Integrating BIM and New Rules of Measurement for Embodied energy and CO2 assessment

Embodied energy/CO2 computational models can help decision-makers choose appropriate technologies, building materials, systems and processes that minimize impacts on the environment. While existing models have been great in the assessment process, they often suffer from two main weaknesses. Firstly, models exist in silos and only fit for computing individual material type at any one time. Secondly, computational results obtained from most models are not aligned to standard measurement methods used in practice. In this study, a system that can automate the computation of embodied energy/CO2 of buildings and aligns the results to the UK New Rules of Measurement (NRM) has been proposed. The developed system was tested using case study houses with known dimensions. It allows the simultaneous determination of embodied energy/CO2 and cost and aligns the results to the UK NRM concepts. This is useful for simultaneously determining the environmental impact of building components and their corresponding costs

Energy savings and economic benefits of transition towards efficient lighting in residential buildings in Cameroon

Lighting accounts for over 20% of electricity use in the residential sector of Cameroon. Due to the unreliable and inadequate energy supply in the country, there is a need for the efficient utilization of the available energy. This paper presents the current different technologies used for artificial lighting including the economic and environmental benefits associated with a switch from incandescent lighting to compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and light emitting diode (LED) in residential dwellings in Buea, Cameroon. The study employed a survey of 100 residential dwellings in Buea. Results of the survey revealed that artificial lighting in dwellings is achieved through the use of the following technologies: incandescent lamps, CFLs and fluorescent tubes. The economic assessment for the substitution of incandescent lamps with CFL and LED considering an average daily lighting duration of six hours was also conducted using the net present value (NPV), benefit cost ratio (BCR), the simple payback period (PBP) and a life cycle cost analysis (LCC). The economic assessment revealed an NPV that ranges from $47 to$282.02, a BCR of 1.84 and a PBP of 0.17 year for the substitution of current incandescent lamps in dwellings with CFL while the substitution of incandescent lamps with LED revealed an NPV of the range $89.14 to$370, a BCR of 3.18 and a PBP of 1.92 years. The LED and incandescent technologies emerged with the lowest and highest LCC respectively. Substituting incandescent lamps with CFL and LED results in a reduction in lighting related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dwellings by 66.6% and 83.3% respectively. From the results, a transition towards efficient lighting in the residential sector of Cameroon possesses great economic and environmental benefits. There is need for the government of Cameroon to expedite the uptake of LED through the formulation and implementation of favourable policies

BIM for FM: Input versus Output data

In the last decade, the implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in facilities management has significantly increased among practitioners. This has largely been due to the noticeable BIM capability in collecting, capturing and generating data/information during the lifecycle of assets through Open data standards such as the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and specifications such as the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie). However, accuracies of data and interoperability between facilities management and BIM software systems are still the main challenges for facilities managers. Thus existing applications of BIM for facilities management often output data that does not satisfy the facilities management requirements. Furthermore, the existing frameworks for overcoming the interoperability are generally inclined towards software oriented or theoretical procedures. The purpose of this paper is to develop BIM ‐ based guidelines, which enable to integrate data between the facilities and BIM software systems to keep the data accurate and ensure the outputs achieve the required data/information for facilities management. To achieve the aim of the study, a critical review of peer‐reviewed literature in BIM‐ facilities management and a case study are conducted. The critical review discusses the challenges, gaps and linking approaches of the peer‐reviewed studies about BIM‐facilities management integration. The case study is to assess the suitability of integrating a building modelling tool (e.g. Revit), Open data specification (COBie) and a facility management tool (e.g. Ecodomus) for exchanging data between BIM and facilities management environments. This paper provides practical evidence of both the challenges and the benefits of BIM in facilities management applications and also provides the requirements for successful proprietary middleware for BIM-FM interoperability

A feasibility study of a residential photovoltaic system in Cameroon

This paper presents a feasibility study of stand-alone solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for the electrification of three residential case study buildings (T4, T5 and T6) in the capital city of Yaoundé, Cameroon. The system was sized taking into account the load of the buildings and the available energy from the sun. The power, area of PV modules and daily energy generated by the PV for T4, T5 and T6 were respectively determined as: 2103 W, 14 m2 and 9.8 kW h/day; 3779 W, 25.2 m2 and 17.6 kW h/day; and 2766 W, 18.4 m2 and 12.9 kW h/day. The battery bank capacity, size of inverter and controller were respectively obtained as: 40,323 W h, 635 W and 93 A for T4; 72,433 W h, 795 W and 156 A for T5; and 53,017 W h, 826 W and 114 A for T6. The life cycle cost and annualized life cycle cost (ALCC) of the systems were respectively found to be: €15,714 and €1039 for T4; €27,227and €1800 for T5; and €20,006 and €1322 for T6. The average unit electricity cost for T4, T5 and T6 was respectively determined to be €0.52 kW h−1, €0.50 kW h−1 and €0.51 kW h−1, higher than the unit cost of residential grid electricity in Cameroon

Outlining a new collaborative business model as a result of the green Building Information Modelling impact in the AEC supply chain

BIM (Building Information Modelling) technological push has enabled to integrate the design/construction outcomes of 3D-CAD along the product/service AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) SC (supply chain) through an intelligent DMS (Data Management System) based on standard and interoperable data formats. The proposed end-to-end approach overcomes a typical AEC gap, enables the operationalisation of the sustainable/green building LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and puts together new collaborative relationships with the owner, among SC stakeholders and with new forms of BIM procurement. The outlined collaborative business model is based on the Quality Control and Assurance framework and provides conceptual consistency to the reintroduction of the owner concerns/satisfaction in the SC, as well as enables consistent and accountable relationships between (smart)materials procurement and building specification. An expert’s focus group carried out a preliminary check of the model’s interest/applicability, resulting in recommendations for its further detailing and for propositions development into a systematic enquiring process.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

BIM based value for money assessment in public-private partnership

New urbanization approaches aligned with public- private partnership (PPP) which arose in the early 1990s, have become acceptable and even better solutions to outstanding urban municipal constructions. However, PPPs are still problematic regarding value for money (VFM) process which is the main driving force to deliver public services. The current VFM structure requires an integrated platform to manage multi-performance and collaborative relationship in project life-cycles. Building information modelling (BIM), a popular approach to the procurement in AEC sectors, provides the potential to ensure VFM while also working in tandem with the semantic approach to holistically measure the life cycle performance. This paper suggests that BIM applied to the PPP life cycle could support decision-making regarding VFM and thus meet service targets