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t has been observed during earthquakes that the soft-storey failure of an upper floor of a building results in large impact load acting on structural members of the lower storeys. It may further lead to progressive collapse of the whole structure substantially intensifying human losses and material damages. The aim of this paper is to show the results of a numerical analysis focused on the behaviour of multi-storey steel frame building that suffers from a soft-storey failure under ground motion excitation. A numerical model of the structure was created in FEM computer software and was exposed to an impact that would have been generated after a soft-storey failure due to falling of the upper floors. During the analysis, the whole structure was exposed to ground motion excitation and different moments have been chosen for the impact so as to estimate the most critical moment for the structure. The results of the study show that not only the value of the impact force is crucial but also the moment when the impact occurs. This is due to the fact that horizontal deflection of the supporting members (steel columns) varies during the time of the excitation. It has been observed that the most critical moment for the building for being subjected to a vertical impact is when the horizontal deflection is close to its peak.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a technology designed to improve and integrate all engineering aspects in the construction design process. Tools that incorporate the idea of BIM are becoming more advanced and also more popular. Available software solutions have already reached an assumable high level of development, but still are not as widespread and used on nearly as many construction projects as could be expected. Therefore the aim of this paper is to show the advantages and limitations of BIM by looking at projects of small and middle sized buildings from the conventional (2D) and BIM approach perspective. The study was based on the present projects executed in Poland and first-hand experience. In addition, the paper also presents a literature review and the results of a survey on the level of knowledge and scope of BIM technology application in Pomerania (Poland). The results of the study indicate that, against common opinion, BIM software is not only useful for large investments, but can also be recommended for the design of small and middle sized buildings. Presented case study reveals, that the use of BIM in smaller projects also provides significant advantages, especially in the context of time consumed for the design process.