Enabling Bidirectional Interoperability between BIM and BPS through Lightweight Topological Models

Building Performance Simulation (BPS) tools have become prevalent in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation (AECO) sector to assess building performance for various purposes. However, some challenges persist in achieving full interoperability between BPS and Building Information Modeling (BIM). This paper proposes a different approach to BIM-BPS interoperability based on creating space-based Topological Models (TM) for data exchange using Visual Programming (VP) algorithms. The VP approach allows for complex geometrical operations, the automatic reflection of changes made to the BIM model in the BPS model, and easy synchronous modification of these models to encourage design exploration. The proposed workflow is tested on the heritage building of the Faculty of Engineering in Bologna, Italy, with the aim of establishing the basis for developing a Digital Twin (DT) of the building for optimising its energy management. This approach can also be used for the early-stage analysis of new constructions, providing a comprehensive view of building performance

Struttura e costruzione / Structure and Construction Nuova edizione / New Edition

This book explores several aspects of the variegated relationship that connects the operational principles of a structure to its translation into written form, between the laws that govern its structural rationale and the technical solutions that decree the feasibility of its construction. This is considered an essential subject for the training of aspiring engineers, whose education is often strongly conditioned by a didactic approach that divides the knowledge of construction into circumscribed and independent disciplinary units. This same approach negatively connotes the progressive transformation of the professional profile of the contemporary engineer, from the original figure of a designer of technical solutions to that of a specialist-assessor of structural performance. The result is that such figures sometimes lack the critical instruments inherent to a knowledge that does not begin and end within models of scientific explanation, but has to be comprised within a broader cultural dimension featuring the coexistence and mutual nourishment of different branches of knowledge, including History, Science and Design through to the ultimate dynamics of Architecture

TOWARDS DIGITAL TWIN DRIVEN CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT: A HBIM-BASED WORKFLOW FOR ENERGY IMPROVEMENT OF MODERN BUILDINGS

Europe has numerous historic buildings that need to become more energy-efficient, which need permanent maintenance and refurbishment to fulfill sustainability and use requirements. Asset owners and asset managers need to adopt new strategies to protect listed buildings while optimizing costs and benefits during their life cycle. In this sense, the digital transition proves to be a moment to seize for opening new scenarios. The Digital Twin paradigm promises to be valuable for enabling the sustainable knowledge, conservation, restoration, and management of built assets and solving the dilemma about protecting the architectural identity of these buildings while adapting them to the functional and performance requirements dictated by the regulatory framework. This study proposes a workflow that integrates Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) and Building Performance Simulation (BPS) tools for data-driving the energy improvement of Italian listed modern buildings built between the 1920s and 1960s. After acquiring information about the building, the HBIM model and the Building Energy Model (BEM) are realized based on the International Foundation Classes (IFC) standard. Energy intervention measures are defined, construction costs are computed, and benefits during the intervention life cycle are predicted in thermal demand. Finally, an expeditious multi-criteria analysis allows for comparing different intervention combinations and indicating the optimal solution for the energy improvement of the building concerning energy, economic, and financial issues. These outcomes represent the first step towards realizing a dynamic, accessible, and sharable Digital Twin