Reducing carbon emissions and addressing environmental policies in the construction domain has been intensively explored with solutions ranging from energy efficiency techniques with building informatics to user behavior modelling and monitoring. Such strategies have managed to improve current practices in managing buildings, however decarbonizing the built environment and reducing the energy performance gap remains a complex undertaking that requires more comprehensive and sustainable solutions. In this context, building information modelling (BIM), can help the sustainability agenda as the digitalization of product and process information provides a unique opportunity to optimize energy-efficiency-related decisions across the entire lifecycle and supply chain. BIM is foreseen as a means to waste and emissions reduction, performance gap minimization, in-use energy enhancements, and total lifecycle assessment. It also targets the whole supply chain related to design, construction, as well as management and use of facilities, at the different qualifications levels (including blue-collar workers). In this paper, we present how building information modelling can be utilized to address energy efficiency in buildings in the operation phase, greatly contributing to achieving carbon emissions targets. In this paper, we provide two main contributions: (i) we present a BIM-oriented methodology for supporting building energy optimization, based on which we identify few training directions with regards to BIM, and (ii) we provide an application use case as identified in the European research project “Sporte2” to demonstrate the advantages of BIM in energy efficiency with respect to several energy metrics.

LEAN Management is rapidly gaining interest in the construction industry, while stakeholders have to improve productivity and efficiency of building processes. Such management methods and principles proved to be useful in other sectors (e.g. automotive), and most of the feedbacks in construction projects are positive, although it is recognized that important implementation efforts are required. In parallel, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a key approach in making the projects' processes more fluent, transparent and integrated, although some barriers (both technological and contractual) make its adoption slower than it was initially expected. This article describes some findings of an action-research project investigating links between both approaches. It defines a two-steps technological proposal for LEAN methods, towards a full-BIM information system for LEAN management of construction processes. First, the Smart Construction Planner is a response for implanting digital LEAN methods at short-term, on construction sites. Second, a mapping of 4D/BIM uses to LEAN methods and principles defines the way to future LEAN/BIM IT developments.

Although the construction industry has the potential to implement circular economy (CE) principles, the sector suffers from a veritable lack of initiatives to develop circular and regenerative design principles. However, existing buildings intended to be demolished could be considered as material banks for future constructions, with the aim to exploit anthropogenic resources, extend material/product efficiency, and reduce the extraction of natural resources. This concept of buildings as material banks is being studied more and more in the scientific literature, but it still requires the existing building stock to be fully digitalized, thus making materials reusable in new buildings starting from the architectural design stage. Moreover, the decision process regarding CE strategies requires the consideration of the environmental impacts of the deconstruction and end-of-life processes, which is essential in CE implementation. This paper introduces a digital platform for generating materials inventory and supporting the definition of reuse strategies. Then, by using digital tools in combination with life cycle assessment (LCA) studies of the deconstruction process and output of materials and components inventories, a method is defined and tested on a pilot building in Luxembourg.

Cooperation between actors in design and construction activities in architecture is an essential stake nowadays. In professional practices the actors involved in construction projects use numerous tools. The project is unique but the "views" that actors manipulate are various and sometimes fundamentally different. Their common characteristic is that they partially represent the cooperation context through a "business specific" point of view. Bat'iViews suggests to the actors a multi-view interface of the context and enables to navigate through the different views. This proposition is based on a model-driven approach. We distinguish between "context modelling" and modelling of concepts represented in each "business-view". A model integrative infrastructure allows us to develop the prototype and to manage user interaction through the definition of models' transformations.

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes original research papers and case studies