A BIM-aided construction waste minimisation framework

• The use of BIM for design activities and their potentially positive impact on construction waste minimisation during design.
• BIM can potentially have a significant effect on design-related construction waste causes.
• Concept and Design Development stages offer the greatest opportunities to minimise waste through BIM.
• BIM-aided construction waste minimisation process to address waste causes across design stages through BIM-enhanced design activities for supporting architects to make informed waste minimisation decisions in their projects.

At present, there are insufficient design decision making tools to support effective construction waste minimisation evaluation and implementation throughout all design stages. A limited but growing body of recent literature suggests that building information modelling has the potential to assist architects to minimise design waste on their projects. The research reported in this paper is the first attempt to develop a design decision making framework for improving construction waste minimisation performance through building information modelling. The potential use of building information modelling to drive out construction waste in building design was investigated through a questionnaire survey and follow-up interview with the top 100 architectural practices in the United Kingdom. An industry-reviewed ‘building information modelling-aided construction waste minimisation framework’ was developed based on the results of the literature review, questionnaire data, and interview data. The Framework is intended to act as an integrated platform for designing out waste decision making, by providing informed building information modelling-driven guidance to address waste causes throughout design stages.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide