Why BIM advances sustainable construction
At a glance
In 2015, all UN member states adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as part of a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
One of the key technologies that is transforming how the construction industry responds to these goals is Building Information Modelling (BIM).
The global economy and all essential services (water, energy, sanitation) depend on assets and infrastructure developed by engineers, architects, and other construction professionals. Therefore, making the design, construction and operation of infrastructure more efficient can play a major part in meeting the UN SDGs. By integrating BIM into the asset life cycle, the digital tools we use can contribute to reducing pollution through better construction management.
How BIM puts the UN SDGs within arms’ reach
BIM contributes to all 17 SDGs to some extent. Below are three examples that highlight how.
- Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
- Goal 9: Industry, innovation, infrastructure
- Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
BIM can be applied to optimise water efficiency through data-driven design and operational decision-making. From bid creation to asset management, BIM can greatly improve efficiency.
For example, by unifying location and asset data into one intelligent platform, we can produce better community outcomes such as the case for one of our water utility clients. As part of a water treatment facility program, GHD took topographical surveys using drone photogrammetry to provide access to virtual pre-construction planning insights during COVID-19 restrictions. Through BIM, the resulting LiDAR and photogrammetry data were captured and stored on GHD Digital Twinning Online (DTO). This was utilised as a collaboration platform to provide real-time infrastructure asset information to the team.
This means that the information usually collected physically on-site can now be found by interrogating the virtual site, rapidly speeding up the site evaluation, optioneering and site investigation processes. Stakeholders can also conduct virtual meetings on the platform to discuss potential risks, solutions and impacts on the greater community.
The combination of drone photogrammetry, LiDAR and BIM for site evaluation and investigation not only reduces risk but saves time.
Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Identifying improvements to infrastructure during the design stage is critical to constant, sustainable improvement.
Implementing BIM in projects improves stakeholder communication through a Common Data Environment (CDE), eliminating information silos and promoting multi-disciplinary collaboration.
A CDE reduces pre-build clashes and makes it more feasible to visualise design issues prior to construction. 3D visualisation means that calculations and models are more accurate and more detailed, resulting in high quality structures that withstand the test of time.
BIM can also reduce costs. This is achieved through choosing more cost-effective materials, streamlining the construction workflow, and reducing human errors that lead to project delays and costly repairs.
Across all projects, BIM can realise benefits such as reduced project risk, improved built outcomes, improved asset management, and more efficient and on-time project delivery. In the Forrestfield Airport Link project, GHD was engaged to deliver a federated BIM model to be used by the Public Transport Authority for asset operations and maintenance.
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
A number of cities are taking the initiative with Smart Cities/precincts to integrate physical and digital systems in the built environment to improve efficiency, sustainability, health and wellbeing. We can incorporate the Internet of Things (IoT), Geographic Information System (GIS) integration, cloud computing, and BIM to facilitate city planning, construction and management.
With data linked across all building, infrastructure and transport systems, BIM provides real-time information and analysis of urban services and operations to maximise efficiency. It also:
- Minimises resource consumption
- Reduces environmental impact
- Ensures resource availability for future generations and communities
For example, GHD Digital integrated both BIM and VR to give CitiPower the capability to use data-as-an-asset by leveraging the captured data to build a Digital Twin of their physical assets. The Digital Twin can be used for multiple purposes throughout the organisation from design and performance monitoring through to training. This enabled more effective brown and green field designs and updates, the integration of various data sources and virtual training on real-life assets paving way for greater operational transparency, efficiency and safety.
The future of BIM in sustainable development
Governments and companies are implementing BIM in many countries, regions and industries to digitally transform the way they work and improve performance and outcomes.
For the AEC industry, accelerating BIM implementation and application is going to be vital if we want to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and ensure a brighter more prosperous future for generations to come.
In response to these SDGs, GHD Digital brings value to the future of tomorrow by integrating BIM into the asset lifecycle to ameliorate, optimise and drive better outcomes. By co-creating a sustainable future together, we can deliver endless benefits for our environment, our economy, and our community.