The Impact of Technology in Improving Resilience and Sustainability in Construction Projects – Case of BIM and LCA

The global challenges such as sustainability and life cycle analyses of buildings have increased with the invention of BIM and LCA.

Chapter—3; Literature Review; Desk Based Research 

The designers are now required to integrate the basic performance-related data from the very initial phases of the project. Examples of such analyses include quantity/quality/material surveying, energy performance, social impact and environmental performance analyses on the virtual building and virtual space framework (Kam et al, 2004).

The construction industry works on projects and each project has its unique features. Therefore, the aim of the construction must be to utilize most of the available information productively, and both LCA as well BIM are most suited for this purpose. However, there is a definite lack of standardization of both of these techniques. Therefore, it is not possible to evaluate the performance of any of these techniques without undertaking a comprehensive case study analysis, which is not in the scope of this research (Finnveden G., 2009).

This section of the paper aims to highlight the most influential implications of both BIM and LCA while examining how these provide a supporting role in the construction industry. Sustainability, as well as resilience, cover a wide range of the construction industry’s parameters, therefore effort is made to review how the introduction of these technological tools has impacted these norms in the most fundamental aspects of construction projects (Ortiz et al., 2009)

3.1 BIM Building Information Modelling (BIM)

An incorporated BIM system can collaborate and communicate the various processes between different stakeholders and members of the project. This helps in the development of a solid initial design to a well-built structure and effective performance throughout the project (Hungu, 2013). BIM has a huge influence on design practice because it introduces new methods and techniques of bringing forth new designs, techniques and services. Stakeholders want their work to be completed time effectively, with high quality and in low budgeting manner, along with additional services which do not necessarily include planning and construction techniques (Clayton et al, 1999).

Since BIM is grounded on the strong basis of active communication and exchange of information and technology, this trend is utilized to process, generate, store, transform and/or transfer information. The term ‘Building Information Model’ (BIM) appeared in the 1970s and it originated from the designing and data modelling of machines. The technique, from basic machine modelling and designing, was engaged to plan and construct buildings. Building Information Model constitutes of:

A 3D object that may be a part of a building or set of buildings

Data that defines parameters and interconnects various parameters of the object

Provision of data that specifies and defines specifications of materials/components/objects

Ability to integrate costs, time, schedules, simulations and hence preparation of BOQS and other construction management provisions in real-time

Therefore, BIM allows all stakeholders to perform a quick examination of standards and models and their comparisons by engaging in a visualization process, which consequently can be utilized to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the project (McGraw Hill Construction, 2009). Furthermore, errors can be reduced fairly because most of the issues are addressed and resolved in the design phase, hence there will be fewer conceivable errors and models are promptly updated (Eastman, 2008). BIM encourages participation and collaboration of all the working right from the beginning of the project towards a better sustainable and resilient system, which not only reduces time but also the cost of the engineering process (Eastman, 2008).

Since BIM incorporates an integrated system in the designing process, the conformation plan of a building can be examined both quantitatively and qualitatively right from the primary stage (Eastman, 2008). The resilience and stability of a system can be kept in perspective while working under the strategies of BIM. This means encompassing a wide range of environmental as well as economic factors (Azhar, et.al., 2008). At any stage of design, the stakeholders can review and revise the materials being used to enhance sustainability, reduce the cost and/or increase the lifespan of the product. BIM is not just a structurally stable strategy but it also cuts energy costs by letting the stakeholders plan and integrate their design and constructions using proficient energy modelling tools, hence optimizing the sustainability parameters (Hakkinen, 2008).

3.1.1 Influence of BIM

The overall sustainability of the building can be enhanced using environmentally friendly and competent material selection, waste management, better performance of equipment and an efficient error detection/removal system. With the help of optimized design, it is possible to foresee the structure and view the building at any point of construction, and even after the construction is completed. For cases where specific conditional parameters need to be considered, the use of this computer-aided tool can aid the project management in rapidly changing (in real-time) the simulation conditions so that an optimum environment/structure is developed that can have the strength to meet the specific project requirements. The structural calculation can also be integrated into the BIM database, which means only one software can be used for the overall project management. Therefore, the application of these practices through an engineered tool and integration of these efforts can hence enable the construction of resilient structures.

Managers prefer the use of BIM not only because of its excellent approach towards resilience and sustainability, as stated above, but also because it saves time and cash (McGraw Hill Construction, 2009). Problems are identified before their physical existence and henceforth the communication, understanding, chemistry and concern between the different teams such as planners and builders are developed. Locating and eliminating these errors leads to a stronger, more resilient, and sustainable construction procedure that decreases expenses, lowers legal debates and accelerates the construction procedure (Eastman, 2008).

According to McGraw Hill Construction, a study concludes that architects feel more comfortable and add value to the work if there are fewer hindrances and clashes in the project. Even in the case of an honestly overlooked human error, the lapse is quickly identified and swiftly corrected resulting in a near-perfect execution (Eastman, 2008). The components are in the form of 3D visualizations in BIM hence they can be produced using digital technology which means not all of them have to be constructed right on site (Azhar, et.al, 2008). This saves expenses and development time. Moreover, the waste on site is reduced if the components are shipped from off-site which reduces waste management expenses and time (Smith, 2007). Hence this method is considered to be much more sustainable than any other technique.

Implication of BIM in construction projects also helps the site managers by offering a large number of data sources to choose from which can be used to check the order and function as the construction proceeds (Eastman, 2008). This includes the materials quantities, sizes, and costs, along with details such as warranties and insurance of various components, helping the planners in managing the project (Ballesty, 2007). The design and construction tools such as quantitative databases, programme development functions, simulations, dynamic modelling, logic control systems, delivery frameworks and automated creation of BOQs are at the service of all stakeholders as soon as the project planning begins when using BIM (Sahely, 2005).

Hence it be concluded that the implication of BIM has introduced systems that can effectively enhance the sustainability as well as resilience of the construction project in various forms. When utilized properly, this engineered tool can produce many benefits for the stakeholders of this industry

3.2 LCA; Life Cycle Assessment

LCA can be defined as a systematic methodology to assess the influence of the environment that is related to the product’s lifecycle from “cradle to grave”. A complete LCA deals with each phase of a product’s lifecycle and considers the concerned waste streams, withdrawal of raw material, subsequent uses, material handling, product manufacturing, utility, transportation, restoration, conservation, and discards related to the product as well as the recycling and end-of-life disposal service. It is important to note that the practice of construction plays a vital role in regional, global and national environmental impacts. Quite a large amount of research has been done on raw material processing and manufacturing and a few researchers have also looked into the after-use possibilities of commercial buildings (Guggemos and Horvath 2003).

However, the applications of LCA in the construction industry can be referred to as sustainable designing, as it emphasises careful evaluation of the environmental impact of chosen materials and component(s). This is accomplished by using the already available techniques and models. As discussed earlier, LCA can be defined as the collectiveness and evaluation of feedback, outputs, and all the energy contributions to and by the product throughout its lifespan. (Guinee et al, 2011).

The LCA methodology can not only insight into the product’s energy consumption but also into the built environment and the hazard resistance of building structures, which is why this method can be applied at the primary design stage of construction projects. But can this technique provide support in terms of the resilience of civil engineering structures? To answer this question, it is important to review the basic functionality of the complete LCA system when applied to construction projects (Heijungs R., 2010).

Several principles are considered before performing a life cycle assessment (LCA) on a construction project.

1. Aim and Scope of Analysis

The aim of LCA depends on the type being performed and the results needed to be catered in a construction process, such as to analyze the most sustainable and resilient solution for the construction design. This purpose or aim of assessment can then be further divided into smaller units within the project to perform a comprehensive study and present results that are based on factual information (Baumann and Tillman, 2004). It is also important to know the scope of assessment to find energy consumption, waste management and economic impacts of each unit under analysis.

2. Inventory Analysis

Inventory analysis consists of gathering and demonstrating data for further study. Data is in the form of inflows and outflows of individual units or phases of the design and construction process (Baumann and Tillman, 2004). Availability of data is ensured and quality of data also plays an important role in visualizing a desired output design. Targeting sustainability and resilience, it is made sure that all materials provided in different phases are standardized and reliable. Data and information are cross-checked to avoid any unforeseen circumstances. At the end of inventory analysis, data is in the form of figures representing the energy consumption, emission, waste production and resources utilized throughout the project (Sophia, 2009).

3. Impact Analysis

The purpose of impact analysis is to make the results made from inventory analysis easy to comprehend and communicate between stakeholders and development phases. The impact analysis helps choose the right category based on its impacts on an overall developmental project for a certain factor and helps in dealing with it. It therefore smooths the flow of tasks and aids the inventory analysis procedure. The impact can be long-lasting or short-lived, depending on the inventory under consideration. This step plays an important role in attaining a sustainable and resilient system by eliminating the long-term negative impact and including an alternative that has a slightly better or less grave impact (Baumann and Tillman, 2004). Material is chosen based on their long-run results in impact analysis.

3.2.2 Influence of LCA

LCA has also been found to play a significant role in assessing the effect of a construction assembly during its existence and afterwards. The International Organization of Standardization’s 14040 series defines steps for typical LCA assessment based on materials, construction, and demolition of a building, and this information is further computed into energy and carbon footprint equivalents, as well as the demonstration of source utilization and discharged radiations. The data is used by architects, structural engineers, workers, and vendors that have to deal with the prediction of environmental and structural impacts during a structure’s life.

As discussed previously, LCA involves a detailed Inventory analysis which includes the collection and modelling of data and then forming the results in the form of a chronological flow chart that is the collective effect of inflows and outflows of various processes (Baumann and Tillman, 2004). Based on the available data, each process can be examined under the light of their resilience and sustainability attributes. Cross-checking the data makes the source more trustworthy and data quality is enhanced. By the end of inventory analysis, the practitioners can have the figures of overall radiations, waste material, energy consumption and raw material utilized during the whole lifecycle (Baumann and Tillman, 2004). This helps the stakeholders build a more sustainable and resilient structure that is well-researched and more rich in information.

The next step right after the inventory analysis is to assess the impact of the data available. The impact can be environmental, social, economic, ecological and/or structural. This makes the results obtained more easy to understand and communicate the important factors between various levels of stakeholders. This leaves out any unimportant data results that are useful for one stakeholder but unimportant for others. The environmental impacts are divided into some vast categories namely, resource use, human health, and ecological consequences (Ochoa et al., 2002). Further categories of important factors, such as structural resilience, can again be categorized for priority cases by the stakeholders of the project.  According to the research completed by Baumann and Tillman in 2004, the specified steps to perform impact assessment that is standardized for many types of LCA studies are;

• Choosing the preferred impact types.
• Organization inventory outcomes in the most suitable impact Type.
• Classification of effects in each type using calculations.
• Optional analysis like the weight of impacts in various categories, to easily relate them with one another, and data can be normalized quickly, making it easy to see how it relates to reference values.
• Impact types can be selected in a way that they portray the overall situation of the conservational or other factors.

An LCA model essentially consists of four phases that are repeatedly used in the process. The steps include objective and aim designation, life-cycle standard LCI evaluation, life-cycle control estimation, and investigation. LCI is a common practice when LCA study is not applicable due to structural compatibility, incomplete development and other such issues in the LCIA stage. Several LCA development strategies are progression-based (Keoleian et al. 2000) or IO methods (Ochoa et al. 2002). A substitute is a mixture of LCA displaying which incorporates the features of both these systems to create a system that is a crossover.

The LCA development model is a complex tool because it is dependent upon numerous sets of data resources. Creating a framework for the project assigning various data resources and integrating data can be puzzling from a large scale as well as a smaller point of view while keeping consistent units and unit conversions in mind (Ortiz, 2009). The whole construction procedure is divided into several smaller units for each construction-specific process, which is unique in one way and very common to each other in many ways. Many of the construction model processes comprise fuel combustion, and related fuel equipment to find out the transportation needs and to estimate the total expenditure of temporary materials in construction. The structure and complexity of the mode are determined through extensive examination tools as an assessment method to find out the significance of a scheme.

Usually, the impacts of on-site construction are overlooked, resulting in a gap in understanding of realistic environmental impacts due to the construction process. A recent study on construction projects during the 2008 Beijing Olympics revealed that the air quality is also affected by construction activities. Life-cycle assessment is an efficient ecological administration methodology that comprehensively breaks down and evaluates the natural effects of an item or procedure. It can be used for decision-making to conserve the global, national, and provincial effects on social and biological issues, for example, human well-being, asset exhaustion, and biological community quality. It is specialists are frequently confronted with making difficult selections identified with choosing the fitting degree or limit of the investigation, the wellsprings of information for lifecycle inventories, programming, and effect evaluation practices.

3.3 Comparison and Integration of BIM and LCA

A study completed by Kubba (2012) and Becerik-Gerber and Rice (2010) shows that the evaluation of a proposed scheme and deciding whether or not it fits the criteria set by the owner can be easily assessed by creating a schematic model before the actual detailed building model. This can help decide the important factors like sustainability, resilience and functional requirements and also aid in increasing the project performance and general quality of service.

Therefore, it can be suggested that the utilization as well achievements of technological tools are dependent upon the priorities and objectives of the project stakeholders, and both techniques have definite potential to enhance the sustainability as well as resilience of the construction projects. These techniques can also be integrated to meet the standards set for the projects. A technique suggested by Jrade and Jalaei (2013) focuses on achieving a sustainable design while taking into account environmental impacts by combining BIM, Management Information Systems, and LCA; so that resilience as well as sustainability goals are successfully achieved for a given construction project.

But what is the link or the common parameters of the LCA and BIM? What are the basic parameters that are covered in both techniques?  

The basic parameters that are influenced through both BIM and LCA in terms of sustainability and resilience are quantification of resistance to hazard, building design, durability of materials and material analyses. BIM makes it possible for various disciplines to superimpose their information. Hence structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing lighting etc. information is placed over a single model (Tucker and Newton, 2009). It allows the practitioners to understand the step-by-step processes involved in construction and envisage the 3-dimensional placement of the building (Eastman et al, 2008). Each stage of a construction life-cycle assessment can have an influential impact on the processing of natural resources, production, construction, usage and preservation, repairing and finally demolishing, which can consequently perform a significant role in environmental influence and resilience. Studies propose that the threats related to the environment during the construction stage are not well acknowledged (Hendrickson and Horvath 2000). LCA is the best-known tool to calculate and evaluate the environmental impacts of a product or process.

Of most of the research work completed on these technologies, the comparison between any two is extremely difficult, because each of these tools focuses on a different aspect. Although both LCA and BIM can be a good source to enhance the sustainability as well as resilience of the project, both of these techniques have their specific/unique application models and purpose of utilization. BIM is fundamentally used for overall project management;

• It offers a set of methodologies and courses to enable all the concerned stakeholders to work together in designing, constructing, operating and sustainably managing the existing facility according to their requirements. (Succar, 2013). An information model that is well-informed and has several data sources, data linking and data can be shared among the stakeholders and modified, altered and manipulated at any time from the inception of the building to execution and recycling (Waterhouse, 2013). Data modelling and visualizations are technology-based which means any functional or physical trait and its environment can be foreseen and compared, this results in better decision making (ISO/TC 59/SC 13).

Whereas the LCA technique primarily offers the;

• A systemized environmental assistance framework that thoroughly evaluates and considers the environmental impacts of a product or a process. LCA focuses on matters such as carbon footprint impact, global warming potentials, volatile organic compounds waste that threaten the integrity of nature and environment, fuel consumption and various types of wastes. The construction stage is of the same importance as any other lifecycle stage, the study shows. Research on environmental impacts of buildings essentially concentrated on a) energy consumption during construction projects, b) material manufacturing on-site and off-site and c) waste management upon project completion.

A solution to revolutionize design methods and effectively produce high-performance designs for proposed buildings is possible through a combination of BIM technology and LCA, as synergies exist between both of these techniques in terms of sustainable and resilient design strategies. Since BIM facilitates the complete project through an integrated designing strategy and LCA is considered the method best suited to assess the environmental impact, a broader approach could be adopted to integrate LCA with BIM to achieve a higher level of sustainability, efficiency and resilience for any given project. This integration can also potentially eliminate the limitations of any one tool, such as the lack of data availability for LCA, encouraging ease of decision-making during the early design stages of the project. Alton, 2014 completed a SWOT analysis on this integration suggesting the strengths of the engineered integration as;

• Rapid and efficient methods — the relevant data is more efficiently utilized for environmental, social and economic norms
• Improved efficiency — building suggestions can be extensively examined and designs can be corrected to cut short expenses and times or structurally improve the building to increase resilience.
• Sustainability issues — innovative solutions to every issue during the construction project lead sustainable selection of choices. Moreover, environmental benefits are extended
• Improved quality of product— with the adaptation of modern techniques and technology updates, the quality of the end product increases manifolds.
• Automation — the product data is computerized and can be used in various processing and assembling techniques, making it easier to obtain, analyze and update data, especially during the early stages of the project
• Stakeholder satisfaction — Integration not only helps the managers and planners but also helps the workers and clients collaborate better through an engineered technique.
• Incorporation of planning and execution — data recording, planning and execution happen simultaneously; adding value to time and helping build a communication-friendly environment between various stakeholders.
• Enhanced environmental assessment and making it possible to compare various predicted environmental performances.

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According to this assessment, integration of these tools can result in exceptionally resilient and sustainable structures. This can revolutionize the way data is manipulated, errors are compensated, and buildings are foreseen at any point in time, specifically concerning environmental performance. This can lead to unmatched prospects of production, storage, enhanced resilience, stability, and sharing/transformation of pivotal information. Data could be exchanged and the best processes can be chosen based on their stability, and resilience keeping the environmental issues in perspective (Garagnani, 2013). This collating of information, incorporating consistency and fostering collaboration and coordination among different actors and professionals can result in structures that are more intelligently managed. This is further discussed in the later sections of this paper.