Cultivation of Students' Creative Thinking through Building Models

To comply with the strategic goal of "mass entrepreneurship and innovation",universities and col eges adjusted the discipline cultivation objective to be cultivation of innovational and enterprising talents.Innovational and enterprising talents are inseparable from creative thinking,while the cultivation of creative thinking is the basis of cultivation of innovational and enterprising talents.This paper discussed cultivation of students' creative thinking through making building models in basic course of architectural design.Besides,it analyzed the relation between making of building models and creative thinking from divergent thinking,multi-directional thinking,element changing thinking,conversion thinking,and reverse thinking.It is expected to cultivate students' creative thinking through building models,to lay a solid foundation for architectural design courses,and to provide more architectural designers with more solid foundation and creative thinking.

Application of Prefabricated Building Model in Practical Teaching of Architecture Specialty in Vocational Colleges

In order to transmit more application-oriented talents to the society,and to give full play to the value of vocational college training and education in the society,by taking the practical teaching of architecture major in vocational colleges as an example,this paper analyzes the form of teaching in vocational colleges and the application value of prefabricated building model in the practical teaching.Additionally,the application of the prefabricated building model combined with BIM Technology in the practical teaching of architecture major in vocational colleges as a reference was analyzed in this paper.

Parameter-driven Level of Detail Derivation Method for Semantic Building Facade Model

The relentless progress in the research of geographic spatial data models and their application scenarios is propelling an unprecedented rich Level of Detail(LoD)in realistic 3D representation and smart cities.This pursuit of rich details not only adds complexity to entity models but also poses significant computational challenges for model visualization and 3D GIS.This paper introduces a novel method for deriving multi-LOD models,which can enhance the efficiency of spatial computing in complex 3D building models.Firstly,we extract multiple facades from a 3D building model(LoD3)and convert them into individual semantic facade models.Through the utilization of the developed facade layout graph,each semantic facade model is then transformed into a parametric model.Furthermore,we explore the specification of geometric and semantic details in building facades and define three different LODs for facades,offering a unique expression.Finally,an innovative heuristic method is introduced to simplify the parameterized facade.Through rigorous experimentation and evaluation,the effectiveness of the proposed parameterization methodology in capturing complex geometric details,semantic richness,and topological relationships of 3D building models is demonstrated.

eQUEST Based Building Energy Modeling Analysis for Energy Efficiency of Buildings

Building energy performance is a function of numerous building parameters.In this study,sensitivity analysis on twenty parameters is performed to determine the top three parameters that have the most significant impact on the energy performance of buildings.Actual data from two fully operational commercial buildings were collected and used to develop a building energy model in the Quick Energy Simulation Tool(eQUEST).The model is calibrated using the Normalized Mean Bias Error(NMBE)and Coefficient of Variation of Root Mean Square Error(CV(RMSE))method.The model satisfies the NMBE and CV(RMSE)criteria set by the American Society of Heating,Refrigeration,and Air-Conditioning(ASHRAE)Guideline 14,Federal Energy Management Program(FEMP),and International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol(IPMVP)for building energy model calibration.The values of the parameters are varied in two levels,and then the percentage change in output is calculated.Fractional factorial analysis on eight parameters with the highest percentage change in energy performance is performed at two levels in a statistical software JMP.For building A,the top 3 parameters from the percentage change method are:Heating setpoint,cooling setpoint and server room.From fractional factorial design,the top 3 parameters are:heating setpoint(p-value=0.00129),cooling setpoint(p-value=0.00133),and setback control(p-value=0.00317).For building B,the top 3 parameters from both methods are:Server room(pvalue=0.0000),heating setpoint(p-value=0.00014),and cooling setpoint(p-value=0.00035).If the best values for all top three parameters are taken simultaneously,energy efficiency improves by 29%for building A and 35%for building B.

Whole-Process Project Cost Management Based on Building Information Modeling (BIM)

The whole-process project cost management based on building information modeling(BIM)is a new management method,aiming to realize the comprehensive optimization and improvement of project cost management through the application of BIM technology.This paper summarizes and analyzes the whole-process project cost management based on BIM,aiming to explore its application and development prospects in the construction industry.Firstly,this paper introduces the role and advantages of BIM technology in engineering cost management,including information integration,data sharing,and collaborative work.Secondly,the paper analyzes the key technologies and methods of the whole-process project cost management based on BIM,including model construction,data management,and cost control.In addition,the paper also discusses the challenges and limitations of the whole-process BIM project cost management,such as the inconsistency of technical standards,personnel training,and consciousness change.Finally,the paper summarizes the advantages and development prospects of the whole-process project cost management based on BIM and puts forward the direction and suggestions for future research.Through the research of this paper,it can provide a reference for construction cost management and promote innovation and development in the construction industry.

A Building Information Modeling-Life Cycle Cost Analysis Integrated Model to Enhance Decisions Related to the Selection of Construction Methods at the Conceptual Design Stage of Buildings

Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) provides a systematic approach to assess the total cost associated with owning, operating, and maintaining assets throughout their entire life. BIM empowers architects and designers to perform real-time evaluations to explore various design options. However, when integrated with LCCA, BIM provides a comprehensive economic perspective that helps stakeholders understand the long-term financial implications of design decisions. This study presents a methodology for developing a model that seamlessly integrates BIM and LCCA during the conceptual design stage of buildings. This integration allows for a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the design process, ensuring that the development aligns with the principles of low carbon emissions by employing modular construction, 3D concrete printing methods, and different building design alternatives. The model considers the initial construction costs in addition to all the long-term operational, maintenance, and salvage values. It combines various tools and data through different modules, including energy analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to execute a comprehensive assessment of the financial implications of a specific design option throughout the lifecycle of building projects. The development of the said model and its implementation involves the creation of a new plug-in for the BIM tool (i.e., Autodesk Revit) to enhance its functionalities and capabilities in forecasting the life-cycle costs of buildings in addition to generating associated cash flows, creating scenarios, and sensitivity analyses in an automatic manner. This model empowers designers to evaluate and justify their initial investments while designing and selecting potential construction methods for buildings, and enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions by assessing different design alternatives based on long-term financial considerations during the early stages of design.

Chinese prototype building models for simulating the energy performance of the nationwide building stock

Building energy modeling(BEM)has become increasingly used in building energy conservation research.Prototype building models are developed to represent the typical urban building characteristics of a specific building type,meteorological conditions,and construction year.This study included four residential buildings and 11 commercial buildings to represent nationwide building types in China.With consideration of five climate zones and different construction years corresponding to national standards,a total of 151 prototype building models were developed.The building envelope properties,occupancy and energy-related behaviors,and heating,ventilation,and air-conditioning(HVAC)system characteristics were defined according to the corresponding building energy efficiency design standards,HVAC design standards,and through other sources,such as questionnaire surveys,on-site measurements,and literature,which reflect the real situation of existing buildings in China.Based on the developed prototype buildings,a large database of 9225 models in 270 cities was further developed to facilitate users to simulate building energy in different cities.In conclusion,the developed prototype building models can represent realistic building characteristics and construction practices of the most common residential and commercial buildings in China,serving as an important foundation for BEM.The models can be used for analyses related to building energy conservation research on typical individual buildings,including energy-saving technologies,advanced controls,and new policies,and providing a reference for the development of building energy codes and standards.

Development of a building information model-guided post-earthquake building inspection framework using 3D synthetic environments

Computer vision-based inspection methods show promise for automating post-earthquake building inspections.These methods survey a building with unmanned aerial vehicles and automatically detect damage in the collected images.Nevertheless,assessing the damage′s impact on structural safety requires localizing damage to specific building components with known design and function.This paper proposes a BIM-based automated inspection framework to provide context for visual surveys.A deep learning-based semantic segmentation algorithm is trained to automatically identify damage in images.The BIM automatically associates any identified damage with specific building components.Then,components are classified into damage states consistent with component fragility models for integration with a structural analysis.To demonstrate the framework,methods are developed to photorealistically simulate severe structural damage in a synthetic computer graphics environment.A graphics model of a real building in Urbana,Illinois,is generated to test the framework;the model is integrated with a structural analysis to apply earthquake damage in a physically realistic manner.A simulated UAV survey is flown of the graphics model and the framework is applied.The method achieves high accuracy in assigning damage states to visible structural components.This assignment enables integration with a performance-based earthquake assessment to classify building safety.

Integrating Virtual Reality and Energy Analysis with BIM to Optimize Window-to-Wall Ratio and Building’s Orientation for Age-in-Place Design at the Conceptual Stage

This study unfolds an innovative approach aiming to address the critical role of building design in global energy consumption, focusing on optimizing the Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR), since buildings account for approximately 30% of total energy consumed worldwide. The greatest contributors to energy expenditure in buildings are internal artificial lighting and heating and cooling systems. The WWR, determined by the proportion of the building’s glazed area to its wall area, is a significant factor influencing energy efficiency and minimizing energy load. This study introduces the development of a semi-automated computer model designed to offer a real-time, interactive simulation environment, fostering improving communication and engagement between designers and owners. The said model serves to optimize both the WWR and building orientation to align with occupants’ needs and expectations, subsequently reducing annual energy consumption and enhancing the overall building energy performance. The integrated model incorporates Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), and Energy Analysis tools deployed at the conceptual design stage, allowing for the amalgamation of owners’ inputs in the design process and facilitating the creation of more realistic and effective design strategies.

Web-based visualization of large 3D urban building models

Adaptive rendering of large urban building models has become an important research issue in three-dimensional(3D)geographic information system(GIS)applications.This study explores a way for rendering web-based 3D urban building models.A client-server hybrid rendering approach is presented for large 3D city models,stored on a remote server through a network.The approach combines an efficient multi-hierarchical building representation with a novel image-based method,3D image impostor generated on demand by a remote server.This approach allows transferring complex scenes progressively while keeping high visualization quality.We also evaluated the rendering and data transferring performance of the proposed approach.

An Interactive platform for low-cost 3D building modeling from VGI data using convolutional neural network

The applications of 3D building models are limited as producing them requires massive labor and time costs as well as expensive devices.In this paper,we aim to propose a novel and web-based interactive platform,VGI3D,to overcome these challenges.The platform is designed to reconstruct 3D building models by using free images from internet users or volunteered geographic informa-tion(VGI)platform,even though not all these images are of high quality.Our interactive platform can effectively obtain each 3D building model from images in 30 seconds,with the help of user interaction module and convolutional neural network(CNN).The user interaction module provides the boundary of building facades for 3D building modeling.And this CNN can detect facade elements even though multiple architectural styles and complex scenes are within the images.Moreover,user interaction module is designed as simple as possible to make it easier to use for both of expert and non-expert users.Meanwhile,we conducted a usability testing and collected feedback from participants to better optimize platform and user experience.In general,the usage of VGI data reduces labor and device costs,and CNN simplifies the process of elements extraction in 3D building modeling.Hence,our proposed platform offers a promising solution to the 3D modeling community.

Automatic Generation of 3D Building Models with Multiple Roofs

Based on building footprints (building polygons) on digital maps, we are proposing the GIS and CG integrated system that automatically generates 3D building models with multiple roofs. Most building polygons’ edges meet at right angles (orthogonal polygon). The integrated system partitions orthogonal building polygons into a set of rectangles and places rectangular roofs and box-shaped building bodies on these rectangles. In order to partition an orthogonal polygon, we proposed a useful polygon expression in deciding from which vertex a dividing line is drawn. In this paper, we propose a new scheme for partitioning building polygons and show the process of creating 3D roof models.

Building Information Modeling-Based Secondary Development System for 3D Modeling of Underground Pipelines

Underground pipeline networks constitute a major component of urban infrastructure,and thus,it is imperative to have an efficient mechanism to manage them.This study introduces a secondary development system to efficiently model underground pipeline networks,using the building information modeling(BIM)-based software Revit.The system comprises separate pipe point and tubulation models.Using a Revit application programming interface(API),the spatial position and attribute data of the pipe points are extracted from a pipeline database,and the corresponding tubulation data are extracted from a tubulation database.Using the Family class in Revit API,the cluster in the self-built library of pipe point is inserted into the spatial location and the attribute data is added;in the same way,all pipeline instances in the pipeline system are created.The extension and localization of the model accelerated the modeling speed.The system was then used in a real construction project.The expansion of the model database and rapid modeling made the application of BIM technology in three-dimensional visualization of underground pipeline networks more convenient.Furthermore,it has applications in pipeline engineering construction and management.

Research on Dynamic Model's Building of Active Magnetic Suspension Systems

An experimental method is introduced in this paper to build the dynamics of AMSS (the active magnetic suspension system), which doesn’t depend on system’s physical parameters. The rotor can be reliably suspended under the unit feedback control system designed with the primary dynamic model obtained. Online identification in frequency domain is processed to give the precise model. Comparisons show that the experimental method is much closer to the precise model than the theoretic method based on magnetic circuit law. So this experimental method is a good choice to build the primary dynamic model of AMSS.

Influence of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on Engineering Contract Management in Nairobi, Kenya

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a technology and a process that has brought changes in the construction’s traditional procurement system. Kenya lacks contractual guidelines on implementation of BIM;this makes the adoption of BIM slow and difficult. Previous research has identified a gap in contractual relationships, roles and resulting risks. The objectives of this study were to investigate BIM adoption in Nairobi and to investigate the influence of BIM on Engineering Contract Management (ECM) in Nairobi Kenya. The survey research was a descriptive study with 175 responsive questionnaires. Respondents comprised of Civil Engineers, Construction Project Managers, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Contractors and Facility Managers. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaire and in-depth interview. Descriptive analytics, correlation and Exploratory factor analysis methods were used to analyse quantitative data. Qualitative data was analysed thematically. It emerged that adoption level was at 56.6% and shallow understanding of BIM capabilities remains to be a barrier to its adoption and implementation. It also emerged that BIM improves ECM;when time, cost, quality, collaboration and return on investment improve, ECM becomes easier. Latent factors found in BIM and ECM relationship were Legal Implications, awareness and knowledge, efficiency, versatility, mandate and leadership, and competitiveness. Further, the study found out that BIM influence on ECM demands for establishment of standards, guidelines, policy, legal framework, and regulations, which can be achieved by amending the public procurement act which dictates the operation of all the other standard forms of contract. Further research should be conducted to measure whether the understanding of BIM had positively improved.

Augmented Reality Applied to Building Assessment with Building Information Model Visualization

AR （augmented reality） is a technology that adds information to the real world adding virtual elements to its visualization in real time. AR used in AECO （architectural, engineering, construction and operations） can contribute in augmenting visualization during design, construction and operation of the buildings. This article presents a study that applies AR to building assessment with BIM （building information） model visualization. The use of AR on existing applications for smart phones and tablets is validated. AR proposed an adaptation of the method of POE （post-occupancy evaluation） subsidized. Traditional POE process model involves three phases： planning, conducting and applying. In order to incorporate AR, it is proposed a total restructuring of the planning phase, developing the research instruments in three steps： 3D modeling, model treatment and AR application development. It was observed that for POE studies, the 3D models are in large scale and need to be detailed for precise comparison. BIM models for facility management, representing building use situation, are of the highest level of detail. A balanced point between simplicity and representativeness was the solution adopted in this experiment for uploading and downloading performance issues. This article presents and discusses findings for the new proposition for the activity of research instruments development for the planning phase of POE with AR as well as initial tests with first results and difficulties faced.

High-rise building fire pre-warning model based on the support vector regression

Aiming at reducing the deficiency of the traditional fire pre-warning algorithms and the intelligent fire pre-warning algorithms such as artificial neural network,and then to improve the accuracy of fire prewarning for high-rise buildings,a composite fire pre-warning controller is designed according to the characteristic（ nonlinear,less historical data,many influence factors）,also a high-rise building fire pre-warning model is set up based on the support vector regression（ SV R）. Then the wood fire standard history data is applied to make empirical analysis. The research results can provide a reliable decision support framework for high-rise building fire pre-warning.

The Contributions of Building Information Modelling to Sustainable Construction

Global concerns toward environmental issues have induced growing demand for new approaches in the construction because of its considerable impact on the environment and use of natural resources. Through using construction sustainability tools, methods and techniques, a greener design can be applied during various building phases. In this connection, it is argued that the analytical and integrated models applied by Building Information Modelling (BIM) may also facilitate this process to be performed more efficiently. BIM and construction sustainability are quite different initiatives, but both have received much attention in recent years in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. A rigorous analysis of the interactions between them implies that a synergy exists which, if properly it is understood that can be helpful to reduce the environmental impacts of the AEC industry. A BIM-based design model can contribute to sustainability through its three main dimensions which are environmental, economic and social. In this paper, by reviewing the existing literature on BIM and construction sustainability and using a matrix to analyze construction sustainability dimensions and BIM functionalities a number of interactions have been discussed. It can be concluded that despite there are many improvements in implementation of BIM in environmental and economic aspects of sustainability, its potential impact on social dimension has not been explicitly explored hence further studies need to be undertaken in this area.

Development Trend of Water Supply and Drainage Engineering Based on Life Cycle Assessment and Building Information Model

With the rapid development of construction engineering and municipal engineering in recent years, water supply and drainage technology has gradually matured. Building water supply and drainage design contains the design of rainwater drainage, sewage drainage design, water supply design and fire water supply design. At present, the research on the life cycle assessment of urban drainage system is mainly focused on the sewage treatment plant, therefore in this paper we introduce the theoretical basis of life cycle assessment. In the era of information network, building information model（BIM） technology is widely applied to the design of building water supply and drainage, which and effectively improves the design effi ciency, and makes up for the traditional water supply and drainage design of a lot of problems. In this paper, we analyze the development trend of water supply and drainage engineering based on life cycle assessment and building information model.

Integrating Universal Design Standards and Building Information Modeling at the Conceptual Design Stage of Buildings

A projection of the Canadian population shows that in 2024 one in five Canadians will be over 65 years old. This shift forces designers to consider the entire lifetime of occupants during the design of new buildings. Universal Design (UD), which is a design that accommodates all people to the greatest extent possible and aging in place design that is deeply rooted in the principles of UD, aim to house people irrespective of their age, ability, and chronic health conditions. Building Information Modeling (BIM) significantly helps advance the development of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry in a more collaborative and automated way. Integrating BIM and UD allows designers to incorporate UD standards easily and efficiently at the conceptual design stage of buildings by using the functionalities and capabilities of BIM tools. Therefore, this study presents the development of an automated computer model to facilitate the adoption of UD standards and processes. The novelty highlighted in this model resides in the creation of an automated method that employs a newly created plug-in and databases to assist designers to incorporate UD standards at the conceptual stage in a timely and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, the study introduces the methodology consisting of collecting, categorizing, and storing data from various universal design and accessible design guidelines in the developed databases and developing new plug-ins in BIM tool to link the developed databases in order to automate the process of retrieving necessary information and components to help designers and owners select optimal design alternatives based on their predefined criteria.