Lean Practices Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Digital Twinning for Sustainable Construction

Research on sustainable green building space design model integrating IoT technology

"How can the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology enhance the sustainability and efficiency of green building (G.B.) design?" is the central research question that this study attempts to answer. This investigation is important because it examines how green building and IoT technology can work together. It also provides important information about how to use contemporary technologies for environmental sustainability in the building sector. The paper examines a range of IoT applications in green buildings, focusing on this intersection. These applications include energy monitoring, occupant engagement, smart building automation, predictive maintenance, renewable energy integration, and data analytics for energy efficiency enhancements. The objective is to create a thorough and sustainable model for designing green building spaces that successfully incorporates IoT, offering industry professionals cutting-edge solutions and practical advice. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative data analysis with qualitative case studies and literature reviews. It evaluates how IoT can improve energy management, indoor environmental quality, and resource optimization in diverse geographic contexts. The findings show that there has been a noticeable improvement in waste reduction, energy and water efficiency, and the upkeep of high-quality indoor environments after IoT integration. This study fills a major gap in the literature by offering a comprehensive model for IoT integration in green building design, which indicates its impact. This model positions IoT as a critical element in advancing sustainable urban development and offers a ground-breaking framework for the practical application of IoT in sustainable building practices. It also emphasizes the need for customized IoT solutions in green buildings. The paper identifies future research directions, including the investigation of advanced IoT applications in renewable energy and the evaluation of IoT's impact on occupant behavior and well-being, along with addressing cybersecurity concerns. It acknowledges the challenges associated with IoT implementation, such as the initial costs and specialized skills needed.

Managing construction and demolition waste using lean tools to achieve environmental sustainability: an Indian perspective

The construction industry substantially impacts a country's economic growth and ecological progress. Due to the competitive nature of the construction business and intense rivalry between construction companies, the industry's focus is progressively becoming customer-centric. Efforts are being taken to ensure high-quality buildings are built at reasonable rates and on time. Companies are trying to ensure on-time building projects are completed within allocated budgets. This can be accomplished by ensuring minimal waste generation from various activities during the construction process. Implementing lean tools and techniques can improve work efficiency and reduce waste in the building process. This research study offers a basic understanding of lean tools and emphasizes their contribution in terms of time, effort, and sustainability. The primary purpose of this study is to present the effectiveness of the lean process for construction waste management. Through a case study, this research shows the deployment of lean tools and principles for efficient construction waste management and optimal use of building resources. The improvement in reduced waste generation and enhanced organizational resource productivity is closely monitored. The study results indicated that the lean framework could reduce waste by 25 to 50%. It is demonstrated that lean construction significantly improves construction sustainability and productivity. If it is implemented along with automation tools and circular economy concepts, more than 50% of waste reduction can be achieved. These viable initiatives are necessary to improve the performance of the Indian construction industry to achieve circularity in waste management which indirectly helps in the sustainability goals of the construction sector.

On Use of Construction Technology Designs for Expert Opinions

This article describes the basic principles and results of an expert system for construction planning and management. In the field of expert opinions, the system greatly helps to determine the limit of unreasonably low construction prices on the basis of a rapid cost analysis. Additionally, it can determine the technologically shortest possible construction periods or can answer the question of whether it is possible to complete the construction in the specified period, provided that a certain amount of construction is currently underway, which is very useful in expert opinions. The system is based on modeling the construction process using the so-called construction technology network graphs. This method allows, among other things, to create and use so-called typical network graphs as preprepared models of individual types of objects in the form of computer files, which can be modified according to the spatial structure of real buildings or facilities when used in creating a feasibility study or efficient time and financial planning and management of the building process. The system also enables the automatic creation of quality assurance checklists (inspection and acceptance plans for quality assurance), environmental plans (plans for the elimination of adverse effects of construction activities on the environment), and safety and health plans. Direct links to the bills of quantities (list of works and supplies with numbering of individual items), budgets (list of works and supplies with prices), or production calculations, despite the operational records of the actual construction process also on the company’s accounting agenda, are available.

Quality Management Framework for Housing Construction in a Design-Build Project Delivery System: A BIM-UAV Approach

Quality management in project administration can affect the costs and schedule of a project considerably. The immediate notable result of unacceptable quality in a construction project is the “dissatisfied client.” which can be interpreted as “customer loss”. Additionally, defective work is a synonym for problems such as dispute, because items of non-compliance with early agreements can be considered the main factor in triggering claims by the client. The integrated use of two modern technologies, namely Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is proposed in this study to support project quality management (PQM). This study aims to develop the theoretical underpinnings to provide a quality management framework, formed by BIM-UAV, for housing projects in design-build (D&B) contracts. For this purpose, in the first step the causes of client dissatisfaction rooted in quality concerns were identified in two phases of design and construction. The next step was dedicated to the mapping of BIM-UAV capacities to address the identified causes of dissatisfaction of the client. In the final step, expert opinion was obtained to integrate the BIM-UAV capacities to the quality management framework. The findings and main contribution of this study to the body of knowledge is a guide for design-builders to implement BIM-UAV as an innovative quality management solution to improve their services and to gain the maximum level of client satisfaction, focusing on house building.

Digital twin-driven intelligence disaster prevention and mitigation for infrastructure: advances, challenges, and opportunities

Natural hazards, which have the potential to cause catastrophic damage and loss to infrastructure, have increased significantly in recent decades. Thus, the construction demand for disaster prevention and mitigation for infrastructure (DPMI) systems is increasing. Many studies have applied intelligence technologies to solve key aspects of infrastructure, such as design, construction, disaster prevention and mitigation, and rescue and recovery; however, systematic construction is still lacking. Digital twin (DT) is one of the most promising technologies for multi-stage management which has great potential to solve the above challenges. This paper initially puts forward a scientific concept, in which DT drives the construction of intelligent disaster prevention and mitigation for infrastructure (IDPMI) systematically. To begin with, a scientific review of DT and IDPMI is performed, where the development of DT is summarized and a DT-based life cycle of infrastructures is defined. In addition, the intelligence technologies used in disaster management are key reviewed and their relative merits are illustrated. Furthermore, the development and technical feasibility of DT-driven IDPMI are illustrated by reviewing the relevant practice of DT in infrastructure. In conclusion, a scientific framework of DT-IDPMI is programmed, which not only provides some guidance for the deep integration between DT and IDPMI but also identifies the challenges that inspire the professional community to advance these techniques to address them in future research.

Drivers for Digital Twin Adoption in the Construction Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

Digital twin (DT) is gaining increasing attention due to its ability to present digital replicas of existing assets, processes and systems. DT can integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to create real-time simulation models. These models learn and update from multiple data sources to predict their physical counterparts’ current and future conditions. This has promoted its relevance in various industries, including the construction industry (CI). However, recognising the existence of a distinct set of factors driving its adoption has not been established. Therefore, this study aims to identify the drivers and integrate them into a classification framework to enhance its understanding. Utilising popular databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, a systematic literature review of 58 relevant DT adoptions in the CI research was conducted. From the review, the drivers for DT adoption in the CI were identified and classified. The results show that developed countries such as the UK, US, Australia, and Italy have been the top countries in advancing DT adoption in the CI, while developing countries have made commendable contributions. A conceptual framework has been developed to enhance the successful adoption of DT in the CI based on 50 identified drivers. The major categories of the framework include concept-oriented drivers, production-driven drivers, operational success drivers, and preservation-driven drivers. The developed framework serves as a guide to propel DT adoption in the CI. Furthermore, this study contributes to the body of knowledge about DT adoption drivers, which is essential for DT promotion in the CI.

The Mediating Role of Policy-Related Factors in the Relationship between Practice of Waste Generation and Sustainable Construction Waste Minimisation: PLS-SEM

As the construction industry grows, it produces large volumes of construction waste, which has a tremendous environmental impact and generates public concern in the neighbouring towns. The construction industry generates a significant volume of waste and faces a challenge with poor construction waste minimisation in order to prevent adverse environmental and dumping impacts worldwide. In developing countries, regional waste management systems have increased problems. Environmental pollution (air, water, and soil) and human health issues are caused by waste produced in a country as a result of different cultural, social, and religious activities. Prior studies were reviewed to choose dimensions and items for the data gathering instrument. A pilot test was conducted to identify potential questionnaire adjustments, and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). A total of 220 Malaysian construction professionals answered the survey, which yielded the results. Five hypotheses have direct correlations based on the findings, three of which have a significant effect. Furthermore, the findings reveal that policy-related factors mediate the relationship between improving factors and sustainable construction waste minimisation. In contrast, they did not mediate the relationship between current practices/generation and sustainable construction waste management. The established framework can help improve construction waste management and help achieve global sustainable development goals. The data reveal that adopting preventive plans to reduce construction waste is one of the most important aspects of enhancing profitability. This study could aid construction industry players in evaluating waste management components during the construction and design stages of a building project.

A Bibliometric Analysis and Review of Building Information Modelling for Post-Disaster Reconstruction

Post-disaster reconstruction (PDR) is a dynamic, complex system that is chaotic in nature, and represents many challenges and issues. Recently, building information modelling (BIM) has been commonly utilized in the construction industry to solve complex and dynamic challenges. However, BIM has not been thoroughly considered for managing PDR, and there is a lack of comprehensive scientometric analyses that objectively examine the trends in BIM applications in PDR. A literature search was performed considering studies published from 2010 to March 2021 using the Scopus database. A total of 75 relevant studies were found to meet the inclusion criteria. The collected literature was analyzed using VOSviewer through scientific journals, authors, keywords, citations, and countries. This is the first study in its vital significance and originality that aims to investigate the current states of research on BIM applications in PDR and provide suggestions for potential research directions. The findings showed that “Reconstruction” and “Safety Management” have emerged as mainstream research themes in this field and recently attracted scholars’ interest, which could represent the directions of future research. Five major research domains associated with BIM were identified based on the most frequently used keywords, namely “Disasters”, “Earthquakes”, “HBIM”, “Damage Detection”, and “Life Cycle”. Moreover, a proposed conceptual framework of BIM adoption for PDR is provided. Accordingly, the outcomes of this study will help scholars and practitioners gain clear ideas of the present status and identify the directions of future research.

BIM-Based Research Framework for Sustainable Building Projects: A Strategy for Mitigating BIM Implementation Barriers

Although Building Information Modeling (BIM) can enhance efficiency of sustainable building projects, its adoption is still plagued with barriers. In order to incorporate BIM more efficiently, it is important to consider and mitigate these barriers. The aim of this study is to explore and develop strategies to alleviate barriers in developing countries, such as Malaysia, to broaden implementation of BIM with the aid of quantitative and qualitative approaches. To achieve this aim, a comprehensive literature review was carried out to identify the barriers, and a questionnaire survey was conducted with construction projects’ stakeholders. The ranking analysis results revealed the top five critical barriers to be “unavailability of standards and guidelines”, “lack of BIM training”, “lack of expertise”, “high cost”, and “lack of research and BIM implementation”. Comparative study findings showed that “lack of research and BIM implementation” is the least important barrier in other countries like China, United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Furthermore, qualitative analysis revealed the strategies to mitigate the BIM implementation barriers to enhance sustainable goals. The final outcome of this study is the establishment of a framework incorporated with BIM implementation barriers and strategies namely, the “BIM-based research framework”, which can assist project managers and policymakers towards effective sustainable construction.

Differentiating Digital Twin from Digital Shadow: Elucidating a Paradigm Shift to Expedite a Smart, Sustainable Built Environment

Construction projects and cities account for over 50% of carbon emissions and energy consumption. Industry 4.0 and digital transformation may increase productivity and reduce energy consumption. A digital twin (DT) is a key enabler in implementing Industry 4.0 in the areas of construction and smart cities. It is an emerging technology that connects different objects by utilising the advanced Internet of Things (IoT). As a technology, it is in high demand in various industries, and its literature is growing exponentially. Previous digital modeling practices, the use of data acquisition tools, human–computer–machine interfaces, programmable cities, and infrastructure, as well as Building Information Modeling (BIM), have provided digital data for construction, monitoring, or controlling physical objects. However, a DT is supposed to offer much more than digital representation. Characteristics such as bi-directional data exchange and real-time self-management (e.g., self-awareness or self-optimisation) distinguish a DT from other information modeling systems. The need to develop and implement DT is rising because it could be a core technology in many industrial sectors post-COVID-19. This paper aims to clarify the DT concept and differentiate it from other advanced 3D modeling technologies, digital shadows, and information systems. It also intends to review the state of play in DT development and offer research directions for future investigation. It recommends the development of DT applications that offer rapid and accurate data analysis platforms for real-time decisions, self-operation, and remote supervision requirements post-COVID-19. The discussion in this paper mainly focuses on the Smart City, Engineering and Construction (SCEC) sectors.

Building Information Modelling and Internet of Things Integration for Facility Management—Literature Review and Future Needs

Digitisation of the built environment is seen as a significant factor for innovation in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation sector. However, lack of data and information in as-built digital models considerably limits the potential of Building Information Modelling in Facility Management. Therefore, optimisation of data collection and management is needed, all the more so now that Industry 4.0 has widened the use of sensors into buildings and infrastructures. A literature review on the two main pillars of digitalisation in construction, Building Information Modelling and Internet of Things, is presented, along with a bibliographic analysis of two citations and abstracts databases focusing on the operations stage. The bibliographic research has been carried out using Web of Science and Scopus databases. The article is aimed at providing a detailed analysis of BIM–IoT integration for Facility Management (FM) process improvements. Issues, opportunities and areas where further research efforts are required are outlined. Finally, four key areas of further research development in FM management have been proposed, focusing on optimising data collection and management.

Engineering Procurement Construction in the Context of Belt and Road Infrastructure Projects in West Asia: A SWOT Analysis

Engineering procurement and construction (EPC) is a normative practice globally approved since China has been engaging in international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure development. EPC has been adopted in the delivery of BRI infrastructure projects in other countries. Compared to the domestic method of contract, EPC remains at a low level in management practice, such as a lack of coordinating diverse project stakeholders, high cost of information communication, and risk in complex environments in West Asia (WA). However, no research has conducted a strategic analysis of the current situation of EPC for BRI infrastructure projects in West Asian countries. This study aims to understand the current status quo of EPC for BRI projects in WA by performing a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threats (SWOT) analysis and with the support of data collected from the literature review and semi-structured interviews with EPC stakeholders. The study brings awareness along which internally and externally circumstances of the EPC for BRI infrastructure projects can be perceived by major stakeholders participating. The four critical strategies presented based on the SWOTs identified could help EPC firms develop and promote EPC to implement BRI infrastructure projects in WA at the strategic level.