Constructability and sustainability studies in conceptual projects: A BIM-based approach

Less polluting and more efficient projects can be developed when considering sustainability and constructability in the initial phases of building design. The building information modeling (BIM) methodology uses 3D graphical modeling and parametrized objects and, thus, provides an environment that can seamlessly assess these factors. An in-depth systematic literature review revealed that when these issues are addressed using BIM, they are not considered within the same framework. To address this gap in knowledge, the present work proposes a BIM-based workflow that involves the different agents in a construction, in order to promote a greater participation of builders and environmental specialists at the initial stages of the design. In addition, a plugin is developed in the Autodesk Revit software, named ECOS, that quantifies the constructability and sustainability of a project and identifies which aspects of the project are deficient within this context. ECOS also provides a cost criterion, as this is also an important aspect when evaluating a project. The proposed workflow and the plugin are tested and validated through a survey in conjunction with interviews of sixteen architectural and engineering professionals. The results show that the proposed process map associated with ECOS form a useful framework to promote greater participation of builders and environmental engineers in the initial stages, and, thus, can promote more sustainable designs with better constructability.