Integration of BIM in Building Sustainability Assessment methods

Tese de doutoramento em Sustentabilidade do Ambiente ConstruídoThe Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is highly responsible for several environmental impacts and worldwide authorities and societies are increasingly looking for more sustainable buildings. Given the ambitious targets of climate neutrality and decarbonisation, there is an urgent need to develop specific strategies to act in the building sector, as it has been recognised as a key industry to reverse environmental impacts. Among the existing tools, Building Sustainability Assessment (BSA) methods stand out as a pathway to evaluate and promote the integration of sustainability principles in buildings. However, such methods often require multi-disciplinary information about the building and significant resources such as time, money, and human labour. Consequently, and in the absence of mandatory legislation, BSA is usually neglected or applied in project later stages just to provide a sustainable evaluation of the building. With the deployment of Building Information Modelling (BIM), the opportunity for BSA to adopt and benefit from BIM functionalities arises. Currently, BIM has not been used comprehensively in the evaluation process of BSA but the potential for process automation and simplification are well known. To effectively integrate BSA into BIM environment, this research aims to develop a BIM integration framework for the Portuguese residential BSA method SBToolPT-H. Moreover, such framework will be materialized by the creation of an enduser BIM-based application – SBToolBIM – which will act as a decision support tool regarding building sustainability for the project's early stages. SBToolBIM will automate and accelerate the assessment of SBToolPTH by reflecting its criteria through computable rules. Results show the attractiveness of SBToolBIM, as well as the possibility to have real-time feedback about the building sustainability level in early project stages, allowing for the introduction and comparison of different sustainability measures with few resources. SBToolBIM has established a novel and common approach which can be used as a systematic framework to apply BIM in other BSA schemes, representing a pathway to reduce the building sector impacts and provide valuable contributes to reach worldwide climate neutrality and decarbonisation targets.A indústria da Arquitetura, Engenharia e Construção (AEC) é responsável por diversos impactes ambientais, levando as autoridades e sociedades mundiais à procura por edifícios mais sustentáveis. Perante os ambiciosos objetivos da neutralidade climática e descarbonização, surge a necessidade de desenvolver estratégias específicas para o setor dos edifícios, dado ser uma indústria chave para a reversão dos referidos impactes. Entre as ferramentas existentes, destacam-se os métodos da avaliação da sustentabilidade de edifícios (BSA, do inglês Building Sustainability Assessment) como forma de avaliar e promover a integração de medidas sustentáveis. No entanto, a sua utilização requer informações multidisciplinares do edifício, bem como recursos significativos, tais como tempo, custos e mão de obra. Consequentemente e na ausência de legislação obrigatória, os BSA são geralmente negligenciados ou aplicados em fases finais de projeto, apenas para identificar o nível de sustentabilidade do edifício. Com a implementação do Building Information Modeling (BIM), surge a oportunidade dos BSA adotarem e beneficiarem das suas funcionalidades. Atualmente, o BIM ainda não é integralmente utilizado no processo de avaliação dos BSA, mas as suas potencialidades para automação e simplificação do processo já foram reconhecidas. De modo a integrar os BSA em ambiente BIM, este trabalho visa desenvolver uma estrutura de integração BIM para o método BSA residencial português SBToolPT-H. A estrutura será materializada através da criação de uma aplicação BIM – SBToolBIM – que irá atuar como uma ferramenta de apoio à decisão em fases iniciais de projeto. O SBToolBIM irá automatizar e acelerar os processos de avaliação da sustentabilidade através do SBToolPT-H, refletindo os seus critérios através de regras computacionais. Os resultados demonstram a utilidade do SBToolBIM, bem como a possibilidade de fornecer feedback em tempo real sobre o nível de sustentabilidade do edifício nas fases iniciais de projeto, permitindo a introdução e a comparação de diferentes medidas de sustentabilidade, utilizando poucos recursos. O SBToolBIM estabelece uma nova abordagem sistemática para aplicação do BIM noutros métodos BSA, representando um caminho para a redução dos impactes do setor e dando valiosas contribuições para alcançar as metas de neutralidade climática e descarbonização.SBToolBIM research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), grant number SFRH/BD/145735/2019

Guidelines for analysing the building energy efficiency using BIM

Introduction The benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM) for the construction industry are already known and proved. One of the applications of BIM is to estimate buildings energy demand and foster the introduction of more efficient design alternatives. BIM creates information to support designers' decision-making and to allow them to compare and select the best options, enhancing buildings energy efficiency. With the increasing use of BIM and energy simulation tools, there is a need to establish a common and valid procedure for buildings energy assessment. Material and Methods By carrying out a building simulation with BIM, this paper identifies and describes the fundamental stages and requirements to perform a reliable, concise and fast energy assessment. These guidelines will consider Autodesk Revit as a BIM platform to create and prepare the building 3D model. Results The proposed guidelines cover all the required tasks for a BIM energy assessment, as the building modulation details and requirements, the software interoperability modes and restrictions and the comparison and selection of improvement measures. Inputs and advice are given regarding the use of some of the existing energy simulation BIM tools. Conclusions With the increasing number of studies addressing energy simulations with BIM, it is essential to define a set of requisites to precisely perform them. By identifying the minimum requirements and tasks, the proposed guidelines will support future studies in achieving more reliable and comparable results. The possibility to estimate and improve the energy demand of a building during the initial project stages allows for the opportunity to build high performance and more sustainable buildings. BIM capabilities might be an essential support to effectively improve the built environment energy efficiency and accomplish environmental goals.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(SFRH/BD/145735/2019

A systematic review of the role of BIM in building sustainability assessment methods

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is creating new opportunities for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry. One of them is the integration of the Building Sustainability Assessment (BSA) during the design process. Currently, an approach for using BIM to foster and optimise the application of BSA methods has not been clearly established yet, creating a knowledge gap on the application of BIM for sustainability assessment purposes. Thus, this paper analyses the current role of BIM to evaluate three BSA methods—LEED, BREEAM and SBTool. The current BIM applicability is assessed by performing a systematic review, where the criteria being assessed and the applied BIM software are identified. A comparison is made to determine which BSA method can currently take more advantage from BIM and to identify the number of assessed criteria from each one. Furthermore, the attractiveness of a BIM-based assessment for SBTool is analysed, facing the actual BIM scenario for LEED and BREEAM. Despite the restrictions, BIM use is increasing for sustainability purposes. Most of the analysed studies and identified software are still focused on the use of LEED for assessing sustainability during the design phase. However, BIM software capabilities can also support the assessment of the other BSA methods so that process replicability can happen. Among the most addressed criteria, the energy and material-related categories are the most eminent. Autodesk Revit is the most-used software. A BIM-based assessment for SBTool will have enough attractiveness. It can assess, at least, the same percentage of criteria as the other schemes, creating new opportunities to enhance building sustainability.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, grant number SFRH/BD/145735/2019

BIM-Based method for the verification of building code compliance

Urban planning is a valuable tool for growth control and city development, both to maintain the local urban identity and provide life quality for inhabitants. To regulate it, local governments have defined standards for a proper city’s growth through municipal and detailed urban plans. Such instruments identify a set of rules which constructions and buildings must fulfil for a careful and smooth integration within the urban areas. New projects are required to comply with such rules, and designers must adapt and guarantee that their projects fulfil all the local urban requirements. However, the verification process of construction projects is still a manual procedure and often a time-consuming process, with high possibilities for inaccurate measures. Thus, this paper aims to streamline the verification procedure of construction projects’ code compliance to enhance project design efficiency and save designers time. To do so, the Building Information Modelling (BIM) method will be used through the Dynamo programming software. By creating a Dynamo routine to check the building code and urban plan compliance from Brazilian municipalities, specific BIM models will be automatically analysed to detect and evaluate if it is according to local urban legislation. Results have provided a real-time decision support tool, where designers can assess if their buildings are complying with local urban codes at any time of the design stage, making it easy to innovate and integrate innovative design options, as well as to precisely communicate their buildings’ code compliance. Such a method can also support municipality authorities to verify project compliance, reducing assessment and calculation errors, as well as the required time and bureaucracy for project appraisal.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, through the Regional Operation Programme of North (Grant number SFRH/BD/145735/2019)

BIM-based energy analysis and sustainability assessment - application to Portuguese buildings

Buildings are responsible for several negative impacts on the environment, most of them related to nonrenewable energy consumption, increasing the concern regarding buildings energy efficiency. In this context, computer software has been used to estimate the energy needs of the built environment, and the Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology can be used to simplify this process. This study aims to validate a BIM-based framework to streamline the energy analysis of Portuguese buildings, based on the method of the national regulation for the thermal performance of residential buildings. Currently, designers need to spend considerable time assessing all the building characteristics and performing the mandatory calculations for energy performance analysis. It is also intended to link the results of the energy simulation with a Building Sustainability Assessment method—SBToolPT-H. The purpose is to demonstrate how it is possible to benefit from this approach to simultaneously improve building sustainability during the design stage. To do so, different case studies were modelled in Autodesk Revit and exported to a BIM energy tool to perform energy simulation analysis. The results were validated against the official assessment method of the Portuguese thermal regulation and were successfully used to assess the SBToolPT-H energy efficiency category. The research outcomes provide design teams with a reliable BIM-based framework to improve building energy performance and to develop thermal projects while enhancing building sustainability. It also increases the knowledge about the integration of sustainability assessment in the BIM environment, providing new insights for complete integration.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through the Regional Operation Programme of North (grant number SFRH/BD/145735/2019)

Using BIM for assessing buildings life cycle impacts

Facing the recent implementation of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process in the construction industry, several potentialities have not been fully explored yet. Among them, is the integration of BIM in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis in order to automate the assessment of the potential environmental impacts. To date, despite the existing studies on the subject, there is still a need to define and establish a recommended assessment framework and software tool for LCA purposes when BIM methodology is used. This research analyses the current state of the implementation of the LCA analysis in the BIM process. Additionally, it compares the results from the use of two LCA software. For this purpose, a case study was modelled in the Autodesk Revit BIM platform and exported to two LCA specific BIM tools: Athena Impact Estimator and Tally. The life cycle impact results from both BIM tools, as well as the required workflows, are discussed and compared in order to validate results and identify the advantages and disadvantages of each. The results show that the implementation of the LCA method can be optimized in time and reliability by using the BIM process. Concerning the selected software, Tally has a better interoperability capability, userfriendly interface and a wider range of possible locations for the building. On the other hand, Athena Impact Estimator requires a detailed building characterisation to perform a comprehensive environmental impact assessment and has a broader materials database.(undefined

Integrating BIM-Based LCA and Building Sustainability Assessment

With the increasing concerns about building environmental impacts, building information modelling (BIM) has been used to perform different kinds of sustainability analysis. Among the most popular are the life cycle assessment (LCA) and building sustainability assessment (BSA). However, the integration of BIM-based LCA in BSA methods has not been adequately explored yet. This study addresses the relation between LCA and BSA within the BIM context for the Portuguese context. By performing an LCA for a Portuguese case study, a set of sustainability criteria from SBTool were simultaneous assessed during the process. The possibility of integrating BIM-based LCA into BSA methods can include more life cycle stages in the sustainability assessment and allow for normalising and producing more comparable results. BIM automates and connects different stages of the design process and provides information for multi-disciplinary data storage. However, there are still some constraints, such as different BSA/LCA databases and the necessity to manually introduce the embodied life cycle impacts of building materials. The scope of the BSA analysis can be expanded by integrating a complete LCA and be fostered by the support of BIM, effectively improving building sustainability according to local standards.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, grant number SFRH/BD/145735/201

A framework for modular and customizable software analysis

This paper presents a framework for the analysis of software artifacts. We revise and propose techniques that aid in the manipulation and combination of target-language specific tools, and in handling and controlling the results of such tools. We also propose to integrate under our framework techniques that are capable of performing language independent analyses. The final result of our work is an analysis environment that is modular and flexible and that allows easy and elegant implementations of complex analysis suites. We finally conduct a proof of concept for our framework by analyzing a well-known, widely used open-source software package.This work is partly funded by ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness) and by National Funds through the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within projects FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-010049, and FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022701

Implementação de um modelo de gestão de cuidados nos Serviços de Saúde Mental Portugueses: base conceptual

ABSTRACT - Case management implementation processes are one of the best examples on how an evidence-based practice can influence health services organisation. This practice helped shaping mental health teams, increasing their multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinary work in the last decades. Examples from several countries show how effectiveness research blends into health policy development to meet different needs in each health system, thus influencing case management inception and improvement of care. Portugal followed its own path in case management implementation, determined mostly by mental health services organisation and closely linked with the capacity to implement a national mental health policy in the last years.RESUMO - Os processos de implementação de um Modelo de Gestão de Cuidados são um dos melhores exemplos de como uma prática baseada na evidência pode influenciar a organização dos serviços de saúde. Esta prática ajudou a moldar as equipas de saúde mental nas últimas décadas, aumentando a sua multidisciplinaridade e o trabalho interdisciplinar. Os exemplos de vários países mostram como a investigação sobre a efectividade se harmoniza com o desenvolvimento de políticas de saúde para fazer face às diferentes necessidades de cada sistema de saúde, influenciando a implementação da gestão de cuidados e a melhoria de cuidados. Portugal seguiu o seu próprio caminho na implementação da gestão de cuidados, determinado maioritariamente pela organização de serviços associada à capacidade de implementar uma política nacional de saúde mental, nos últimos anos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Primary colon mantle lymphoma: a misleading macroscopic appearance!

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) of the colon is a rare entity, usually presenting as lymphomatous polyposis. We report the case of a 43-year-old male with an unusual colonic MCL in the form of a single exophytic and ulcerous lesion with necrotic areas associated with an ileo-cecal intussusception. The endoscopic appearance suggested adenocarcinoma. However, the diagnosis was made by histology and immunohistochemistry studies of the endoscopic biopsies