The growing pressure to ensure sustainable construction is also associated with stricter demands on the cost-effectiveness of construction and operation of buildings and reduction of their environmental impact. This paper presents a methodology for building life cycle cost estimation that enables investors to identify the optimum material solution for their buildings on the level of functional parts. The functionality of a comprehensive model that takes into account investor requirements and links them to a construction cost estimation database and a facility management database is verified through a case study of a “façade composition” functional part, with sublevel “external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) with thin plaster”. The results show that there is no generally applicable optimum ETICS material solution, which is caused by differing investor requirements, as well as the unique circumstances of each building and its user. The solution presented in this paper aims to aid investor decision-making regarding the choice of the building materials while taking the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) into account.

The need to use Building Information Modelling (BIM), which brings multiple benefits, including sustainable construction, in the Czech Republic is also reflected in the area of construction-economic systems. Construction-economic systems include building cost estimation, LCC calculation and facility management. The Czech construction sector is hampered by the diversity of these systems, despite the need for them to be interconnected and share data amongst themselves. For this reason, previous research has proposed a general connecting database to integrate data from the individual systems and effectively share them also within the framework of BIM designing. This paper generally describes further possibilities of expanding the connecting database to include another level. Specifically, this is demonstrated on one of the functional parts, i.e. the wall. A more detailed classification with attributes necessary for conclusive listing in the price database is proposed for the selected functional part.

Many studies and research point to a growing trend in industrial digitization. New materials, technologies and advanced automation tools are increasingly being promoted in the construction industry. With the increasing degree of digitization, various ways and methods of planning, management and control across different construction processes are also increasing. BIM is a unified information system that enables the sharing of documentation, supports communication, streamlines individual processes, helps eliminate errors and increases quality. Based on this fact, the paper analyses the current state of use of Building Information Modelling in planning and managing the life cycle of buildings in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The current state of knowledge and use of BIM, defining the advantages and possible barriers to its use, examining the scope and potential of BIM implementation within the building life cycle and defining tools and applications used in time and financial planning of construction production were analysed. The paper also briefly examines how the implementation of BIM can affect selected key tasks of the preparation and valuation professions.