系
102
SUMMARY This integrates the concept of Building Information Modeling, (BIM) and structural design, using 3D profession modeling software Tekla Structure as the BIM platform to conform the software of structural mechanic analysis SAP2000.Tekla Structure is used to establish structural model, section information, material character, and standard of design. Then, the model is transmitted to the input of SAP2000 for the mechanical analysis and structural design. The result is returned to Tekla Structure to synchronization structural models. Keywords: building information modeling, structural design, structural analysis, fluid dampers. INTRODUCTION There are a lot of high buildings in Taiwan. Taiwan is on the site of seismic zone. In this research, using building information modeling to analysis and design of a ten story building which is installed by damper system after structure is well designed. And then the efficiency of the damper installation policy is discussed. Use Tekla Structure as building information modeling platform software, SAP2000 as mechanic analysis software. The model is subjected to El Centro earthquake in X and Y directions. The allowable stress method AISC-ASD 89 is selected as the structural design specification in the SAP2000 iteration design procedure. Additional aseismatic design is then performed by the installation of dampers in various policies by checking the displacement, velocity, acceleration, and control rate in the X-direction of the top floor for each of the cases. Tekla Structure, a building information modeling platform software on the establishment of a simple structure can fully integrate, beams, columns, and plates, and then transmits into SAP2000 without problems. If the structure contains special components, such as fluid dampers, it cannot successfully transmit directly to the Tekla Structure, but should be established by ourselves. The most efficient way to install damper in this case as concluded is setting the dampers at the fifth floor. MATERIALS AND METHODS In the case, Tekla Structure is used to model a ten story building, with 30 meters in total height and 3 meters height for each story, both of width and length in X- and Y- directions are 4 meters, as shown in the Fig. 1. Both of beams and columns are 100X100X6X8’s wide-flange cross section by A36 steel. The thickness of concrete plate at each floor is 20 centimeters and 280kg/cm²is selected as the yielding stress of the concrete. Figure 1. Schematic diagram The software package SAP2000 is used for the structural analysis and structural design. The ten story building is assigned to subject the 1940 El Centro earthquake both in X- and Y- direction. Columns and beams for each of the floors are group assembled. AISC ASD89 specification is selected in the design work. As the building is well designed dampers are installed in various policies on the building for the purpose of aseismatic. Totally 12 cases of installation policies are considered. For each of story, individually, two dampers with damping coefficient C as 2000kN-s/m’s are installed in X- and Y- directions. That will give us ten cases. The other two cases come from raw building and install 200kN-s/m’s damper uniformly at every floors both on X- and Y- directions. According to the result obtained in these 12 cases, another case by install 1000kN-s/m’s dampers on 5th and 6th floor as the 13th case is also analyzed for comparison. In addition, in the 13th case, input load is considered as 5 times of the El Centro earthquake. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A ten story aseismatic building is designed by means of building information modeling platform. Computer software package SAP2000 and Tekla are linked for the purpose done. Various installation policies by viscous dampers are applied after the ten story building is well designed. Results are presented in natural frequencies and the displacements, velocities and accelerations at the roof point, with the comparison and control efficiencies of each cases. Figure 2. Displacement time history of raw building CONCLUSION 1. Experience of using BIM (building information modeling) The basic concept of BIM, the work presented is belongs a part of BIM’s application. Here are some of the experiences and ideas about this system. Tekla Structure is a valid software to model the considered buildings and structures. It is really convenience to establish the models of structures with complicated elements. But it still do not capable to model some of the special structural elements such as damper, isolation support… etc. That is why it fails to link the SAP2000’s design result returns to Tekla platform. SAP2000 is one of a popular structural analysis software with powerful analysis and design functions. But it still cost time to define the structural elements for complicated structures. 2. Investigation of control efficiency The control efficient when dampers are installed is investigated for the presented cases. Results show, as for the presented cases, when the dampers are installed on the 5th floor, it gives the best control results.

碩士
中華大學
土木工程學系碩士班
102
The Education for Disaster Prevention and Preparedness has always been an important issue in every aspect of government or civilian units and schools in Taiwan since 921 earthquake in 1999.“Disaster Prevention and Protection Act”, which was put into effect in 2000, states that governments of all levels must carry out the education and training of disaster prevention and preparedness. Since Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, education of disaster prevention and preparedness in school has drawn more attention in Taiwan. Po Ai Elementary School of Hsin Chu County is chosen as the subject of this study to show that teachers and students of this school, wherever they are in campus, will be familiar to the egress route in the event of a disaster through watching 3D egress guidance animation of this school. In this reaserch, Autodesk Revit Architechture 2013 was used in building the 3D model of Po Ai Elementary School. After the 3D model was built, we created an egress Walkthrough for each class which started from classroom and ended in gathering point which is the playground in this case. Each egress Walkthrough was then exported as an .avi format video in order to be uploaded to school webpage. With 3D egress Walkthrough videos available on school webpage, teachers, students, and even parents can access to those videos at any time, in any place, without limits. With this system, teachers will be able to perform education and training of disaster prevention and preparedness to students very easily. Students will be familiar to their egress routes, thus reduce the chance to panic in real situation. More lives will then be saved.

碩士
國立成功大學
土木工程學系碩博士班
101
Conventional , information of engineering project is saved in paper work. In recent years , due to the rapid development of information technology, 3D drawing functions are well developed , it makes the executive of structural analysis, and design can be much more automatically and precision, The integration concept of Building Information Modeling is then could be applied greatly. Building Information Modeling is a widely used tool to have the concept of integration to be carried out, Including construction of model, structural analysis, pipeline configuration, even the contents of the detail of the cost, schedule control…, etc. In this research, trying to make the structured analytical to be join into this widely integrated process. Through the linking combination work of powerful 3D module software Tekla and structural analysis software SAP2000, trying to make analysis and design of structural integrated in Building Information Modeling system.

碩士
國立宜蘭大學
綠色科技學程碩士在職專班
102
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a fast developed technology of Architecture, Engineering and Contraction(AEC)industry. Most of BIM applications focus on coordinating structures, Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing (MEP), and interior spaces to preventany possible interference among those elements. However, it’s not easy to apply the BIM on decoration. Because each case of decoration is always unique for each project;thus, there will be too many differences between any two cases. Therefore, the use of BIM on the decoration may cause lots of works and costs such that its rare occurrence is quite understandable. In this study, the sample datacollected form an office building, Hua-Nan Bank General Headquarters Building project, built by Lijin Engineering in Taipei, to evaluate BIM’s implementation on decorationof an office building. According to the result, the use of BIM on decoration should rely on the onebetter than AIA LOD 300 specification. Then it may get better result to coordinate structures, partitions, ceilings, and floors. Besides, its simulation may also give a lot of information in advance to reduce the waiting and delay during various stages of decoration. Therefore, the use of BIM on decoration requires researchers to put more efforts on its development.