A Review Of Green BIM For Boosting Environmental Sustainability Throughout Building Life Cycles

The innovation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology introduces a new approach to predicting, managing, and monitoring the environmental impacts of construction projects through virtual prototyping and visualization technology. This paper aims to offer thought-provoking insights into the gaps in the existing green BIM literature and highlights key directions for future research. A total of ۸۴ green-BIM-related papers were reviewed and compared. Most green BIM research focuses on environmental performance at the design (۴۴ papers) and construction stages (۲۵ papers) of building lifecycles. However, fewer studies address BIM-based tools for managing environmental performance during building maintenance, retrofitting (۸ papers), and demolition (۱۲ papers). It is suggested that future research should explore a 'one-stop-shop' BIM solution for environmental sustainability monitoring and management across a building’s full lifecycle. Future green BIM tools should incorporate the three R's concept (reduce, reuse, recycle) in sustainability analyses for both new developments and retrofitting projects. The system should also improve integration with facility operation and maintenance manuals for more effective low-carbon management. Additionally, the use of cloud-based BIM technology to manage building sustainability with ‘big data’ is recommended. Despite these potential advancements, the lack of advanced computer tools and the complexity of BIM models remain significant barriers to the widespread adoption of green BIM.

Keywords:

Building information modelling , Green building , Green BIM , Environmental sustainability , Energy simulation