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This paper aims to develop a framework to represent semantic web query results as Industry Foundation Class (IFC) building models. The subject of interoperability has received considerable attention in the construction literature in recent years. Given the distributed, semantically heterogeneous data sources, the problem is to retrieve information accurately and with minimal human intervention by considering their semantic descriptions.

This paper provides a framework to translate semantic web query results into the XML representations of IFC schema and data. Using the concepts and relationships in an IFC schema, the authors first develop an ontology to specify an equivalent IFC entity in the query results. Then, a mapping structure is defined and used to translate and fill all query results into an ifcXML document. For query processing, the proposed framework implements a set of predefined query mappings between the source schema and a corresponding IFC output schema. The resulting ifcXML document is validated with an XML schema validating parser and then loaded into a building information modeling (BIM) authoring tool.

The research findings indicate that semantic web technology can be used, accurately and with minimal human intervention, to maintain semantic-level information when transforming information between web-based and BIM formats. The developed framework for representing IFC-compatible outputs allows BIM users to query and access building data at any time over the web from data providers.

Currently, the results of semantic web queries are not supported by BIM authoring tools. Thus, the proposed framework utilizes the capabilities of semantic web and query technologies to transform the query results to an XML representation of IFC data.

Despite the continuous development of Building Information Modeling (BIM) standards, not all of its dimensions are supported to the same extent. This is the case of Building Automation Systems (BAS) in which the features that are limited mostly to physical setup of devices are supported. These are largely insufficient to support modeling automation scenarios. The purpose of this article is to clarify the gap in the state of the art and define the need for further developments.

This article explores the existing gap in the literature and discusses the hypothesis of extending BIM to a wider support of BA concepts. Based on an assessment of scientific and technical literature, this study elicits the information requirements of BA and performs a gap analysis with current BIM standards, such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC).

Our findings lead us to conclude that there is a lack of completeness regarding features from BAS automation and management levels. Furthermore, it is shown that IFC is the most adequate data model to cover BAS without losing its purpose, but there is still a considerable work that needs to be addressed in future research.

BIM standards such as IFC position themselves as natural candidates for modeling and exchanging information regarding BA. However, the extent to which BIM supports automation features has never been rigorously analyzed. This article explores the existing gap in the literature and discusses the hypothesis of extending BIM to a wider support of BA concepts. Based on an assessment of scientific and technical literature, this study elicits the information requirements of BA and performs a gap analysis with current BIM standards such as IFC.

This paper intends to focus on interoperability issues in IT‐based the lifecycle costing (LCC) applications and on improving LCC decision making based on cost performances of various options of constructing techniques and materials, excluding energy calculations.

This project mainly is an IT development project based on industry foundation classes (IFC) models. The LCC tool is fully compliant with the system architecture of the nD modelling tool, and is based on the integrated nD modelling interfaces, which are IFC compliant and integrated with an interactive virtual reality environment. The functions of the LCC tool also provide integrated costs, database management and automatic calculations of some complicated LCC algorithms.

The advantages identified are as follows: First, this IFC‐based LCC tool demonstrates the interoperable delivery of building design information across different CAD systems. Second, the development techniques adopted in this case are more practical and cost‐ effective due to the easily accessible auxiliary tools. This also promotes the flexibility of the IFC‐based development.

The lack of real historical data of LCC collected from previous projects is still a major barrier to applying this tool in practice. The future research and development of this LLC tool will look at the lifecycle costing of building service and energy consumption.

The paper introduces the development of IFC based applications in lifecycle costing.

An accessible or inclusive building design does not disable any user; it should enable the independent and equal use of a facility by all. With the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), the consideration of issues such as access and inclusive design become even more important. Space analysis is an important aspect of the current accessibility assessment. Existing space analysis techniques, such as space syntax, have tackled the local and global accessibility of a building layout using graph theory. However, there are difficulties in the automatic transfer of design information from architectural drawings into a space analysis tool. With the recent development of the building information model and Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs), it is now possible to automate the transfer process. This paper demonstrates the automation process and how it can be used in accessibility analysis.

Facilitating the information exchange and interoperability between stakeholders during the life-cycle of an asset can be one of the fundamental necessities for developing an enhanced information exchange framework. Such a framework can also improve the successful accomplishment of building projects. This paper aims to use Semantic Web technologies for facilitating information exchange within existing building projects.

In real-world building projects, the construction industry’s information supply chain may initiate from near scratch when new building projects are started resulting in diverse data structures represented in unstructured data sources, like Excel spreadsheets and documents. Large-scale data generated throughout a building's life-cycle requires exchanging and processing during an asset's Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase. Building information modelling (BIM) processes and related technologies can address some of the challenges and limitations of information exchange and interoperability within new building projects. However, the use of BIM in existing and retrofit assets has been hampered by the challenges surrounding the limitations of existing technologies.

The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it briefly outlines the framework previously developed for generating semantically enriched 3D retrofit models. Secondly, a framework is proposed focussing on facilitating the information exchange and interoperability for existing buildings. Semantic Web technologies and standards, such as Web Ontology Language and existing AEC domain ontologies are used to enhance and improve the proposed framework.

The proposed framework is evaluated by implementing an example application and the Resource Description Framework data produced by the previously developed framework. The proposed approach makes a valuable contribution to the asset/facilities management (AM/FM) domain. It should be of interest to various FM practices for existing assets, such as the building information/knowledge management for design, construction and O&M stages of an asset’s life-cycle.

Small architectural firms (those that employ less than six people) account for an estimated 4525 or 74% of the total number of practices in the UK (RIBA, 2000), and market research has shown that there is a poor uptake of existing project specification information technologies in this sector. We present the results of an analysis of the ways that small practices currently create, manage and communicate project specification information and an overview of our research into new models to support these processes. The research has focused on the creation and population of appropriate, re‐usable information models and we describe these in the context of other modelling initiatives in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. The research has resulted in the definition of a large pool of domain specific data objects, which have the potential to provide a generic information resource for the industry. The Architectural Informatics Group, in conjunction with the National Building Specification (NBS), have implemented the results of this research through the development of a new commercial software tool for use in small design practices in the UK.

There have been major efforts to develop the technology for integrated construction environments and the mechanisms needed to improve the collaboration between construction professionals. Evidently, the development and usage of such an environment is a complicated task. The two issues that can be among the main contributors to this are: the development of the technology and its effective implementation. These two issues are addressed separately in this paper. The paper first explains the approaches of sharing project information, followed by a review of a recent project in this area, the result of which is a distributed integrated construction environment based on the industry foundation class (IFC), capable of supporting a number of construction applications. This environment is capable of supporting a construction team to work collaboratively over the internet. It then discusses the difficulties facing the successful implementation of such environments in construction organisations. This is addressed within the context of two management models for effective implementation of IT: the resource‐based model and the Nolan model.

The AIC Research Group at the University of Salford has been involved in a government‐funded project that has resulted in the development of an integrated multi‐user distributed construction project database through the implementation of next‐generation Internet technology together with Product Data Technology ‐ WISPER. The objective of the project was to develop a working system capable of demonstrating the future direction of information integration with the project partners' businesses. This paper presents the development of the specification application that aims to demonstrate the potential for such technologies to enhance the specification process, enabling design elements to be specified directly from a building product database Web site.

There is often a lack of accurate performance evaluation in Public–Private Partnership (PPP) projects. It is a challenging issue to effectively use Building Information Modeling (BIM) for PPP project performance evaluation. The objective of this study is to develop a PPP project performance evaluation model based on Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and an enhanced matter-element method to more precisely evaluate PPP project performance.

The performance evaluation of PPP projects in the construction and operation period was explored. The PPP project performance evaluation indicator system was first established based on a literature review and PPP project practice. Then, the evaluation indicator information was expressed through IFC mapping and extension. After that, an IFC-based PPP project performance evaluation model was developed, and a case study was provided to validate the use of the proposed performance evaluation model.

The results of the case study show that the proposed approach can accurately and efficiently evaluate PPP projects, and it could favorably contribute to performance evaluation in PPP projects.

This study only concerns the performance evaluation of one type of PPP project. Further research is required to study different types of PPP projects; the model needs to be more efficient and intelligent.

The performance evaluation of PPP projects utilizing IFC extension and the enhanced matter-element method provides guidance for the government and private parties to accurately and efficiently evaluate PPP project performance.

The purpose of this paper is to review and provide recommendations to extend the current open standard data models for describing monitoring systems and circular economy precepts for built assets. Open standard data models enable robust and efficient data exchange which underpins the successful implementation of a circular economy. One of the largest opportunities to reduce the total life cycle cost of a built asset is to use the building information modelling (BIM) approach during the operational phase because it represents the largest share of the entire cost. BIM models that represent the actual conditions and performance of the constructed assets can boost the benefits of the installed monitoring systems and reduce maintenance and operational costs.

This paper presents a horizontal investigation of current BIM data models and their use for describing circular economy principles and performance monitoring of built assets. Based on the investigation, an extension to the industry foundation classes (IFC) specification, recommendations and guidelines are presented which enable to describe circular economy principles and asset monitoring using IFC.

Current open BIM data models are not sufficiently mature yet. This limits the interoperability of the BIM approach and the implementation of circular economy principles. An overarching approach to extend the current standards is necessary, which considers aspects related to not only modelling the monitoring system but also data management and analysis.

To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first study that identifies requirements for data model standards in the context current linear economic model of making, using and disposing is growing unsustainably far beyond the finite limits of planet of a circular economy. The results of this study set the basis for the extension of current standards required to apply the circular economy precepts.