This book charts the path toward high performance sustainable buildings and the smart dwellings of the future. The volume clearly explains the principles and practices of high performance design, the uses of building information modelling (BIM), and the materials and methods of smart construction. Power Systems, Architecture, Material Science, Civil Engineering and Information Systems are all given consideration, as interdisciplinary endeavours are at the heart of this green building revolution.

Building information modelling (BIM) is revolutionising building design and construction. For architects, BIM has the potential to optimise their creativity while reducing risk in the design and construction process, thus giving them a more significant role in the building process. This book demonstrates how innovative firms are using BIM technologies to move design away from the utilitarian problems of construction, engaging them in a stunning new future in the built environment. Whereas recent books about BIM have tended to favour case-study analyses or instruction on the use of specific software, BIM Design highlights how day-to-day design operations are shaped by the increasingly generative and collaborative aspects of these new tools. BIM strategies are described as operations that can enhance design rather than simply make it more efficient. Thus this book focuses on the specific creative uses of information modelling at the operational level, including the creative development of parametric geometries and generative design, the evaluation of environmental performance and the simulation and scheduling of construction/fabrication operations. This book also engages BIM’s pragmatic efficiencies such as the conflict checking of building systems and the creation of bills of quantities for costing; and in so doing it demonstrates how BIM can make such activities collaborative. Throughout, projects are used to illustrate the creative application of BIM at a variety of scales. These buildings showcase work by fi rms executing projects all over the world: SHoP Architects and Construction (New York), Morphosis (Los Angeles), Populous (London), GRO Architects (New York), Reiser + Umemoto (New York), Gensler (Shanghai) and UNStudio (Amsterdam).

Construction projects involve a complex set of relationships, between parties with different professional backgrounds trying to achieve a very complex goal. Under these difficult circumstances, the quality of information on which projects are based should be of the highest possible standard. The line-based, two dimensional drawings on which conventional construction is based render this all but impossible. This is the source of some major shortcomings in the construction industry, and this book focuses on the two most fundamental of these: the failure to deliver projects predictably: to the required quality, on time and within budget; and the failure of most firms in the industry to make a survivable level of profit. By transforming the quality of information used in building, BIM aims to transform construction completely. After describing and explaining these problems, the way in which BIM promises to provide solutions is examined in detail. A discussion of the theory and practice of BIM is also provided, followed by a review of various recent surveys of BIM usage in the US, UK and selected European economies. The way in which other industries, including retail and manufacturing, have been transformed by information are explored and compared with current developments in the deployment of BIM in construction. Five case studies from the UK show how BIM is being implemented, and the effects it is having on architects and contractors. This book is perfect for any construction professional interested in improving the efficiency of their business, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students wishing to understand the importance of BIM.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) refers to the consistent and continuous use of digital information throughout the entire lifecycle of a built facility, including its design, construction and operation. In order to exploit BIM methods to their full potential, a fundamental grasp of their key principles and applications is essential. Accordingly, this book combines discussions of theoretical foundations with reports from the industry on currently applied best practices. The book’s content is divided into six parts: Part I discusses the technological basics of BIM and addresses computational methods for the geometric and semantic modeling of buildings, as well as methods for process modeling. Next, Part II covers the important aspect of the interoperability of BIM software products and describes in detail the standardized data format Industry Foundation Classes. It presents the different classification systems, discusses the data format CityGML for describing 3D city models and COBie for handing over data to clients, and also provides an overview of BIM programming tools and interfaces. Part III is dedicated to the philosophy, organization and technical implementation of BIM-based collaboration, and discusses the impact on legal issues including construction contracts. In turn, Part IV covers a wide range of BIM use cases in the different lifecycle phases of a built facility, including the use of BIM for design coordination, structural analysis, energy analysis, code compliance checking, quantity take-off, prefabrication, progress monitoring and operation. In Part V, a number of design and construction companies report on the current state of BIM adoption in connection with actual BIM projects, and discuss the approach pursued for the shift toward BIM, including the hurdles taken. Lastly, Part VI summarizes the book’s content and provides an outlook on future developments. The book was written both for professionals using or programming such tools, and for students in Architecture and Construction Engineering programs.

The optimal approach to design, build, operate, and maintainbuildings With this strategic guide to building information modeling(BIM), you’ll learn how to implement this new technology aspart of a comprehensive systems approach to the design,construction, management, operation, maintenance, and use ofbuildings. The authors, among the leading experts andpioneers in BIM, show you how BIM supports more streamlined,integrated, and efficient business processes throughout the lifecycle of buildings, from their initial conception through theireventual retirement or reuse. The result is better qualitybuildings, lower construction and operating costs, shorter projectturnaround times, and a higher quality of building information tosupport better business decisions. Moreover, they set forth aplan for incorporating BIM into every organization’s existingworkflows, enabling you to take full advantage of all the benefitsthat BIM offers. Everything you need to implement a BIM approach is setforth in detail, including: The business case for BIM, demonstrating how it can improvecollaboration, facilitate better design and construction, optimizeworkflow, and help reduce risk Guidance for meeting the challenges of BIM such as anentrenched business culture, the proliferation of BIM tools, andthe uneven rates of BIM adoption The “big picture” view showing how yourorganization can work with business partners and fit into thebuilding life cycle in a BIM-enabled industry Throughout the book, sample documents and figures help youbetter understand the principles of BIM and how it works inpractice. In addition, first-hand accounts show you exactlyhow adopters of BIM have gained a competitive edge. Architects, engineers, constructors, building owners, andfacility managers can turn to this book to realize the fullpotential of BIM and radically improve the way buildings aredesigned, built, operated, and maintained.

Meet the challenge of integrating Building Information Modeling and sustainability with this in-depth guide, which pairs these two revolutionary movements to create environmentally friendly design through a streamlined process. Written by an award-winning team that has gone beyond theory to lead the implementation of Green BIM projects, this comprehensive reference features practical strategies, techniques, and real-world expertise so that you can create sustainable BIM projects, no matter what their scale.

This open access book focuses on the development of methods, interoperable and integrated ICT tools, and survey techniques for optimal management of the building process. The construction sector is facing an increasing demand for major innovations in terms of digital dematerialization and technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, advanced manufacturing, robotics, 3D printing, blockchain technologies and artificial intelligence. The demand for simplification and transparency in information management and for the rationalization and optimization of very fragmented and splintered processes is a key driver for digitization. The book describes the contribution of the ABC Department of the Polytechnic University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano) to R&D activities regarding methods and ICT tools for the interoperable management of the different phases of the building process, including design, construction, and management. Informative case studies complement the theoretical discussion. The book will be of interest to all stakeholders in the building process – owners, designers, constructors, and faculty managers – as well as the research sector.