GREEN BIM in Design and Preconstruction “Specifying green materials and using digital tools.” – Chris Halligan
Our round table discussion rambled far and wide reflecting the widespread nature of sustainability. Despite the increasing spread of BIM and the general interest in its implementation, it seems that knowledge and experience of combining it with digital tools to specify green materials is largely unknown at the moment. It was felt that the drivers for this do not exist in the UK. This mirrors the situation with sustainable and low carbon materials generally. Although operational energy is covered by legislation (particularly Building Regulations,) embodied energy is not addressed anywhere in UK legislation – despite it forming an ever-increasing proportion of the total energy of buildings We discussed the possibilities inherent in BIM for attributing data regarding embodied energy and carbon to components. However, who would undertake the initial work of collating and loading this data remains unclear. It was agreed that the implementation and maintenance of a support base for BIM was essential to exploit its potential fully. However, should the team behind this data be from the IT or architectural fields? Knowledge of the former is essential to maintain and advise on the optimum use of BIM but the latter will be the ones who understand the data required to be attributed to components and how this may be used to create more sustainable buildings. However, although the BRE’s Green Guide to Specification, is often a requirement where a target BREEAM rating is required, this appears to be the only driver yet experienced amongst the attendees and then without integration into the BIM process. So in conclusion, it seem to be uncertain how such digital tools as IMPACT, the ICE or sustainable information from third part sources including GreenSpec, the NGS or ASBP may be developed and incorporated into BIM. Drivers, both financial and legislative are lacking. As BIM becomes more commonplace, it will be interesting to revisit this question in the not-too-distant future. Chris Halligan, Stephen George & Partners