BIM based Material selection to reduce life cycle cost

Selecting building materials is an important decision in construction industry. This decision is always associated with significant environmental, economic, and social influences. Applying sustainability principles in construction decreases severe environmental impacts and maximizes quality and resources utilization while minimizing project cost and duration. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. LEED promotes a whole building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in key areas, which are: sustainable sites; water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environmental quality, locations and linkages, awareness and education, innovation in design.

Building Information modeling

BIM is the development and use of a computer software model to simulate the construction and operation of a facility (AGC, 2006). The resulting model, a building information model, is a data-rich, intelligent, and parametric digital representation of the facility, from which data appropriate to various users’ needs can be extracted and analyzed to generate information to make decisions and improve the process of facility delivery. BIM is a building industry development that represents a shift from electronic drafting to a model-based process. BIM is used to create a model that is not only a geometrical representation but also a representation with information and properties that can be used by project participants anytime and anywhere. The main concern of BIM is the development of an integrated model that can be used in all stages of a project’s life cycle. A BIM model has many uses, including:

1) it can be connected to time schedule;

2) it can be used to generate accurate shop drawings;

3) it performs quantity surveys and cost estimates; and

4) it can be used in facility management.

Framework for integrating BIM with green building

BIM is proposed to be used as a tool in selecting optimum building materials. The proposed methodology depends on integrating BIM with Genetic Algorithms (GA) Optimization in order to select the optimum building materials that achieve the requirements of Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and LEED rating system.

BIM Model

In order to utilize BIM as a tool in materials selection, a library of materials was developed and integrated with the BIM software. These materials are considered properties for the developed BIM model components and elements.

Optimization of BIM Model

In order to select optimum building materials, an optimization model was developed in MS Excel environment . The developed optimization model utilizes Genetic Algorithms (GA) to select the optimum building materials alternatives for three material type which are: concrete, building blocks,
and paints. The objective of this model is minimizing the total life cycle cost.

Integrating BIM with Optimization model

BIM is proposed to be integrated with GA optimization in order to select optimum building materials and obtaining an optimum BIM model which could be used by different project parties in various uses. In order to achieve this integration, BIM API(Application Programming Interface) has to be utilized. BIM API enables the extension of BIM package uses by creating new features and applications related to the 3D BIM by using several programming languages such as C# and Visual Basic.

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