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Safety risk identification throughout deep excavation construction is an information-intensive task, involving construction information scattered in project planning documentation and dynamic information obtained from different field sensors. However, inefficient information integration and exchange have been an important obstacle to the development of automatic safety risk identification in actual applications. This research aims to achieve the requirements for information integration and exchange by developing a semantic industry foundation classes (IFC) data model based on a central database of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in dynamic deep excavation process. Construction information required for risk identification in dynamic deep excavation is analyzed. The relationships among construction information are identified based on the semantic IFC data model, involved relationships (i.e., logical relationships and constraints among risk events, risk factors, construction parameters, and construction phases), and BIM elements. Furthermore, an automatic safety risk identification approach is presented based on the semantic data model, and it is tested through a construction risk identification prototype established under the BIM environment. Results illustrate the effectiveness of the BIM-based central database in accelerating automatic safety risk identification by linking BIM elements and required construction information corresponding to the dynamic construction process.

Building information modelling (BIM) is the first step towards the implementation of the industrial revolution 4.0, in which virtual reality and digital twins are key elements. At present, buildings are responsible for 40% of the energy consumption in Europe and, so, there is a growing interest in reducing their energy use. In this context, proper interoperability between BIM and building energy model (BEM) is paramount for integrating the digital world into the construction sector and, therefore, increasing competitiveness by saving costs. This paper evaluates whether there is an automated or semi-automated BIM to BEM workflow that could improve the building design process. For this purpose, a residential building and a warehouse are constructed using the same BIM authoring tool (Revit), where two open schemas were used: green building extensible markup language (gbXML) and industry foundation classes (IFC). These transfer files were imported into software compatible with the EnergyPlus engine—Design Builder, Open Studio, and CYPETHERM HE—in which simulations were performed. Our results showed that the energy models were built up to 7.50% smaller than in the BIM and with missing elements in their thermal envelope. Nevertheless, the materials were properly transferred to gbXML and IFC formats. Moreover, the simulation results revealed a huge difference in values between the models generated by the open schemas, in the range of 6 to 900 times. Overall, we conclude that there exists a semi-automated workflow from BIM to BEM which does not work well for big and complex buildings, as they present major problems when creating the energy model. Furthermore, most of the issues encountered in BEM were errors in the transfer of BIM data to gbXML and IFC files. Therefore, we emphasise the need to improve compatibility between BIM and model exchange formats by their developers, in order to promote BIM–BEM interoperability.

Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is a complete, wide and complex open standard data model to represent Building Information Models. Big efforts are being made by the standardization organization buildingSMART, to develop and maintain this standard in collaboration with researchers, companies and institutions. However, when trying to use IFC models from practice for automatic analysis, some issues emerge, as a consequence of a misalignment between what is prescribed by, or available in, the standard with the data sets that are produced in practice. In this study, a sample of models produced by practitioners for aims different from their explicit use within automatic processing tools is inspected and analyzed. The aim is to find common patterns in data set from practice and their possible discrepancies with the standard, in order to find ways to address such discrepancies in a next step. In particular, it is noticeable that the overall quality of the models requires specific additional care by the modellers before relying on them for automatic analysis, and a high level of variability is present concerning the storage of some relevant information (such as georeferencing).

Digital Twins (DT) are powerful tools to support asset managers in the operation and maintenance of cognitive buildings. Building Information Models (BIM) are critical for Asset Management (AM), especially when used in conjunction with Internet of Things (IoT) and other asset data collected throughout a building&rsquo, s lifecycle. However, information contained within BIM models is usually outdated, inaccurate, and incomplete as a result of unclear geometric and semantic data modelling procedures during the building life cycle. The aim of this paper is to develop an openBIM methodology to support dynamic AM applications with limited as-built information availability. The workflow is based on the use of the IfcSharedFacilitiesElements schema for processing the geometric and semantic information of both existing and newly created Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) objects, supporting real-time data integration. The methodology is validated using the West Cambridge DT Research Facility data, demonstrating good potential in supporting an asset anomaly detection application. The proposed workflow increases the automation of the digital AM processes, thanks to the adoption of BIM-IoT integration tools and methods within the context of the development of a building DT.

The IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) open format has been developed by BuildingSMART and regularized through ISO standards. It has been implemented into a BIM (Building Information Modeling) informative system for the AEC industry (Architecture Engineering and Construction). The IFC format has changed interoperability processes concerning architectural and technical entities in a semantic way. However, because this standard open format was specifically designed for the modern AEC industry, it may not cater to the demands of cultural heritage assets. Since IFC classification is fundamental for informative systems, it should become a standard also concerning heritage assets, even if nowadays there is no regularized IFC classification for historical existing buildings. Specific cultural heritage peculiarities therefore need semantic classification based on historical asset families. For this reason, this work is based on a proposal and experimental IFC classification implemented inside an HBIM open source software (FreeCAD), whereby limitations of IFC standards can be overcome thanks to the freedom of access to libraries and codes. Moreover, this work is based on IFC objects management outside the platform for interoperability purposes.

In the preparation of drawings and documents required for a licensing process, the main problem is the duplication of work in creating design drawings and Building Information Modeling (BIM) models. To overcome this problem, BIM authoring tools provide a drawing generation function. However, it is difficult to use it in a construction project involving multiple actors using different authoring tools for each design actor. Owing to these problems, the drawing generation program, which is based the on the industry foundation classes (IFC) concept is not limited to the authoring tools used in the project, and it is intended to minimize duplication by outputting drawings in dwg and pdf formats. In this study, the IFC data structure required for generating drawings was analyzed and drawing elements on the basis of the shape and attribute information, certain drawing elements were output as 3D scenes in order to obtain detailed plan, elevation, cross-section, and structural drawings, which are required for an IFC-based licensing process. In addition, 2D drawings were generated through post-processing for obtaining drawing-level outputs. On the basis of BIM design guidelines, it was found that the information required in license drawings can be minimized, and the license licensing process can be based on a separate BIM technology. In other words, based on the licensing environment in Korea, the effectiveness of the automatic 2D drawing generation program was verified through a comparative analysis on the basis of the drawings and information required by assuming that a specific set of drawing elements were required in the existing licensing process and for BIM-based licensing. Furthermore, it was examined whether books required in the licensing process can be replaced by a parking lot plan that can be submitted through a BIM-technology-based legality review system.

In the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, creating an indoor model of existing buildings has been a challenging task since the introduction of building information modeling (BIM). Because the process of BIM is primarily manual and implies a high possibility of error, the automated creation of indoor models remains an ongoing research. In this paper, we propose a fully automated method to generate 2D floorplan computer-aided designs (CADs) from 3D point clouds. The proposed method consists of two main parts. The first is to detect planes in buildings, such as walls, floors, and ceilings, from unstructured 3D point clouds and to classify them based on the Manhattan-World (MW) assumption. The second is to generate 3D BIM in the industry foundation classes (IFC) format and a 2D floorplan CAD using the proposed line-detection algorithm. We experimented the proposed method on 3D point cloud data from a university building, residential houses, and apartments and evaluated the geometric quality of a wall reconstruction. We also offer the source code for the proposed method on GitHub.

During data sharing and exchange of building projects, the particular business task generally requires a part of the complete model. This paper adopted XML schema to develop a generic language to extract the partial model from an Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) model based on the proposed Selection Set (called PMESS). In this method, the Selection Set was used to integrate users&rsquo, requirements, which could be mapped into IFC data. To ensure the validity of the generated partial IFC models in syntax and semantics, seven rules&mdash, including three basic rules for a valid IFC file, three extraction rules based on the Selection Set, and a processing rule for redundant information&mdash, were defined. Through defining PMESS-based configuration files, the required data can be extracted and formed as a partial IFC model. Compared with the existing methods, the proposed PMESS method can flexibly extract the user-defined required information. In addition, these PMESS-based configuration files can be stored as templates and reused in other tasks, which prevents duplicated work for defining extraction requirements. Finally, a practical project was used to illustrate the utility of the proposed method.

This study describes the technical-systemic and conceptual-informative interoperability tests for the integration of a Historic Building Information Modeling (HBIM) model in a 3D Geographic Information System (GIS) environment aimed to provide complete and useful documentation for multiscale analyses on cultural heritage particularly exposed to risks. The case study of the San Lorenzo Church in Norcia (Italy) has been chosen given the urgent need to update the existing documentation for its protection and conservation issues, due to the extensive damage suffered after the series of earthquakes that occurred in central Italy starting from summer 2016. Different tests to evaluate two levels of conceptual interoperability (technical and semantic) when importing the HBIM model into a GIS environment were performed, whether with commercial software or with open source ones (ArcGIS Pro and QGIS, respectively). A data integration platform (Feature Manipulation Engine, FME) has been used for converting the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) data format into the GML (Geography Markup Language) format, in order to obtain a unique and unified model and vocabulary for the 3D GIS project, structured with different levels of detail, according to CityGML standard. Finally, as HBIM-GIS integration is considered, the loss of geometric and informative data has been taken into account and evaluated.

Generally, building information modelling (BIM) models contain multiple dimensions of building information, including building design data, construction information, and maintenance-related contents, which are related with different engineering stakeholders. Efficient extraction of BIM data is a necessary and vital step for various data analyses and applications, especially in large-scale BIM projects. In order to extract BIM data, multiple query languages have been developed. However, the use of these query languages for data extraction usually requires that engineers have good programming skills, flexibly master query language(s), and fully understand the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) express schema or the ontology expression of the IFC schema (ifcOWL). These limitations have virtually increased the difficulties of using query language(s) and raised the requirements on engineers&rsquo, essential knowledge reserves in data extraction. In this paper, we develop a simple method for automatic SPARQL (SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language) query generation to implement effective data extraction. Based on the users&rsquo, data requirements, we match users&rsquo, requirements with ifcOWL ontology concepts or instances, search the connected relationships among query keywords based on semantic BIM data, and generate the user-desired SPARQL query. We demonstrate through several case studies that our approach is effective and the generated SPARQL queries are accurate.

For many years, the objective of spatial databases created using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology was to provide information about large spaces and areas outside of buildings. Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology focused mainly on small spaces, indoor and outdoor, targeted at other users and slightly different applications, was developed simultaneously for several dozen years. The significant development of GIS technology and new tools for quick data acquisition (e.g., laser scanning) and growing user needs resulted in the geoinformation modeling of the space inside buildings as well. BIM, on the other hand, began to be used for increasingly larger spaces outside buildings. Technology developers, users, and scientists started to notice that works turned out to be repetitive and that combining two different technologies is necessary, however, it is not simple. The research presented in the article is another attempt at connecting the world of BIM and GIS. The proposed integrated database environment of BIM/GIS spatial data makes it possible to store GIS and BIM data, enabling the use of the same data by both types of systems simultaneously and in a consistent manner. This allows BIM systems to to obtain simultaneous access to BIM and GIS data, which may be needed in, for example, the process of analyzing a building and its immediate surroundings. At the same time, GIS can obtain up-to-date building data necessary for spatial analyses, building management, or route mapping in navigation applications. The concept proposed in this article assumes a pragmatic approach, which is based on sharing Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and CityGML schemas from a single database for BIM and GIS applications in their practically original form using an additional integrated BIM-GIS schema, called BIGI-S. The research joins some other works in this field, complementing them and adding a new perspective. This paper describes the concept of this solution, including specific data structures, data conversion algorithms, and a prototype solution. The tests carried out by the authors prove the robustness of the adopted concept and its technical feasibility.

Building information modeling (BIM) has been widely applied in conjunction with the industry foundation class (IFC) for buildings and infrastructure such as railways. However, a limitation of the BIM technology presents limitations that make designing the three-dimensional (3D) alignment-based information models difficult. Thus, the time and effort required to create a railway track model are increased, while the reliability of the model is reduced. In this study, we propose a methodology for developing an alignment-based independent railway track model and extended IFC models containing railway alignment information. The developed algorithm using BIM software tools allows for a discontinuous structure to be designed. The 3D alignment information connects different BIM software tools, and the classification system and IFC schema for expressing railway tracks are extended. Moreover, the classification system is fundamental for assigning IFC entities to railway components. Spatial and hierarchical entities were created through a developed user interface. The proposed methodology was implemented in an actual railway track test. The possibility of managing IFC-based railway track information, including its 3D alignment information, was confirmed. The proposed methodology can reduce the modeling time and can be extended to other alignment-based structures, such as roads.

The integration of building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information system (GIS) is attracting more attention than ever due to its potential benefits for both the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) domain and the geospatial industry. The main challenge in BIM and GIS integrated application comes from the fundamental data conversion, especially for the geometric information. BIM and GIS use different modeling paradigms to represent objects. The BIM dataset takes, for example, Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) that use solid models, such as boundary representation (B-Rep), swept solid, constructive solid geometry (CSG), and clipping, while the GIS dataset mainly uses surface models or B-Rep. The fundamental data conversion between BIM and GIS is the foundation of BIM and GIS integrated application. However, the efficiency of data conversion has been greatly impaired by the human intervention needed, especially for the conversion of the clipping geometry. The goal of this study is to automate the conversion of IFC clipping representation into the shapefile format. A process-level approach was developed with an algorithm for instantiating unbounded half spaces using B-Rep. Four IFC models were used to validate the proposed method. The results show that (1) the proposed approach can successfully automate the conversion of IFC clipping representation into the shapefile format, and (2) increasing boundary size has no effect on the file size of unbounded half spaces, but slightly increases the producing time of half spaces and processing time of building components. The efficiency of this study can be further improved by using an open-source package, instead of using the low-efficiency packages provided by ArcGIS.

The industry foundation classes (IFC) data model is the most important data schema in ensuring the interoperability of the information generated throughout the lifecycle of facilities. However, because the current IFC model is focused on buildings, there are limitations when this model is applied to bridge structures. This paper proposes a method that enables the information modeling of steel box girder bridges based on the current IFC. To select the required and core items, we classify the components of a steel box girder bridge by the design stage with reference to engineering documents. To generate functional meanings of each bridge component, we develop the rules of the unique identifier and information reassignment, and then apply a semi-automated naming algorithm. The generated bridge information model was used to confirm the functional semantic meanings of individual components, and it was checked whether additional external information, such as carbon emissions, could be linked for specific bridge components. It was observed that information retrieval and extraction for components is possible through a semantic-based query to the generated IFC-based bridge information model.

The construction process plays a key role in sustainable development of the environment. With the concept of sustainable construction being put forward in the world, some countries released green construction standards to strengthen the requirements in the construction phase. Green construction code checking needs to integrate semantic information embedded in green construction standards and model information involved in Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and/or Model View Definition (MVD), which are generated separately and lead to difficulty in information integration for green construction code checking. At present, the existing code-checking methods cannot be directly used for green construction. Related practitioners need an efficient and convenient method for green construction code checking urgently. To ameliorate this situation, this research proposes an innovative approach to organize, store, and re-use green construction knowledge by combining mvdXML and semantic technologies. The code checking of green construction is classified into four types based on the difficulty level to meet the requirements of the clauses in green construction standard. Depending on the characteristics of each inspection type, mvdXML or semantic technology is adopted for the appropriate inspection type. This paper demonstrates the deployment and validation of such automated checking procedures in a case study. Based on these experiences, a detailed discussion about the identified issues is provided as the starting point for future research.