General system architecture for BIM: An integrated approach for design and analysis

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Abstract

One of the significant benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the ability to effectively use analysis and evaluation programs during design, as feedback. However, the current dominant approach to analysis and evaluation of design proposals requires the creation of a separate building model for each kind of evaluation. This typically involves using a BIM tool to prepare the data for a specific type of analysis to obtain design feedback. Most of the effort lies in modifying the building model to support the analysis required. When dealing with multiple evaluations, this process is time consuming, greatly reducing the design benefits of BIM. We propose a system architecture to facilitate analysis and feedback in architectural design, based on post-processing design-oriented building models. The post-processing automatically adapts the building model to the needs of the specific analysis, where multiple analyses can be run from the same building model. We outline the methods for realizing such design interoperability. By utilizing geometric and attribute relationships and semantics, data subsets are identified and aggregated. We present an example where the design of a class of buildings – federal courthouses, is evaluated in terms of multiple analyses: programmatic spaces, building circulation, energy consumption, and preliminary cost. These analyses are performed by post-processing a single BIM model. The method is applicable to both API-based direct interfaces as well as open-standard building models.

Introduction

In the development of a building project, domain-specific tools are used for design analysis and evaluation. Tools for lighting, energy use, mechanical system design and its control systems, structural analysis, cost analysis, scheduling, evacuation simulation; are example analyses that all require specialized data for their execution. In traditional design where 2D drawings were manually generated, each domain expert or consultant participating in the project had their own analysis tools and manually generated datasets from the architect’s design intent drawings to assess the design from the consultant’s perspective. As the design evolved, these consultants managed the coordination of the analysis data to maintain its consistency with the design. Because this manual process was time consuming, the specialist consultants could not respond to the timeframe of design decision-making. Assessments within the design process were intuitively made from experience and most computational analyses were done near the end of design to validate already made decisions.

This paper presents a system architecture approach to facilitate support for a potentially open-ended set of analysis and assessment tools for providing design feedback during architectural design. There are several examples of such integrated modeling and application interfaces [10], [21], [31], [40]. In this paper, we outline an explicit procedure for undertaking such integration and present another as a case study. It presents a process for integrating the requirements of different analyses with those of a design view, and addresses the integration of heterogeneous data requirements, including geometrical differences. A potential library structure is outlined, based on aggregated data subsets that utilize geometric relationships and semantics. We also present a case study where the design of courthouses for the US General Services Administration (GSA) is evaluated in terms of multiple analyses: programmatic spaces, building circulation, energy consumption, and preliminary cost. These analyses are performed by post-processing a single building model. Our goal was to support multiple types of evaluation based on a single evolving building model. The methods described have the long term goal of supporting effective digital design feedback throughout the building lifecycle.

Section snippets

Background

Efforts to improve the building procurement process include the development of building codes and standards [22] and research in model interoperability [6], [30], [35] to facilitate data exchange between two distinct domains, design and analysis, and support multiple exchanges or analyses based on one design model. Research in the area of building codes and standards focuses on transforming prescriptive provisions in building codes to machine readable rules and developing a building model that

System architecture

The current interfacing process focuses on the definition of a model view to support interfacing to the analysis tool. While this is necessary, it is not sufficient, for the previous reasons. A high level view characterizing the current process is shown in Fig. 1a. It shows that the design model must be converted (now manually) to the form of model required by the analysis tool. The current process replaces what was manual input of the analysis data to the revision of the architect’s design

Courthouse case study

This case study demonstrates the process outlined in the previous section. Four types of design analysis relevant to courthouse design are integrated: (1) review of space programming requirements based on a building plan, (2) assessment of building access and circulation based on three levels of security (3) cost analysis based on RS Means standards [42], and (4) energy consumption prediction resulting from occupancy types and geographic location. Currently our implementation is for the

System capabilities

The integrated assessment capabilities reported here have been implemented through rulesets and plug-ins to Solibri Model Checker [45]. Each of the four analysis processes can be performed separately, using the same BIM base model. Fig. 23 shows the process for the various assessments. This section provides an overview of the analysis capabilities in the current implementation.

Discussion

We present an approach to the interface to multiple applications based on interfaces derived from a single user defined generic building model using post-processing to embed the domain-specific requirements for each application. A method for defining the requirements for a multi-application analysis interface is outlined. The proposed system architecture implements a mapping process to automate the multiple evaluations from a single design model. The implementation of a system architecture for

Conclusion

The proposed system architecture provides an alternative solution to the need for tailoring design models for specific analysis applications. The case studied presented here focuses on the analysis of preliminary concept designs for US Courthouses for GSA. The specific guidelines for four types of analysis are described. The key contribution of this approach is to reduce the designer’s effort by post-processing the building design model. Specifically, the automated process facilitates design

Acknowledgments

This research has been supported by the General Services Administration, Office of Chief Architect. The authors are responsible for this report and any errors or omissions. The authors wish to thank Calvin Kam, Fred Miller, Peggy Yee, Bill Hunt, and Charles Matta for their support, and acknowledge the technical support of Pasi Passiala of Solibri.

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