BIM-based Sustainability Analysis: An Evaluation of Building Performance Analysis Software

With the rising cost of energy and growing environmental concerns, the demand for sustainable building facilities with minimal environmental impact is increasing. The most effective decisions regarding sustainability in a building facility are made in the early design and preconstruction stages. In this context, Building Information Modeling (BIM) can aid in performing complex building performance analyses to ensure an optimized sustainable building design. In this exploratory research, three building performance analysis software namely EcotectTM, Green Building StudioTM (GBS) and Virtual EnvironmentTM are evaluated to gage their suitability for BIM-based sustainability analysis. First presented in this paper are the main concepts of sustainability and BIM. Then an evaluation of the three abovementioned software is performed with their pros and cons. An analytical weight-based scoring system is used for this purpose. At the end, a conceptual framework is presented to illustrate how construction companies can use BIM for sustainability analysis and evaluate LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating of a building facility.