Scope

The Strategic Group has systematically addressed various facets of sustainability within the built environment, prioritizing the implementation sequence. The project focuses on environmental sustainability use cases, with the expectation that these will also contribute to financial, economic, and social sustainability. Key environmental sustainability use cases include:

1. Embedded resources (including carbon, water, recyclable materials): Supporting embedded resource assessment for both the built asset and the building method. (Life Cycle Assessment modules A and C)
2. Maintenance, reuse, and replacement: Aiding in the assessment of maintenance and replacement (Life Cycle Assessment modules B1-B5).
3. Resource consumption, including energy (Building Energy Model - BEM) and water: Facilitating the assessment of operating resource consumption and generation. (Life Cycle Assessment modules B6 and B7)
4. Circularity and waste: Assisting in the evaluation of circularity, encompassing disassembly, recycled content/recyclability, and utilization. (Life Cycle Assessment module D).

Problem Statement

Despite the potential of openBIM to enhance sustainability, the built environment industry faces specific challenges that hinder the seamless integration of sustainable practices:

1. Limited Robust Solutions: Sustainability assessments are hampered by a lack of robust, reliable, and open-access databases.
2. Integration Challenges: Existing interoperable solutions for sustainability assessments face difficulties in seamless integration and utilization.
3. Lack of Awareness: The market lacks widespread awareness of the available solutions for sustainability assessments.
4. Data Quality Issues: The quality of Building Information Modeling (BIM) data is often inconsistent and inadequate, posing challenges to effective sustainability assessments.
5. Low Standardization: Efforts towards standardizing sustainable construction practices are low, contributing to a fragmented landscape of green assessments and certifications for built assets and products

Key Identified Challenges and Proposed Solutions

Based on extensive consultations with industry experts during buildingSMART summits and case studies presented by members of the Sustainability Strategic Group—including representatives from buildingSMART International, BIM specialists, product manufacturers, educational institutes, platforms for environmental product information, and architects—several key challenges have been identified in integrating openBIM with sustainability assessments. The following sections outline these challenges and the proposed solutions to address them:

Outdated List of LCA Indicators in IFC

• Challenge: Current IFC property sets for environmental impacts use outdated terminology that does not align with the latest standards.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Publish modern terminology from Regulation (EU) 305/2011 – The Construction Products Regulation – CPR in the buildingSMART Data Dictionaries (bSDD).
  • Report outdated terminology for revision or deprecation in future IFC updates.
  • Prepare IDS specifications for recommended properties (refer to Annex A).

IDS Project Stage Applicability

• Challenge: Information requirements vary by project stage, complicating the division of specifications.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Develop general specifications for facility, product, and declaration information.
  • Ensure specifications are adaptable to specific project scopes (refer to Annex A).

Referencing Product Information in BIM

• Challenge: Ineffective solutions for referencing and copying product and declaration information in BIM.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Provide guidance and IDS specifications for standardized methods of capturing product information (refer to Annex A).
  • Investigate integration with EPD/PDT services.

Matching Product with IFC Instance

• Challenge: IFC models elements differently from EPD functional units, complicating environmental impact data capture.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Sum indicators proportionally for multi-layered elements.
  • Keep product environmental indicators in declarations and reference them within the IFC model.

Storing Environmental Impact Values in BIM

• Challenge: Environmental impact values in EPDs are in tabular form, making it hard to represent them in BIM.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Use formats such as connected properties, concatenation, or lists.
  • Employ IfcList or IfcTable formats for complex data representation.
  • Utilize separate property sets or complex properties.

Need for Postprocessing BIM Data

• Challenge: BIM-derived bills of quantities are often unusable for LCA tools due to differing functional units and simplified geometry.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Clearly define the data scope for facilities, types, and declarations.
  • Focus on volumetric elements and ensure accurate reporting of measures.

Modeling Physical Connections

• Challenge: Difficulty in representing physical connections between elements in IFC.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Define a "Fixing method" property.
  • Model connections as separate layers without thickness where applicable.

Managing LCA as Model Progresses

• Challenge: LCA information can become outdated with model changes.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Treat model values as static inputs for LCA rather than dynamic.

(open)BIM Education

• Challenge: Poor-quality BIM datasets and a lack of familiarity with (open)BIM solutions as well as mediocre implementation of openBIM Standards in some software solutions.
• Proposed Solutions:
  • Increase access to targeted BIM training and education.
  • Promote buildingSMART’s Professional Certification Program to enhance expertise in openBIM.

Preliminary Conclusions

• Enhancing Data Trustworthiness: Standardized specifications are essential for trustworthy data, enabling automatic quality checks and consistent data delivery.
• Managing Complexity in IFC Schema: Addressing the complexity of the IFC schema requires data standardization and enhanced software capabilities.
• Aligning Sustainability Property Sets: Aligning IFC sustainability property sets with international LCA standards will mitigate misalignment risks.

Preliminary Outline of IDS Deliverables

Facility-Product-Declaration-IDS contains a preliminary outline delineating the content for three Information Delivery Specifications (IDS) deliverables. Primarily, the emphasis is on the 'Facility' aspect, as defined in the first sheet. However, it also provides a framework for the 'Product' aspect on the second sheet. A third sheet  the detailed content related to Declarations such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). Each sheet is structured to encompass three fundamental elements: the primary facets of sustainability, the specific applicability, and the corresponding stipulated requirements. This framework aims to serve as a foundational guide for the comprehensive development of IDS deliverables, offering clarity and structure to the content addressing both the 'Facility' and 'Product' aspects.

Next Steps

While the results offer valuable insights into sustainability assessments in the built environment, it is essential to acknowledge that their real-world effectiveness depends on practical application. Before deeming these results as valid solutions, they need thorough testing in real-life case studies in a second phase to ensure adaptability across diverse scenarios.

Key Objectives:

• Validation through Real-Life Testing:

It is crucial to test the findings in real-life situations to confirm their practical utility. Thorough testing across various contexts is encouraged to establish the robustness and adaptability of the solutions.

• Crafting Clear and Modular Explanations:

The aim is to create clear and modular explanations for easy communication across different platforms, ensuring that the insights reach a wide audience.

• Integration into Professional Certification:

The plan is to integrate the insights into the different curricula of buildingSMART International’s Professional Certification Program. Simultaneously, a specialized 'sustainability' curriculum could be developed for managers and practitioners.

It will be crucial to iterate and refine the results. Real-life testing, clear communication, and integration into professional frameworks are vital steps to ensure that the insights not only enhance understanding but also find practical applications in the dynamic landscape of sustainability assessments in the built environment.

Preliminary conclusions

• Enhancing Data Trustworthiness:

The inherent uniqueness and often low quality of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and product data pose barriers to seamless automatic environmental analysis. A strategic move toward standardized specifications is essential to instil trust in data. By adhering to common terms and properties, published in bSDD, a universal language emerges, facilitating consistent data delivery and enabling automatic quality checks.

• Managing Complexity in IFC Schema:

The IFC schema's exceptional flexibility in capturing diverse information also introduces complexity. With a plethora of options, including schema versions, model view definitions, official property sets, custom properties, default entities, and additional classifications, inconsistencies in software implementation may arise. Addressing this complexity requires a focus on data standardization, elevating competency levels, and refining software capabilities to align with standardized practices.

• Aligning Sustainability Property Sets:

Sustainability property sets within the IFC schema currently lack alignment with international Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) standards. Recognizing this disparity, there is a proposed consideration to remove these sets in future IFC versions. Instead, a curated list in bSDD can be introduced, offering users the flexibility to choose nomenclature based on contextual, regional, and methodological considerations. This approach mitigates the risk of potential misalignment with evolving LCA standards.

These conclusions underscore the critical importance of standardization, competency enhancement, and strategic choices in data management to overcome existing challenges and pave the way for more effective and adaptable sustainability assessments in the built environment.

The integration of openBIM and buildingSMART standards into sustainability practices presents promising opportunities for the built asset industry. However, several critical areas require attention:

1. Holistic Approach to Sustainability
   While the focus has been on environmental sustainability, future efforts must also address social and economic dimensions. OpenBIM should contribute to all aspects of sustainability, ensuring a balanced approach.
2. Stakeholder Engagement and Guidance
   Effective adoption of these solutions requires active engagement with stakeholders, supported by clear, accessible guidance. Providing practical instructions and real-world examples will be crucial for broad implementation.
3. Strategic Roadmap and Real-Life Testing
   A clear, adaptable roadmap with measurable goals is needed to guide the long-term evolution of these solutions. Real-life testing through pilot projects will help refine the standards and ensure they meet industry needs.

This conclusive report provides a comprehensive roadmap for enhancing sustainability within the built asset industry through the effective use of openBIM and buildingSMART standards. The focus on collaboration, standardization, and practical application is key to overcoming existing challenges and driving the industry toward more sustainable practices.

To address these challenges, the following objectives were established:

1. Gap Analysis: Identify and analyze gaps and challenges within the current landscape of sustainability assessments in the built asset industry.
2. Showcase openBIM's Efficacy: Demonstrate how openBIM, with a focus on buildingSMART standards and services, can facilitate comprehensive sustainability assessments, including life cycle assessments (LCA) and adherence to various regulatory schemes.
3. Propose Enhancements: Suggest improvements to buildingSMART standards and services to align with evolving norms, practices, and regulations in sustainable construction.
4. Contribute to Global Efforts: Actively contribute to and align with international and regional sustainability and regulatory schemes, such as the EU Sustainable Finance Agenda and various ISO and ASHRAE standards.

Target Group

This initiative is designed to benefit various stakeholders within the built asset industry, including:

• Designers and engineers
• Manufacturers
• Construction companies / contractors / builders
• Facility and asset managers
• Building owners and investors
• Software vendors
• Public bodies and regulators
• Green building certification bodies

Partners in this endeavour include:

• ISO and other standard developers
• Sustainability databases or platforms (e.g. Ecoplatform and similar associations)
• Green building certification bodies or sustainability certification organizations (e.g., USGBC for LEED, Passive House, DGNB, BRE Group)
• Industry associations (e.g., Concrete Europe, GCCA)

Case Studies

The case studies featured in this section not only serve as examples of real-world applications but also function as strategic explorations into defining and addressing challenges within the openBIM framework for sustainability. These studies delve into the practical implementation and success stories, offering insights and examples of how openBIM can be used to navigate and overcome challenges to promote sustainable practices.

• Wavin:

[Brief description of Wavin's involvement and how it addresses challenges within the openBIM framework for sustainability.]

• Wisebrick: [Insights into how Wisebrick defines and tackles challenges using openBIM for sustainable building practices.]
• Lignum:

[Exploration of how Lignum addresses challenges and embraces sustainability through openBIM.]

• Ecoplatform:

[Case study highlighting how Ecoplatform defines challenges within the openBIM ecosystem and addresses them for sustainable practices.]

• Designer xx:

[A detailed look at how Designer xx defines and overcomes challenges, leveraging openBIM to enhance sustainability in their designs.]

• Software Vendor (OneClick LCA):

[Examination of how a software vendor, specifically OneClick LCA, defines and addresses challenges by integrating with openBIM to support sustainability assessments.]

• Manufacturers (Cemex) - Sustainable Real-Time Parametrization for RMX Concrete:

[Insights into how Cemex defines challenges and employs sustainable real-time parametrization for ready-mix concrete using openBIM.]

• Building Transparency
  

[Example on how openEPD has been implemented]

Terms

• Facility: any complex located on a site, including buildings, bridges, segments of road or rail, tunnels or industrial facility or harbour. The facility usually defines the ‘systems boundary’ for assessments.
• Component: any identified physical part of a facility.
• Type or Product: the specification of one or more components
• System: an aspect of the facility with a distinct capacity or performance, particularly energy and water.
• Space: an area or volume holding human or other kinds of activity.

Abbreviations

• BCF
• bSDD
• IFC
• IDS
• IDM
• MVD
• BPMN