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The conversion from building information modeling (BIM) to building energy modeling (BEM) based on the industry foundation classes (IFC) data standard is a crucial step for efficient building energy design and energy performance analysis. The scope encompasses analyzing limitations in existing BIM-to-BEM workflows and proposing an optimized strategy that addresses data loss and modeling inconsistencies. The research question revolves around enhancing conversion efficiency and precision, with the hypothesis validated through literature review, development of a conversion tool, and case study verification. The data collection and evaluation methods involve streamlining the conversion process by incorporating BIM model optimization, automatic repair of damaged geometric information, and automatic thermal zone division. The main findings reveal that the optimized strategy and tool significantly reduce information duplication, improve the precision of energy simulations, and validate the hypothesis, thereby contributing to more efficient and accurate building energy design and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient acquisition and dissemination of information are crucial in building information modeling (BIM). Current BIM models face significant challenges, including inadequate modeling techniques, poorly defined information requirements, and low interoperability. These issues result in poor information quality and complicate the transition from information acquisition to model processing. Public authorities often provide documentation in various formats, requiring manual transfer to software, which is error-prone and burdensome. This process is particularly difficult for small and medium enterprises lacking resources and knowledge. To address these issues, the IDS (Information Delivery Specification) Collab Tool is under development. This tool aims to automate the import of requirements into authoring software, perform automated compliance checks, and enhance interoperability among stakeholders. It will assist designers in providing accurate information according to requirements through the IDS standard, improving model quality and efficiency from early design stages. Adapting BIM models to specific project requirements and aligning new IDS capabilities with traditional industry practices remain significant challenges. Preliminary evaluations indicate the tool's potential to significantly improve workflow efficiency and compliance in BIM modeling. However, broader awareness and adoption of the IDS standard are needed. Further research and refinement are essential to fully realize the benefits of digital tools in revolutionizing design and construction practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address environmental challenges, the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industry, which is known for its high resource consumption and waste production, needs to switch to a circular economy (CE). This approach focuses on reducing, recycling, and reusing materials to narrow, slow, and close material loops. However, one of the main problems which the AECO industry is still facing is the lack of common, standardized, and automated procedures to consider the recyclability and presence of hazardous materials. To address this problem, this study focuses on extending the recyclability rate from the material to building scale, considering the presence of hazardous materials based on the European Waste Catalogue (EWC), hence defining a new KPI. It adopts Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) and integrates them with bespoke programming in Python to develop a standardized and automated procedure that complies with Italian regulations. The new KPI will help clients and designers to rate the overall recyclability of a building and to choose the best combination of materials and components. The procedure includes data acquisition, transmission, and data/model integration, resulting in practical and trackable measures that could be globally scalable. Scenario analyses are also developed to consider the impact of maintenance attitude on waste production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of complex file format conversion, weak data interoperability and low effective information utilization rate in the development and application of industry foundation classes(IFC) standard documents, an implementation method of IFC model data mapping to database, reconstruction of building information model(BIM) on Web side and online visualization analysis of information was proposed. Based on Web framework, the application framework of IFC standard file to relational database was built. Using JavaScript language for deep parsing of IFC standard files, using Python language to store IFC model data and effective information throughout the entire lifecycle of buildings in a relational database. Combining practical cases and analysis, the implementation effect of this application framework was demonstrated and verified. The results show that this method can realize the integrity and high efficiency of project data interaction and support the secondary development of related applications in the whole life cycle of buildings. At the same time, intelligent construction technology and scientific management are integrated to improve the effectiveness of BIM information management and promote the digital development and intelligent application expansion of the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion from building information modeling (BIM) to building energy modeling (BEM) based on the industry foundation classes (IFC) data standard is a crucial step for efficient building energy design and energy performance analysis. The scope encompasses analyzing limitations in existing BIM-to-BEM workflows and proposing an optimized strategy that addresses data loss and modeling inconsistencies. The research question revolves around enhancing conversion efficiency and precision, with the hypothesis validated through literature review, development of a conversion tool, and case study verification. The data collection and evaluation methods involve streamlining the conversion process by incorporating BIM model optimization, automatic repair of damaged geometric information, and automatic thermal zone division. The main findings reveal that the optimized strategy and tool significantly reduce information duplication, improve the precision of energy simulations, and validate the hypothesis, thereby contributing to more efficient and accurate building energy design and analysis.

The efficient acquisition and dissemination of information are crucial in building information modeling (BIM). Current BIM models face significant challenges, including inadequate modeling techniques, poorly defined information requirements, and low interoperability. These issues result in poor information quality and complicate the transition from information acquisition to model processing. Public authorities often provide documentation in various formats, requiring manual transfer to software, which is error-prone and burdensome. This process is particularly difficult for small and medium enterprises lacking resources and knowledge. To address these issues, the IDS (Information Delivery Specification) Collab Tool is under development. This tool aims to automate the import of requirements into authoring software, perform automated compliance checks, and enhance interoperability among stakeholders. It will assist designers in providing accurate information according to requirements through the IDS standard, improving model quality and efficiency from early design stages. Adapting BIM models to specific project requirements and aligning new IDS capabilities with traditional industry practices remain significant challenges. Preliminary evaluations indicate the tool’s potential to significantly improve workflow efficiency and compliance in BIM modeling. However, broader awareness and adoption of the IDS standard are needed. Further research and refinement are essential to fully realize the benefits of digital tools in revolutionizing design and construction practices.

To address environmental challenges, the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industry, which is known for its high resource consumption and waste production, needs to switch to a circular economy (CE). This approach focuses on reducing, recycling, and reusing materials to narrow, slow, and close material loops. However, one of the main problems which the AECO industry is still facing is the lack of common, standardized, and automated procedures to consider the recyclability and presence of hazardous materials. To address this problem, this study focuses on extending the recyclability rate from the material to building scale, considering the presence of hazardous materials based on the European Waste Catalogue (EWC), hence defining a new KPI. It adopts Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) and integrates them with bespoke programming in Python to develop a standardized and automated procedure that complies with Italian regulations. The new KPI will help clients and designers to rate the overall recyclability of a building and to choose the best combination of materials and components. The procedure includes data acquisition, transmission, and data/model integration, resulting in practical and trackable measures that could be globally scalable. Scenario analyses are also developed to consider the impact of maintenance attitude on waste production.

Collaborative work processes from the perspective of Building Information Modeling demand technical and organizational information requirements from managers. In response, data schema Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) has been making significant entities and domain inclusions with a semantic level capable of supporting OpenBIM interoperability throughout the project lifecycle. This paper applies Design Science Research methodology to explore how the IFC should be specified so that BIM actors can meet the representation context of a project translating data through Inheritance Diagrams, which offer auxiliary contributions. The Protocol developed to address the research problem revealed that some information requirements had not been met, as the universe of optional data in the schema is broad. Therefore, an artifact is created to fully meet the demand and is validated by different software. This reveals that the insertion of data can be performed to meet the desired interoperability and stands a valuable tool for BIM actors. • IfcProject specifies 3 main frameworks: Identification; Financial; Geometric and Unit • The mapping of potentially semantic data aimed at specifying Project representation • The 3D tree presents the logic in which IFC data architecture was conceived • Inheritance diagrams help clarify the theoretical foundation of the IFC schema • Graphs represent mechanisms capable of assisting humans in understanding the SPF file [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing an economical and reliable steel mold for precast concrete (PC) components can accelerate the promotion of prefabricated buildings. This paper presents an automated design framework for a steel mold of PC components to generate manufacturing information, including dimensions and location of each plate. The profile and dimensions of PC components are extracted from the shop drawings, and a finite element model of the steel mold is established and initialized. A multi-objective optimization model considering material usage and manufacturing convenience is developed to determine the geometry and quantity of plates in steel molds. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is applied to obtain a Pareto solution set for steel mold design. The production information in DXF format can be automatically generated by parsing Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) model. The cost-effectivity and practicality of the proposed framework were verified via the design case for a real PC stair mold. • An automated design framework is developed for steel mold of precast concrete components. • The mold design is modeled as multi-objective optimization model considering material and manufacturing cost. • Design parameters are extracted from shop drawings to automatically establish a parametric finite element geometric model. • The NSGA-II method performs better than MOEA/D and SPEA2 algorithms in terms of solution diversity and computing efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]