Integration of building information modelling (BIM) and sensor technology: A review of current developments and future outlooks

© 2018 Association for Computing Machinery. ACM. Building Information Modelling1 (BIM) is revolutionising the practicalities of current construction field, sensor technology is essential for enabling BIM to extend beyond the domain of software into the physical domain of building construction and operation; however, no prior in-depth review has focused on the integration of BIM and sensor technology. This paper provides a brief review to evaluate and clarify the state-of-art for the integration of BIM and sensor technology. A systematic review approach was adopted. The result reveals that although much research has conducted, there are gaps and scope for further work, namely: (a) More consideration of the cost of sensors needs to be taken; (b) More commercial applications should be developed; (c) Higher accuracy of positioning and tracing is needed; (d) More applications in structural design could be expanded

Enhancing the Building Information Modeling Lifecycle of Complex Structures with IoT: Phases, Capabilities and Use Cases

In the construction sector, projects for building complex structures often exceed estimated costs and time. Therefore, enterprises in this sector rethink and improve their processes. For addressing this challenge, the discipline of Building Information Modeling (BIM) developed new process models to optimize the lifecycle of structures by leveraging technology and data sharing. Recently, enterprises explored the use of IoT technology for generating valid and up-to-date data. In this paper, we present an IoT capabilities map for BIM. This map employs BIM phases and capabilities to provide a structured overview of use cases from the literature and an empirical study we conducted in the rail construction sector. The map helps to guide further research in this area and provides blueprints for companies in the construction industry that seek to make use of IoT for improving their processes

Real-time environmental monitoring, visualization, and notification system for construction H&S management

Construction workers who are exposed to hot and humid environments are at high risk of heat stress. Excessive exposure to such environments can result in occupational illnesses and injuries. Acquisition of sensor data from such environments is essential to ensure improved Health and Safety (H&S) of workers. Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers a new epitome to provide comprehensive solutions for H&S and evacuation planning in buildings. Researchers around the globe have presented hybrid solutions for integrating different sensing technologies with BIM such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, Ultra High Frequency (UHF) readers and sensors. A review and critical evaluation of literature on integrated solutions of BIM with various sensing technologies is performed in order to present a hybrid solution based on BIM and Wireless Sensors Network (WSN) along with a notification system for real-time environmental monitoring of buildings. The application, entitled “Real-Time Environmental Monitoring, Visualization and Notification System”, is expected to provide a new horizon for effective visualization, reliable data capturing and catering to time sensitive emergency situations for construction H&S management. The paper will also outline scope of future research in this domain

Building Information Modelling (BIM) aided waste minimisation framework

Building design can have a major impact on sustainability through material efficiency and construction waste minimisation (CWM). The construction industry consumes over 420 million tonnes of material resources every year and generates 120 million tonnes of waste containing approximately 13 million tonnes of unused materials. The current and on-going field of CWM research is focused on separate project stages with an overwhelming endeavour to manage on-site waste. Although design stages are vital to achieve progress towards CWM, currently, there are insufficient tools for CWM. In recent years, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been adopted to improve sustainable building design, such as energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Very little has been achieved in this field of research to evaluate the use of BIM to aid CWM during design. However, recent literature emphasises a need to carry out further research in this context. This research aims to investigate the use of BIM as a platform to help with CWM during design stages by developing and validating a BIM-aided CWM (BaW) Framework. A mixed research method, known as triangulation, was adopted as the research design method. Research data was collected through a set of data collection methods, i.e. selfadministered postal questionnaire (N=100 distributed, n=50 completed), and semistructured follow-up interviews (n=11) with architects from the top 100 UK architectural companies. Descriptive statistics and constant comparative methods were used for data analysis. The BaW Framework was developed based on the findings of literature review, questionnaire survey and interviews. The BaW Framework validation process included a validation questionnaire (N=6) and validation interviews (N=6) with architects. Key research findings revealed that: BIM has the potential to aid CWM during design; Concept and Design Development stages have major potential in helping waste reduction through BIM; BIM-enhanced practices (i.e. clash detection, detailing, visualisation and simulation, and improved communication and collaboration) have impacts on waste reduction; BIM has the most potential to address waste causes (e.g. ineffective coordination and communication, and design changes); and the BaW Framework has the potential to enable improvements towards waste minimisation throughout all design stages. Participating architects recommended that the adoption of the BaW Framework could enrich both CWM and BIM practices, and most importantly, would enhance waste reduction performance in design. The content should be suitable for project stakeholders, architects in particular, when dealing with construction waste and BIM during design