As a part of BIM4REN (Building Information Modelling based tools & technologies for fast and efficient RENovation of residential buildings) H2020 project, an analysis of the barriers of the renovation process, the potential of digitalization to overcome those barriers, and the requirements to ensure a successful digital workflow. This paper focuses on the Italian market where surveys, interviews, and a workshop were conducted, and then a diagnosis was made on the results obtained. Results show that technological innovation on BIM tools cannot be a stand-alone action to reach a full digitalization of the renovation sector, but it shall be supported by a major awareness of the actors involved, improved skills, and competences, as well as an important change of approach in the current construction practice.

Digital transformation in the built environment is a fact that will shape the industry, increasing its efficiency and improving its quality. However, there are many challenges still facing the industry to complete this transformation. Under this theme, during the Sustainable Places 2020 virtual conference on 28th October 2020, nine EU-funded research projects gathered in a workshop to showcase their projects and demonstrate some of the innovative solutions developed within their projects. This post-workshop report gives brief information about the participant projects. It outlines the main topics covered in the presentations and, moreover, highlights the main innovative tools presented in this workshop. The representatives agreed that strengthening the synergy among different their projects would be a benefit for all.

As a part of BIM4REN (Building Information Modelling based tools & technologies for fast and efficient RENovation of residential buildings) H2020 project, the analysis of the barriers to the use of BIM tools in renovation processes, as well as the necessary requirements to ensure a successful digital workflow is presented. This paper focuses on the Italian market where surveys, interviews and a workshop are carried out. The full study provides information by type of stakeholder, type of renovation work and the phase of the process, to instruct the development of the BIM platform in subsequent steps of BIM4REN project.

Using the semantic information available in building information models (BIM) during the whole project lifecycle enables faster, safer, and efficient construction, cost-effective operation and maintenance, and cost-effective eventual decommissioning. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of how sustainability rating systems can exploit the BIM approach for an easy collection of data and information and assessment of indicators to reach building certification. This paper is a part of the BIM4REN project, which is dedicated to developing an open-access platform of tools for the digitalization of the building renovation process specifically tailored for SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises).

The construction industry is under increasing pressure to put up the pace of improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings. Despite its urgency the uptake of industrial deep-retrofits tend to be slow. Following a multi-case study approach, this paper introduces the concept of the Pop-Up Factory (PuF) as an innovative approach to boost industrial deep-retrofits. We develop the PuF concept by proposing five distinct scenarios that vary in how distribution channels and subsequent networks are managed to meet local project needs. These scenarios range from temporary on-site facilities that eliminate transportation needs and enable real-time customization, to mobile units capable of relocating as needed, offering maximum flexibility to respond to changing project demands. The Pop-Up Factory concept represents a transformative solution for industrial deep-renovation, facilitating more sustainable, cost-effective, and community-focused renovation practices. This work lays the foundation for future research and practical applications.

The European building industry is facing a strong increase of renovation processes, which are still non-cost-effective, involve unproperly coordinated stakeholders, are disturbing for the occupants, and imply important inefficiencies of the overall renovation process. In this context, digitalization and Building Information Modeling (BIM), as an enabler, is the key challenge that may drive the renovation interventions to ensure a successful process covering the whole value chain of actors to achieve its full potential. This research describes the OpenBIM methodology applied to transform the implicit knowledge from the stakeholders involved in a building renovation process into an IDDS digital process.