As per reports, the construction industry is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. It is responsible for around 38% of energy-related CO2 emissions globally.
Therefore, promoting a green future of construction is essential to mitigate climate change’s impacts. BIM is a powerful tool to help achieve this goal. This article further explores how BIM promotes the green future of construction.
What is BIM?
Building Information Modelling is a digital approach that has been gaining a lot of importance recently. It enables architects, engineers, and construction professionals to create and manage a building project’s physical and functional characteristics.
BIM in construction supports the efficient planning, design, construction, and operation of buildings. It provides a collaborative platform for all stakeholders to communicate and share information throughout the project’s lifecycle.
How Can It Help Promote A Green Future For The Construction Industry?
- Energy Efficiency
BIM supports energy-efficient design by simulating the energy performance of buildings during the design phase. BIM allows architects and engineers to analyse different design options and evaluate their energy efficiency.
This consists of readings like thermal performance, lighting, and ventilation. This analysis helps identify potential energy savings opportunities and optimise building performance. The end result is reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Moreover, BIM enables the integration of building management systems (BMS) with building design. This integration enables real-time monitoring and control of the building’s energy use, increasing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impacts.
BIM also supports the integration of renewable energy sources into building design, such as solar panels and wind turbines. This can further reduce the building’s carbon footprint.
- Sustainable Materials
BIM promotes the use of sustainable materials in building design and construction. With BIM, designers and architects can select materials with lower embodied carbon and reduced environmental impact.
It enables tracking materials from their origin to their disposal, ensuring that sustainable materials get used throughout the building’s lifecycle. Additionally, BIM facilitates prefabricated and modular construction techniques that reduce waste and material usage.
By modelling the building components digitally, designers can optimise the use of materials and reduce waste during construction. This approach leads to a more sustainable and cost-effective construction process.
- Waste Reduction
By modelling the building’s components digitally, BIM optimises material usage and reduces the amount of waste generated during construction. More so, BIM can identify potential errors and design clashes before construction begins, reducing the need for rework and further reducing waste.
BIM also enables the tracking of construction waste from its generation to its disposal, facilitating waste reduction and recycling. Construction companies can identify opportunities to reduce waste and improve their waste management practices by tracking waste.
- Water Efficiency
BIM promotes water-efficient design by simulating the building’s water usage and identifying potential water-saving opportunities. By analysing the building’s water usage, designers can identify potential savings opportunities.
This gets done by using low-flow fixtures and rainwater harvesting systems. BIM also supports the integration of water management systems, such as grey water systems, into building design. This further leads to reduced water consumption and environmental impacts.
- Life Cycle Assessment
Lastly, BIM supports life cycle assessment (LCA), a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of a building throughout its lifecycle. LCA considers the environmental effects of a building from its construction to its demolition.
This can include the extraction of raw materials, transportation, manufacturing, construction, use, and disposal. BIM enables tracking building components and materials throughout their lifecycle, facilitating LCA, and identifying potential environmental impacts.
This can further help designers and architects can identify potential opportunities to reduce the building’s environmental impact. BiM can further promote a greener approach and improve its sustainability with all such data.
BIM is a powerful tool that promotes the green future of construction. Therefore, BIM’s potential to promote the green future of construction cannot be overstated.
With BIM, the construction industry can create environmentally friendly, sustainable, and cost-effective buildings. By adopting BIM, the construction industry can contribute to mitigating climate change’s impacts and creating a more sustainable future for generations to come.
One service provider that has considered all such recent developments while building its software is Signax. Their software is updated with all the latest trends and developments in the industry. In addition, their service is also remarkable. Rest assured, with software like that, you have nothing to worry about.