Employment of Semantic Web Technologies for Capturing Comprehensive Parametric Building Models

Semantic-rich 3D parametric models, like Building Information Models (BIMs) are becoming the main information source during the entire lifespan of an asset. The use of BIM in existing buildings has been hampered by the challenges surrounding the limitations of existing technologies for developing retrofit models. Some progress has been recently made in generating non-parametric models from the Point Cloud Data (PCD). However, a proper fully developed parametric model is still some way away. In this paper, challenges are addressed by reviewing the state-of-the-art before presenting our approach. The aim of our approach is to apply the Semantic Web Technologies for generating parametric models using PCD as primary data. The Semantic Web as a set of standards and technologies is used for providing an appropriate framework for storing, sharing, and reusing the semantics of information on the web. Building elements are recognized in PCD, and the concept of Resource Description Framework (RDF) as a Semantic Web technology and a standard model for interchanging the data on the web is then used to markup detected elements. The RDF data is then standardized to Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) as an open standard building data model to generate the parametric model of the asset utilizing BIM software that supports IFC. Some parts of this ongoing research are performed manually, and the future work is to implement the process automatically. Primary results are quite promising and should be of interest to the modeling of all kinds of assets, in particular, Historical Building Information Modelling (HBIM).

Information and communication technology (ICT) has changed and continues to change almost every aspect of our daily lives. Our personal lives, social interactions, educational systems, business atmosphere, and corporate culture-everything has changed in one way or another due to advances in the field of ICT. The construction industry is no exception. ICT provides an unprecedented opportunity as well as enormous challenges to the construction industry.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a globally adapted methodology by government organisations and builders who conceive the integration of the organisation, planning, development and the digital construction model into a single project. In the case of a heritage building, the Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) approach is able to cover the comprehensive restoration of the building. In contrast to BIM applied to new buildings, HBIM can address different models which represent either periods of historical interpretation, restoration phases or records of heritage assets over time. Great efforts are currently being made to automatically reconstitute the geometry of cultural heritage elements from data acquisition techniques such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) or Structure From Motion (SfM) into BIM (Scan-to-BIM). Hence, this work advances on the parametric modelling from remote sensing point cloud data, which is carried out under the Rhino+Grasshopper-ArchiCAD combination. This workflow enables the automatic conversion of TLS and SFM point cloud data into textured 3D meshes and thus BIM objects to be included in the HBIM project. The accuracy assessment of this workflow yields a standard deviation value of 68.28 pixels, which is lower than other author’s precision but suffices for the automatic HBIM of the case study in this research.

Implementation of BIM + WebGIS Based on Extended IFC and Batched 3D Tiles Data: An Application in RCC Gravity Dam for Republication of Design Change Model

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a revolutionary stride of technology in the orthodox construction and procedures in conventional Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry which is stressed upon for its delay on embracing new technologies. The strength of BIM has been disvalued in the eyes of many professionals, to think of BIM as just another ‘software’ which is in reality, a ‘process’ of attaining an outstanding collaboration among each and every stakeholder throughout a project’s life cycle. Hence, the philosophy of Supply Chain Management (SCM) in a construction project can be achieved effectively with the BIM’s promise of flexible and transparent interaction among Construction Supply Chain (CSC) contributors. However, the complexities in CSC of a conservative setup has been more composite with the intervention of BIM. Consequently, the BIM project stakeholders have encountered complications on the effective application of BIM on CSC while reaching the envisioned goals of BIM. Thus, the intention of this study is to develop a foreseeable information flow model related to construction supply chain in a BIM aided project. In order to attain the aim, an extensive literature synthesis was piloted to develop a conceptual informational flow model among CSC stakeholders of a BIM project. This contemporary research outlines that the CSC of a BIM project is much interactive and flexible with its collaborative effort of stakeholders when compared to the clashes among professionals in traditional setups. In a practical context, the roles and duties of BIM project stakeholders identified in BIM standards, have slightly differed due to real-world complications in construction industry. Besides that, BIM standards have laid down charismatic arrangements on information flows among BIM project stakeholders, which is in reality, a complex and random setup. Hence, the research outcome has successfully answered the complications by laying down guidelines for any outsider to the BIM field to recognise what would be the contribution of each stakeholder throughout the BIM project’s life cycle.

Decentralization and a lack of integration in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry are some of the main challenges for project management in green building construction. To address this problem, many construction companies have attempted to use building information modelling (BIM) to coordinate and optimize the management of green building projects. However, the research on successfully adopting and using BIM in interdisciplinary teams working on green building projects is limited; moreover, comprehensive comparisons across different countries and regions are lacking. Therefore, this study conducts a novel investigation of the key factors affecting the use of BIM in project management for green building construction through case studies in the UK and China. This study uses semi-structured interviews, Python-based term frequency analysis and thematic analysis to identify five key themes, namely, communication, data environment, motivation, project members and policy, which influence the adoption and implementation of BIM. In addition, based on gained insights, the impacts of different green building certification levels on BIM project management during the construction phase must be fully considered. These findings provide practical recommendations for BIM management in green building construction projects and contribute to the field of construction management.

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector is widely recognized as one of the most promising application fields for Augmented Reality (AR). Building Information Models (BIM) and in particular the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data format are another main technology driver increasingly used for data sharing and communication purposes in the AEC sector (Koo & Fischer 2000). For example, the Finnish state owned facility management company Senate Properties demands use of IFC compatible software and BIM in all their projects (Senate 2007).

Building information model (BIM) is a new emergence in the field of Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, which facilitates detailed digital representation of a building. The BIM archetype describes the details of a building in the Industry Foundation Class (IFC), which is a platform-agnostic, open data model developed by buildingSMART. The BIM data model embeds interoperability and querying facility among its principal traits in support of the AEC industry. The building information is also required by domains outside the AEC industry, to develop a wide variety of applications such as smart building and indoor navigation systems. In such cases, the IFC data model falls short in supporting interaction with applications of external domains other than AEC. The proposed work is aimed to perform a study on various efforts undertaken in the integration of BIM model with external domain querying and reasoning systems, to retrieve details from underlying building models.

ISO19650 has been developed to standardize the organization and digitization of information in the construction industry. It is used primarily to guide the implementation of building information modeling (BIM) and proposes an adaptation of traditional work processes towards more collaborative approaches across the entire lifecycle of built assets. While the use of BIM is increasingly common during design and construction, the use of BIM for facility management (FM) is still an emerging practice. As such, many questions still abound around information management practices during this phase namely with information handover between construction and operations. ISO 19650 provides some insight into this process. This paper discusses a case study of the challenges faced by Quebec construction industry stakeholders in the production and handover of digital information intended for facility management (FM) using ISO 19650 as a framework. The main objective of this research is to understand the potential and impact of ISO 19650 in the Canadian context. Data gathering was done through surveys, and the analysis of project information flows. Results intend to help the construction and facility management industries develop an integrated strategy for BIM implementation within the political, economic, and legal context of Quebec. The results could help stakeholders acknowledge this disruption, identify how it affects their work process and suggest ways to address potential obstacles standing in the way of fluid information management with the framework of ISO 19650.

Indoor navigation supported by the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC): A survey

Cobb's Paradox (Bourne, 2011) asks: 'We know why projects fail; we know how to prevent their failure-so why do they still fail?' This study immerses itself into a major Australian IT project in order to unearth the drivers of project failure. Several new and novel findings have emerged. Using Multi-Grounded Theory this research has developed models and rich descriptions of new phenomena. The phenomena identified in this research, are drawn from social psychology and economic theory and highlight the issues of project execution as a social undertaking. This paper addresses one of those findings, namely the lack of domain expertise by senior management and vendor representatives. This paper examines the consequences of 'actors-working-in-organisations' (Manning, 2008, p. 678) and in particular looking at individual interactions, decisions and consequences (Goffman, 1959) through the lens of the Kruger-Dunning Effect (1999).

<p>Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been increasingly expanding its application to different fields of civil engineering and Historic building information modelling (HBIM) is an example of that. Although, the concept has already drawn the attention of several researchers, there are still many limitations to a full and holistic process that may take HBIM to the same level of applicability that BIM used for new construction has.</p><p>Traditionally, assessment of existing structures, specially heritage structures, begin with the documentation of all important information dealing with the history, characteristics, type, material, uses and applied techniques, among other relevant information that may be retrieved by different sources. Further on, a geometrical survey accompanied with visual inspection and non or semi destructive testing leads to the geometry definition of the structure and to its condition (damage/defects) mapping. All of this information, must be analysed for consequent structural assessment and after stored in a proper database in order to monitor the condition change of the structure along time.</p><p>This paper, presents a framework for use of BIM in rehabilitation and assessment of the built heritage, based on the review of recent works, as to allow a better understanding of the potential for the management of important and significant structures. The paper deals with the dilemma of bringing what a “traditional” assessment can see to how intangible information may be applied.</p>

In contemporary building practice, the hegemony of 2D-based design communication is gradually being challenged by the possibilities offered by integrated 3D design environments and digital interfaces. The upcoming application of building information modeling (BIM) offers a way out of the current Babylonian plurality of non-compatible modeling-languages in order to push software developers and users to convert towards one common industry standard for data exchange. It is a clear aim of those propagating the use of BIM to strengthen the interaction of design teams and to assist facilities management through common standards for increased interoperability and data-management from the early design stage to completion and operation of a building. Current BIM capabilities rather seem to lie in the area of design documentation and post-design rationalization than triggering new design solutions. This paper sheds light on the status-quo of BIM and questions how designers can complement the current BIM capabilities to increase design-communication and a more seamless flow of information between various parties in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC).

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is currently being used by the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in Malaysia. It has been introduced by the Director of Public Works Department (PWD) in 2007 to reduce construction costs and avoid design problems. BIM utilization in construction can detect any clash analysis during the design stage, improves efficiency of project scheduling, reduce costs and ensure high quality of the project as well as facilitate communication among construction players. Since it has been introduced by the PWD, several projects have been constructed and being constructed using BIM and one of the project is The National Cancer Institute (NCI). The project is owned by the Malaysian government. This paper discusses the application of BIM in the project, the first project launched by the Malaysian government. A literature review was conducted to explore previous BIM studies on the history of BIM, benefits and importance, barriers and challenges as well as existing BIM projects in the Malaysian construction industry. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the client, consultant and contractor involved in the project. The interviews results reveal necessities and benefits of implementing BIM in completing the project. BIM is necessary for construction because its implementation can increase project quality. It is useful in assisting construction players to complete projects successfully. The results provide clear evidence of the effectiveness of implementing BIM in government projects. This paper can serve as a reference for critical studies of developing a strategy approach model for BIM implementation in the Malaysian construction industry.

Building information modeling (BIM) has become an integral part of commercial construction processes in recent years. This article summarizes a research study undertaken to explore the frequency of BIM application, the advantages and effects of using BIM, and various other methods associated with developing and using BIM models in commercial construction. Executive, mid-management, and BIM practitioner-level employees from eighteen leading commercial general contracting firms (with regard to BIM use) were surveyed to determine how their companies utilized BIM. Thirty-two different applications of BIM use were identified for commercial construction, and those most commonly utilized included clash detection, 3-D modeling, team collaboration, constructability issues of design, and sales. Communication, scheduling, coordination, visualization, and clash detection were identified as the top advantages of using BIM. Regarding the effects of using BIM, companies reported a positive impact on profitability, time of construction, and marketing. Finally, this article discusses various processes for using BIM, how models were used internally and with trade partners, and the decisions affecting BIM use by leading commercial contractors.