BIM (building information modeling) is widely recognized for enhancing the efficiency and precision of building energy modeling (BEM), primarily by reducing model development time and improving model accuracy. This paper presents a novel framework leveraging “openBIM” to standardize and harmonize BIM-driven solutions for energy simulations, facilitating comprehensive operational carbon impact assessments. Unlike existing approaches, our framework uniquely integrates information delivery specifications (IDS) with openBIM standards to define the minimum data requirements within the IFC schema, tailored to various levels of development (LOD). This innovation ensures consistent data exchange and interoperability across diverse energy modeling and simulation tools, addressing common challenges of data fragmentation and inaccuracy in operational carbon assessments. By advancing the current state of the art, the proposed framework empowers energy modelers, LCA analysts, and asset managers to streamline IDS implementation, fostering more efficient and reliable construction industry practices. This research thus marks a significant step towards achieving more sustainable building projects through enhanced data-driven insights.

Whole-Building Lifecycle Assessment (wbLCA) is an essential tool for evaluating the environmental impacts of buildings, including the benefits of material reuse. wbLCA can help the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation (AECO) industry reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the effectiveness of wbLCA depends on the availability, quality, and exchange of data, leading to significant inconsistencies in LCA assessments and analyses. To address the issue of data consistency and reliability in wbLCA, this paper proposes a framework that uses the openBIM approach to standardize the required data. By using BIM to procure data for LCA, the framework ensures data accuracy and consistency, facilitates data transfer into wbLCA, and improves assessment reliability by minimizing redundancy and modeling errors. OpenBIM standards and tools are adopted to validate Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) submittals, and the models are checked for both geometric and non-geometric data needed for LCA. This comprehensive approach ensures that the model includes all necessary information for LCA analysis, assessment, comparison, and benchmarking. This openBIM-integrated approach is considered a key contribution to aid standardization of wbLCA practice and to add records to the bill-of-work database, which could host records for hundreds or even thousands of buildings. This sophisticated, flexible, and dynamic approach enables self-updating peer model identification, in contrast to static, generic ‘archetype’ baseline buildings. As the database grows, regional and building-type specificity will increase. The study provides practical recommendations for industry stakeholders and authorities.

In recent years, an essential approach for promoting and implementing efficient sustainable construction practices has been considered through the integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA). The introduction of OpenBIM, which is characterized by its collaborative and interoperable nature, offers an ideal framework to enhance this integration. This paper conducts a systematic review of the literature concerning the practices applied to integrate BIM and LCA, focusing on the present trends, challenges, and opportunities as well as on how the concept of OpenBIM can be applied to tackle the identified issues and gaps. Based on an intense review of the literature to identify the ways currently used to exchange data, this paper proposes a robust framework to create Information Delivery Specifications (IDS) as a solution to the identified gaps to attain an effective implementation, ultimately contributing to sustainable buildings’ practices and enhancing the integration of OpenBIM and LCA. OpenBIM emphasizes interoperability and collaboration by using open standards like Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs), which, when combined with LCA, offer a powerful method for the practice of sustainable building and provide a transparent evaluation of the environmental impacts of building materials and processes. This paper explores the definitions, key concepts, types of the exchanged data, and methods of integration and therefore provides insights into their potential in addressing the gaps that the construction industry is currently facing. The framework of integrating OpenBIM and LCA will be developed as a tool; therefore, it will combine an automated validation option by using IDS, create an enriched IFC file(s), dynamically map the data to an external LCA repositories, and incorporate feedback and reporting mechanisms. All those will be combined to address the most persistent shortcomings in the reviewed studies related to the integration of BIM and LCA. The framework will promote a holistic approach covering the early design benchmark to the detailed Whole Building LCA (WBLCA), including the operational and end-of-life phases. This next-generation workflow will align closely to the principles of OpenBIM, leading to improvement in the efficiency, accuracy, and deeper understanding of the environmental impacts by stakeholders over the construction lifecycle of buildings.

A Multi-Origin GIS Routing Web Tool is presented with the goal of facilitating GIS analytics for supply chain and logistics decision support for built assets. The tool is easy to use for non experts and it is free to use within limits, and open source. The tool comes in two forms including a highly portable web application with a GIS interface, and a programmable API that can be integrated into existing programing, analytics, and optimization environments. The tool allows public agencies and municipalities to use GIS analytics to resolve supply chain and logistics challenges while conserving public funds and remaining market impartial. A case study is presented to show the utility and the analytics that can be leveraged by using the tool. This tool represents an important first step in BIM-GIS integration in the low digitization environment of North American AEC and Public Asset Management.

A Multi-Origin GIS Routing Web Tool is presented with the goal of facilitating GIS analytics for supply chain and logistics decision support for built assets. The tool is easy to use for non experts and it is free to use within limits, and open source. The tool comes in two forms including a highly portable web application with a GIS interface, and a programmable API that can be integrated into existing programing, analytics, and optimization environments. The tool allows public agencies and municipalities to use GIS analytics to resolve supply chain and logistics challenges while conserving public funds and remaining market impartial. A case study is presented to show the utility and the analytics that can be leveraged by using the tool. This tool represents an important first step in BIM-GIS integration in the low digitization environment of North American AEC and Public Asset Management.