BIM for Healthy Buildings: An Integrated Approach of Architectural Design based on IAQ Prediction

Alessandro D’Amico, Giacomo Bergonzoni, Agnese Pini and Edoardo Currà
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Alessandro D’Amico: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy
Giacomo Bergonzoni: Department of Architecture, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40141 Bologna, Italy
Agnese Pini: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy
Edoardo Currà: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-31

Abstract: The relationship between users and the built environment represents a fundamental aspect of health. The factors that define the properties linked to health and well-being are increasingly becoming part of building design. In these terms, building information modelling (BIM) and BIM-based performance simulation take on a priority role. Among the key features for the design of Healthy Buildings, indoor air quality (IAQ) plays a central role. There are numerous indoor pollutants with significant health effects; volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are to be mentioned among these. The paper presents the proposal of an integrated workflow in the BIM process for the check and control of VOC emissions from building materials and their concentration in confined environments. The workflow is developed through the systematisation of IAQ parameters for the open BIM standard, the integration in the BIM process of a numerical model for the prediction of the VOCs concentration in the indoor environment, and the development of model checkers for performance verification. The results show a good adhesion between the numerical model and the implementation in BIM, providing the designer with a rapid control instrument of IAQ in the various phases of the building design. The present study is the first development focused on TVOC, but implementable concerning other aspects of IAQ, as needed for the effectiveness of performance building-based design for health and wellness issues.

Keywords: design and health; BIM; materials; interior design; salutogenesis; wellbeing; VOC emission; IAQ; building design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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