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This paper introduces the Preliminary Concept Design (PCD) Cost Analysis Module developed for the General Services Administration (GSA) and the analysis results of a case study involving a concept design courthouse BIM model. The module uses IFC data from BIM models to extract quantity take off data using Solibri Model Checker (SMC), generates an i...
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... main objective of the PCD cost analysis, as stated by the GSA, is the assessment of multiple design alternatives [5]. These share basic programmatic requirements such as gross area, city and state location, functional spaces and other project data. For the purpose of the assessment, it is more significant to integrate and manipulate other factors in the process that could potentially introduce substantial differences in cost for these alternatives. Factors such as floor to floor height, perimeter, exterior wall and roof areas, and other building shell data need to be extracted off of building models and integrated as input into a cost estimating software; in this case the PACES estimating software. PACES contains parametric cost models for a multitude of projects that use precedent data, some of which were developed for GSA for preliminary planning and programming of projects. These models use high level inputs such as location of the project, type of facility, the gross area of the building, and the number of floors above and below grade to pre-select functional space areas (FSAs) within the building. PACES generates information related to unit cost and quantity of materials based on these FSAs. FSAs collectively encompass the full range of functions and areas of cost that are required for performing an estimate. PACES defines a set of parameters for each functional space area that comprises a description of factors that contribute to cost such as labor, equipment, and other factors. PACES uses the input parameters to identify the assemblies required to construct the facility and the corresponding quantities. In order to perform the automated analysis, two main types of information need to be made explicit : 1) the area of the functional spaces and 2) building shell data. The PCD Cost Analysis Module (Figure 1) generates an intermediary XML file based on these two types of information. The dataset that the module provides is generated using SMC based on IFC data from courthouse building models. PACES takes in the XML file, imports the required dataset, and automatically generates a cost estimate in spreadsheet form. The module then uses the estimate generated by PACES and integrates data external to the building model such as force protection and site conditions to provide a full cost estimate report. This module consists of 2 sub-modules : 1) the PACES import module, and 2) the reporting module. The following sections introduce these sub-modules, using federal courthouse building models as example ...
Citations
... IFC was not designed to determine new information from a BIM model but to deliver information to end users without any reasoning functionalities. Although cost estimating applications are moving towards IFC compatibility, IFC does not solely cover all components required to generate an estimate, as estimating requires not only quantity take-off data but other types of associated databases [23]. IFC needs to be supported by other technologies or formats to enhance its performance, necessitating the use of technologies from computational areas to work with BIM models. ...
... Having an initial cost for an element in the design stage facilitates the selection of design alternatives and gives stakeholders a chance to modify the structure. Although the dataset for cost estimates is produced from the architectural model, it may provide only a few data such as space, element area, floor height, building parameter, and gross area [23]. But what if this information is unavailable in the exported IFC-based BIM model? ...
Building design is highly complex as it involves numerous professionals and their interactions, hence with diverse tools used and multi-resources and different structured data and information required to be processed. Despite the existing efforts to develop multi-objective decision making tools to support complex design, most of the research face difficulties to provide holistic, dynamic and collaborative knowledge base due to the complexity of the information interoperability issues across different parties and throughout life cycle. This paper developed an automatic data exchange framework that combines only the necessary data from BIM models using semantic web technology to eliminate inefficiencies in data exchange and improve decision-making early in the design stage. The proposed data acquisition method can produce a dynamic knowledge base to connect both static and dynamic information. A multi-objective knowledge base was developed to assist engineers associated with sustainability and cost in comparing different design options based on the existing BIM data. The proposed ontology was developed using a machine-readable format, allowing the ability to add more concepts to it in the future and work with other automated tools. The validated framework could reduce human involvement and errors while providing more efficient ways to leverage diverse information sources together to support holistic decision-making for building design.
... Volk et al. (2014) and Patacas et al. (2015) point out that with the implementation of BIM in facilities management organisations, the coordination of all phases of the construction project will be possible through early engagement of the facilities management with the project. This engagement would assist with better implementation of workflows, tools and regulations to define the information requirements of facilities management tasks (Abdelmohsen et al., 2011). The use of BIM in FM was based on the Industry Foundation Classes' (IFC) standards, which was later modelled by Yu et al. (2000), who mapped the IFC and FM requirements through data modelling. ...
... The review of the literature for BIM enabled facilities management indicated that the underpinning reason for adopting BIM is commonly related to the availability and accessibility of real-time information about the facility, which leads to an enhanced capability and optimised working processes (Abdelmohsen et al., 2011;Akcamete et al., 2011;Azhar et al., 2009;British Institue of Facilities Management, 2012;Choi et al., 2008;Group, 2013;Gu et al., 2008;Keady, 2013;Ku and Taiebat, 2011;Reddy, 2011;Schade et al., 2011). Therefore, this study presents the impact of a cybersecurity breach, on the benefits of BIM in various task areas of facilities management. ...
Purpose
Building information modelling (BIM) creates a golden thread of information of the facility, which proves useful to those with the malicious intent of breaching the security of the facility. A cyber-attack incurs adverse implications for the facility and its managing organisation. Hence, this paper aims to unravel the impact of a cybersecurity breach, by developing a BIM-facilities management (FM) cybersecurity-risk-matrix to portray what a cybersecurity attack means for various working areas of FM.
Design/methodology/approach
This study commenced with exploring cybersecurity within various stages of a BIM project. This showcased a heightened risk of cybersecurity at the post-occupancy phase. Hence, thematic analysis of two main domains of BIM-FM and cybersecurity in the built environment led to the development of a matrix that illustrated the impact of a cybersecurity attack on a BIM-FM organisation.
Findings
Findings show that the existing approaches to the management of cybersecurity in BIM-FM are technology-dependent, resulting in an over-reliance on technology and a lack of cybersecurity awareness of aspects related to people and processes. This study sheds light on the criticality of cyber-risk at the post-occupancy phase, highlighting the FM areas which will be compromised as a result of a cyber-attack.
Originality/value
This study seeks to shift focus to the people and process aspects of cybersecurity in BIM-FM. Through discussing the interconnections between the physical and digital assets of a built facility, this study develops a cyber-risk matrix, which acts as a foundation for empirical investigations of the matter in future research.
... Volk et al. (2014) and Patacas et al. (2015) point out that with the implementation of BIM in facilities management organisations, the coordination of all phases of the construction project will be possible through early engagement of the facilities management with the project. This engagement would assist with better implementation of workflows, tools and regulations to define the information requirements of facilities management tasks (Abdelmohsen et al., 2011). The use of BIM in FM was based on the Industry Foundation Classes' (IFC) standards, which was later modelled by Yu et al. (2000), who mapped the IFC and FM requirements through data modelling. ...
... The review of the literature for BIM enabled facilities management indicated that the underpinning reason for adopting BIM is commonly related to the availability and accessibility of real-time information about the facility, which leads to an enhanced capability and optimised working processes (Abdelmohsen et al., 2011;Akcamete et al., 2011;Azhar et al., 2009;British Institue of Facilities Management, 2012;Choi et al., 2008;Group, 2013;Gu et al., 2008;Keady, 2013;Ku and Taiebat, 2011;Reddy, 2011;Schade et al., 2011). Therefore, this study presents the impact of a cybersecurity breach, on the benefits of BIM in various task areas of facilities management. ...
Purpose-BIM creates a golden thread of information of the facility, which proves useful to those with malicious intents of breaching the security of the facility. A cyber-attack incurs adverse implications for the facility and its managing organisation. Hence, this paper aims to unravel the impact of a cybersecurity breach, by developing a BIM-FM cybersecurity-risk-matrix to portray what a cybersecurity-attack means for various working areas of FM. Design/methodology/approach-This study commenced with exploring cybersecurity within various stages of a BIM project. This showcased a heightened risk of cybersecurity at the post-occupancy phase. Hence, thematic analysis of two main domains of BIM-FM and cybersecurity in the built environment led to the development of a matrix that illustrated the impact of a cybersecurity attack on a BIM-FM organisation. Findings-Findings show that the existing approaches to the management of cybersecurity in BIM-FM are technology dependent, resulting in an over-reliance on technology and a lack of cybersecurity awareness of aspects related to people and process. This study sheds light on the criticality of cyber-risk at the post-occupancy phase, highlighting the FM areas which will be compromised as a result of a cyber-attack. Originality/value-This study seeks to shift focus to the people and process aspects of cybersecurity in BIM-FM. Through discussing the interconnections between the physical and digital assets of a built facility, this study develops a cyber-risk matrix which acts as a foundation for empirical investigations of the matter in future research.
... Several organizations have not yet recognized the potential and significance of adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM) techniques and have instead concluded that this would, in fact, complicate existing practices, while disregarding the long-term benefit and overhead savings. Further, the collaborative design process in BIM could create difficulties in assigning responsibilities and liabilities due to the overlap of roles and responsibilities, ensuring intellectual property protection, risk allocation, privacy, third-party reliance, and software agents [22,58]. The focus of firms on return on investment, the complexity of projects, large initial capital, firm reputation, untrained personnel, legal considerations, and government restrictions are other factors that still impede digitization. ...
Blockchain Technology (BCT) is a growing digital technology that in recent years has gained widespread traction in various industries in the public and private sectors. BCT is a decentralized ledger that records every transaction made in the network, known as a ‘block’, the body of which is comprised of encrypted data of the entire transaction history. BCT was introduced as the working mechanism that forms the operational basis of Bitcoin, the first digital cryptocurrency to gain mainstream appeal. The introduction of decentralized data exchange technology in any industry would require strengthened security, enforce accountability, and could potentially accelerate a shift in workflow dynamics from current centralized architectures to a decentralized, cooperative chain of command and affect a cultural and societal change by encouraging trust and transparency. BCT aims at creating a system that would offer a robust self-regulating, self-monitoring, and cyber-resilient data transaction operation, assuring the facilitation and protection of a truly efficient data exchange system. In the state of Florida, climate change and unpredicted weather disasters have put pressure on state and local decision-makers to adapt quick and efficient post-disaster recovery systems. Part of the recovery efforts is the reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure. The introduction of new technologies in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry can contribute to addressing recovery and rebuilding after the event of a natural disaster. With parallel technological advancement in geospatial data and Geographic Information System (GIS), as well as worsening climatic conditions, concerns can be suitably addressed by employing an integrated system of both Building Information Modeling (BIM) and BCT. While several potential applications of BIM must provide solutions to disaster-related issues, few have seen practical applications in recent years that indicate the potential benefits of such implementations. The feasibility of BIM-based applications still rests on the reliability of connectivity and cyber-security, indicating a strong use case for using BCT in conjunction with BIM for post-disaster recovery. This research depicts a survey of BCT and its applications in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries and examines the potential incorporation within the BIM process to address post-disaster rebuilding problems. Moreover, the study investigates the potential application of BCT in improving the framework for automating the building permitting process using Smart Contract (SC) technologies and Hyperledger Fabric (HLF), as well as discussing future research areas. The study proposes a new conceptualized framework resulting from the integration of BCT and BIM processes to improve the efficiency of building permit processes in post-disaster events.
... Descrição do projeto Finalidade do Modelo 5D Abdelmohsen et al. (2011) Tribunal Federal (EUA) Automatizar o processo de análise prévia de custo Jongeling et al. (2005 Entretanto, é necessária a intervenção do orçamentista, pois o Revit extrai as quantidades em unidades pré-definidas, e itens como área de formas da estrutura precisam ser consideradas nas três faces. Outros itens como fiação tiveram que ser inseridos manualmente ao final do orçamento, como produto do número de fios por eletroduto. ...
The elaboration of the reference cost estimate of a public work comply with legal constraints and minimize the possibility of under-invoicing or over-invoicing, guarantee a work feasible and not overpriced. This assertion gains greater magnitude if the resource is the General Budget of the Union (OGU), and the reference budget must meet a series of restrictions and regulations provided for in federal legislation, such as the limitation of unit costs to cost compositions of the National System of Costs and Civil Construction Indices (SINAPI), maintained by Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF). However, this stage of project planning may present deficiencies. In this way, contributions are made for the elaboration of reference cost estimate of public works observing the new methodology of factor tree of the SINAPI, using the building information modelling in fifth dimension (BIM 5D) with the elements of the model modeled until a level of development (LOD) of 300. For demonstration and testing of proposed contributions, it will be compared the budget obtained in the Research versus the budgeted by CEF using three real projects, whose architectural and structural disciplines were modeled by the Institution at a high level of development of the elements, bigger then LOD 300. The BIM tools used will be Autodesk Revit and Navisworks along with the Excel spreadsheet. It is hoped to provide stakeholders contributions to obtain detailed reference budgets based on basic engineering projects, consistently and accurately, complying with current legislation and qualifying the public bidding process, bringing gains to the Brazilian Society.
... For instance, Hu et al. (2014) extracted data from historical Tekla BIM models and then developed a multivariate linear regression model to predict manhour quantity for steel fabrication projects. Abdelmohsen et al. (2011) captured information about elements' dimensions from BIM models to develop a cost analysis and reporting system. Du et al. (2014) and Liu et al. (2016) collected BIM performance data from a wide range of BIM users and then developed a cloudbased BIM performance benchmarking application called the building information modeling cloud score (BIMCS). ...
There has been a long debate on how to measure design productivity. Compared to construction productivity, design productivity is much more difficult to measure because design is an iterative and innovative process. Today, with rapid extension of building information modeling (BIM) applications, tremendous volumes of design logs have been generated by design software systems, such as Autodesk Revit. A systematic approach composed of a detailed step-by-step procedure is developed to deeply mine design logs in order to monitor and measure the productivity of the design process. A pattern retrieval algorithm is proposed to identify the most frequent design sequential patterns in building design projects. A novel metric for measuring design productivity based on the discovered sequential patterns is put forward. A large data set of design logs, provided by a large international design firm, is used as a case study to demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of the developed approach. Results indicate that: (1) typically, each designer executes specific commands more than any other commands; for instance, it is shown for a designer that the accumulative frequency of three commands can reach up to 56.15% of the entire number of commands executed by the designer; (2) a particular sequential pattern of design commands (\”pick lines → \”trim/extend two lines or walls to make a corner→ \”finish sketch”) has been executed 2,219 times, accounting for 46.75% of instances associated with the top five discovered sequential patterns of design commands; (3) the identified sequential patterns can be used as a project control mean to detect outlier performers that may require additional attention from project leaders; and (4) productivity performance within the discovered sequential patterns varies significantly among different designers; for instance, one of the designers (designer #6 in the case study) is identified as the most productive designer in executing both Patterns I and II, whereas another designer (Designer #1) is found to be the most productive designer in executing both Patterns III and IV. It is also uncovered that designers, on average, spend less time running the most observed sequential patterns of design commands as they gain more experience. This research contributes: (1) to the body of knowledge by providing a novel approach to monitoring, measuring, and analyzing design productivity; and (2) to the state of practice by providing new insights into what additional design process information can be retrieved from Revit journal files.
... For instance, Hu et al. (2014) extracted data from historical Tekla BIM models and then developed a multivariate linear regression model to predict manhour quantity for steel fabrication projects. Abdelmohsen et al. (2011) captured information about elements' dimensions from BIM models to develop a cost analysis and reporting system. Du et al. (2014) and Liu et al. (2016) collected BIM performance data from a wide range of BIM users and then developed a cloudbased BIM performance benchmarking application called the building information modeling cloud score (BIMCS). ...
There has been a long debate on how to measure design productivity. Compared to construction productivity, design productivity is much more difficult to measure because design is an iterative and innovative process. Today, with rapid extension of building information modeling (BIM) applications, tremendous volumes of design logs have been generated by design software systems, such as Autodesk Revit. A systematic approach composed of a detailed step-by-step procedure is developed to deeply mine design logs in order to monitor and measure the productivity of the design process. A pattern retrieval algorithm is proposed to identify the most frequent design sequential patterns in building design projects. A novel metric for measuring design productivity based on the discovered sequential patterns is put forward. A large data set of design logs, provided by a large international design firm, is used as a case study to demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of the developed approach. Results indicate that: (1) typically, each designer executes specific commands more than any other commands; for instance, it is shown for a designer that the accumulative frequency of three commands can reach up to 56.15% of the entire number of commands executed by the designer; (2) a particular sequential pattern of design commands (\"pick lines → \"trim/extend two lines or walls to make a corner → \"finish sketch") has been executed 2,219 times, accounting for 46.75% of instances associated with the top five discovered sequential patterns of design commands; (3) the identified sequential patterns can be used as a project control mean to detect outlier performers that may require additional attention from project leaders; and (4) productivity performance within the discovered sequential patterns varies significantly among different designers; for instance, one of the designers (designer #6 in the case study) is identified as the most productive designer in executing both Patterns I and II, whereas another designer (Designer #1) is found to be the most productive designer in executing both Patterns III and IV. It is also uncovered that designers, on average, spend less time running the most observed sequential patterns of design commands as they gain more experience. This research contributes: (1) to the body of knowledge by providing a novel approach to monitoring, measuring, and analyzing design productivity; and (2) to the state of practice by providing new insights into what additional design process information can be retrieved from Revit journal files.
... The utilized data was extracted from historical Tekla BIM models. In another study, Abdelmohsen et al. developed a cost analysis and reporting system that utilizes elements' dimensions extracted from BIM models [3]. The researchers used Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) formats and Solibri Model Checker (SMC) to obtain quantity take off data, and integrate BIM and cost models. ...
... The utilized data was extracted from historical Tekla BIM models. In another study, Abdelmohsen et al. developed a cost analysis and reporting system that utilizes elements' dimensions extracted from BIM models [3]. The researchers used Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) formats and Solibri Model Checker (SMC) to obtain quantity take off data, and integrate BIM and cost models. ...
Building Information Modeling (BIM) and its implementation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is rapidly growing all over the US. The growing utilization of BIM application has resulted in accumulation of tremendous volumes of computer-generated design data. Such vast datasets provide practitioners with an opportunity to extract valuable information regarding the process of design. Design log files, in particular, are rich data sources that contain model development data automatically recorded throughout the design process. However, the existing studies are mostly restricted to mining structured data and hence, lack the capabilities to handle unstructured temporal data sources such as design log files. The main objective of this paper extract implicit process information from design log data by implementing a tailored sequential pattern mining approach. For the purpose of this research, we examined the feasibility of utilizing Revit journal log files as a non-intrusive data collection mechanism to capture modelers' interactions with the software and detect common command execution structures during model development sessions. To this end, user-model interaction data such as modeler characteristics, command type, and command time were extracted from the data sample's journal files using a text file parser. After careful data cleaning, the final set of temporal data were transformed into sets of multiple character strings. We used an efficient implementation of Generalized Suffix Trees (GST) data structure to identify common command execution sequences among several modelers. The results of the study identified several shared command sequences among five modeler. This study proposes a novel pattern mining methodology to extract useful information from time-stamped design log data and enables project managers to obtain valuable insight into design development processes.
... Abdelmoshen (Abdelmohsen, Lee, & Eastman, 2011) proposes to automate the cost analysis of a conceptual design based on a BIM model. The process operates with interoperability and the module uses an IFC data description to extract quantity take off data and generates an XML file; this one is used by PACES software for cost estimating. ...
Our paper presents research on the development of technologies and methodologies to support preliminary design phases through data based modelling. A digital parametric model informs costs evaluations and supports iterative and visual space exploration solutions. Thanks to associative modelling, the architectural conception is renewed and digital tools support design decision-making in a creative way. We propose to make project cost a design parameter through an interactive handling of a 3D geometric model that is relevant to strategic architectural intentions. In our experimentation, cost calculation spreadsheets are linked to a parametric models. An initial substructure of the building cost is defined based on the architectural concepts. The parametric tool directly informs the evaluation spreadsheet and a real time cost analysis is afforded to the designer. The tool supports the design process by displaying immediate feed back to the designer who can consider and control the financial implications of his hypothesis.
