A review and outlook for integrated BIM application in green building assessment

Abstract

In the past decade, there has been a momentous increase in the use of Green Building Assessment Schemes (GBAS). Also, the contribution of BIM (Building Information Modelling) in evaluating GBAS criteria has been extensively recognized and is driving research on utilizing BIM to obtain GBAS credits. Although many green BIM studies have been published, there is a lack of a comprehensive and in-depth overview to synthesize the integration of BIM with GBAS. To fill this research gap, this paper presents a thorough and systematic review on the breadth of green building evaluation matrixes achievable with BIM. Great opportunities are identified in parametric analyses and optimizations of a holistic sustainable design approach by integrating GBAS with BIM. In addition, the study summarizes the development of comprehensive databases, data-rich models, data exchange protocols, assessment modules and output presentations. The results indicate urgent research needs in the following directions: automating the development of a database of manufacturer-certified elements; comprehensiveness of data exchange protocols; practical demonstration and detailed reporting of unaddressed assessment criteria in GBAS; exploration of cloud-based BIM and GBAS.