Framework for the assessment of the existing building stock through BIM and GIS

• Published in: Developments in the built environment 2023-03, Vol.13, p.100110, Article 100110
• Main Authors: Honic, Meliha, Ferschin, Peter, Breitfuss, Dominik, Cencic, Oliver, Gourlis, Georgios, Kovacic, Iva, De Wolf, Catherine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Building information modelling; Circular economy; Digital platform; Geographic information system; Reuse; Urban mining
• ISSN: 2666-1659; 2666-1659
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dibe.2022.100110

With 60% of the world's raw materials extraction, the construction sector is the largest consumer of raw materials. The consumption can be reduced through reuse and recycling of building materials which reached their end-of-life; however, there is lack of information on the building stock. This paper presents a bottom-up approach based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Geographic Information System (GIS) to assess material quantities. To test this approach, a real-world building is used. The material intensity is calculated based on existing planning documentations, on-site investigations, laser scanning and a BIM-model. The gross volumes (GVs) obtained from GIS enable the modelling and prediction of cities' building stocks. The results of this paper demonstrate the method of calculating material intensities and present how the applied method can be used to predict building stocks. The latter is presented as a framework which can support various cities in assessing their material stock. •A BIM-based assessment of existing building's material intensities is demonstrated.•GIS and BIM enable an extrapolation of material intensities and masses on city-scale.•The developed framework supports the prediction of the material stock in cities.•More case studies are required to refine the archetype and predict material masses accurately.•The approach is confronted with uncertainties which will be quantified in future.