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Description
Improve the performance of buildings and reduce waste through management tools and informed selection of building elements made possible by digital tools. Creating a Building Information Classification System optimized for Sustainability (CICS) based on the principles of Circular Economy. It will be used by design and construction professionals and those responsible for the management and maintenance of buildings. It will make it possible to unify terminology at all scales, facilitating communication, selection of materials and components, as well as an accurate assessment of impacts on buildings throughout their life cycle. A model is built with modeling software, which feeds energy simulations, life cycle analysis (LCA / LCC), conflict detection, quantification, programming or building management platforms. secondary materials increased in the supported sectors. Jobs created. Construction and demolition waste saved in the supported sectors and innovative solutions for increased resource efficiency piloted.
Summary of project results
This project aimed to stimulate the circular economy by introducing a Sustainability Enhanced Construction Information Classification System (CICS) to be used by Portuguese-speaking building designers, contractors and managers. It will allow the unification of terminology at all scales, facilitating communication between agents and supporting material and component selection and accurate assessment of the building''s impacts over the life cycle in all dimensions. The ultimate goal is to improve buildings’ performance and to reduce waste through the use of digital tools that provide informed management and selection of construction material s and elements. Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) accounts for about 10% of European GDP but has a disproportionate energy consumption and environmental impact with half of energy and raw materials and one third of water consumption and 40% of greenhouse gas emissions consumption (link). While other industries embraced more benign materials, and their reduction and reutilization, the AECO industry is notoriously reluctant to adopt best practices and innovation in general. Information technology, in particular BIM methodology, are at the heart of the sector’s modernization in some European countries (notably the Nordic countries and UK). BIM allows the 3D digital building representation by associating the geometric description (3D model) with the diverse information about building components and materials, functions and space activities. BIM implementation in Portugal is advancing at good pace and professionals have long demanded for a National Classification System. Construction Information Classification Systems create standard codes and descriptions that characterize design and construction, including project organization, information structure, costs, specifications, etc. The univocal classification of building elements, systems and networks, materials and activities is essential for BIM models to be used efficiently throughout constructions life cycle.
The project had six activities:
A1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT Ensured the necessary synergy and teamwork between project members, including overall project management, partnership and arbitration policies, information exchanges and dissemination policy, results and problems discussion, deliverable control, internal meetings and technical sessions. OUTPUT: Financial and progress reports.
A2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Gathered existing information concerning national and European construction waste and classification information construction systems (CICS), established a comparative and compatibility report and selected the most adequate, ISO 12006-2 compatible, CICS, having in mind the application to EU’s Circular Economy principles, in particular the LEVEL(S) framework. OUTPUT: Report with framework review and current industry habits, substantiated selection of CICS to develop.
A3. SUSTAINABILITY-ENHANCED CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (CICS) FOR THE PORTUGUESE REALITY Based on A2’s output, comprised: adaptation and translation of the selected CICS and enrichment with construction element and material’s RECYCLING /REUTILIZATION /DURABILITY /IMPACT descriptions and parameters which enables efficient application of the LEVEL(S) framework. Partnering national and Norwegian experts will contribute. OUTPUT: Sustainability enhanced CICS for the Portuguese reality, available to the public as complete tables, BIM software library files and searchable database.
A4. SUSTAINABILITY-ORIENTED BIM OBJECT REPOSITORY This task aimed to establish the framework for a national BIM repository with classified according to the developed CICS and with sustainability-oriented parameters. BIM models were connect to the proposed online tool (A5) allowing local construction to
benefit of well catalogued digital objects that can be selected according to sustainability-oriented properties. OUTPUT: BIM object modelling guideline and demonstration with set of example objects.
A5. MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION ELEMENT ADVICE ONLINE TOOL Builded an online smart query search-engine of the classification of building components tied to environmental performance of elements and alternatives suggestions. It "glueded" the CICS, BIM object libraries and efficient construction materials. OUTPUT: Online platform, available for at least 5/10 years after the end of the project. Source code and instructions for its extension and implementation.
A6. PILOT CICS IMPLEMENTATION AND VALIDATION This task implemented and validated the CICS and the Online Tool (Tasks A3 and A4). It comprised 2 parts. 1st, the compatibilization and distribution of the developed CICS through a format compatible with most popular BIM modeling tools in Portugal. 2nd, validation in at least 3 real-world cases, comprising application of the LEVEL(S) framework through the developed tools. The upgrade of the largest shopping center in Portugal; a university campus managed through BIM tools and ISO 14001 certified; one building rehabilitation in design phase. Feedback will inform and improve activities A3-A4. OUTPUT: Distribution of the CICS in BIM software compatible format (at least 2 softwares), documentation and tutorials. Real world methodology validation reports.
A7. DISSEMINATION AND NATIONAL-WIDE IMPLEMENTATION Communication focused on the technical community, i.e., the decision makers prescribing materials and components. It started from the first days through a dedicated website, social networks presence and a periodic newsletter. Dissemination with the technical community in industry fairs, technical workshops, communications in congresses. Knowledge transfer was enhanced by project partnerships with SMEs and inclusion in architecture and engineering higher education syllabus. Reports, tutorial videos, recorded workshop talks were online to foster implementation in Portuguese-speaking countries. Innovative research was submitted to publication in peer-reviewed journals and relevant conferences.
The project consisted of introducing a Building Information Classification System optimized for sustainability. This system is oriented towards the BIM methodology and serves not only the sustainability component, but also other applications of a construction project, such as project management, BIM process management, quantification, compatibility in negotiations (conflict detection) and planning, and all phases of the product life cycle.
The tool for evaluating the embodied carbon of models of structures classified with the SECClasS system, according to the LEVEL(s) methodology, was published on the project''s GitHub page. After the end of the project, this tool will continue to be developed as part of a doctoral thesis. This tool, in April 2023, was being used by the engineering and architecture firm Quadrante (https://www.quadrante-engenharia.pt/), in the pilot analysis of urban rehabilitation projects at Lisbon City Council.
The project had a large communication and dissemination component that not only contributed to the dissemination of the project results, but also promoted the technical-scientific robustness of the project and the creation of synergies between national and international entities in the sustainable construction sector. The project''s communication plan included the creation of a video and the project''s presence on social media.
Other results of the project, not initially foreseen, should be mentioned:
- A3. Uniformat 2010 tables in European Portuguese _ SECClasS
- A4. Product Data Templates _ SECClasS
The project also had results that will have an impact after its closure:
- 6 scientific articles
- Community with 3 associated entities and reference to 4 projects with which synergies were established; two of the projects are from the Environment Program (CLOSER and Circular ECOBIM)
- E-learning course in partnership with the ATHENA project
- The project''s YouTube channel currently has 2 videos, with 67 subscribers.
The project will continue after its completion, namely:
- Doctoral theses by scholarship holders Sara Apparently (MIT Portugal scholarship) and Rodrigo Lima (National Civil Engineering Laboratory scholarship).
- dissemination of the classification system through a partnership with buildingSMART Portugal (https://buildingsmart.pt/).
- continuous development of the BIM object library and Product Data Templates in the REV@CONSTRUCT project.
Summary of bilateral results
Norwegian partner A-lab AS collaborated in all project activities, mainly in counselling on architectural design, BIM-based sustainable design, and participation in the execution of Task 6 (Pilot CICS implementation and validation) and in the dissemination workshops and seminars – Task 7 (Dissemination and national-wide implementation).