Towards BIM-Based Sustainable Structural Design Optimization: A Systematic Review and Industry Perspective

Muhammad Afzal (), Rita Yi Man Li, Muhammad Faisal Ayyub, Muhammad Shoaib and Muhammad Bilal
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Muhammad Afzal: Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
Rita Yi Man Li: Sustainable Real Estate Research Center, Department of Economics and Finance, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, North Point, Hong Kong 999077, China
Muhammad Faisal Ayyub: Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Material Engineering—DICAM, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Muhammad Shoaib: Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
Muhammad Bilal: Department of Construction Engineering and Management, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-31

Abstract: Structural design optimization (SDO) plays a pivotal role in enhancing various aspects of construction projects, including design quality, cost efficiency, safety, and structural reliability. Recent endeavors in academia and industry have sought to harness the potential of building information modeling (BIM) and optimization algorithms to optimize SDO and improve design outcomes. This review paper aims to synthesize these efforts, shedding light on how SDO contributes to project coordination. Furthermore, the integration of sustainability considerations and the application of innovative technologies and optimization algorithms in SDO necessitate more interactive early stage collaboration among project stakeholders. This study offers a comprehensive exploration of contemporary research in integrated SDO employing BIM and optimization algorithms. It commences with an exploratory investigation, employing both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques following the PRISMA systematic review methodology. Subsequently, an open-ended opinion survey was conducted among construction industry professionals in Europe. This survey yields valuable insights into the coordination challenges and potential solutions arising from technological shifts and interoperability concerns associated with the widespread implementation of SDO. These preliminary steps of systematic review and industry survey furnish a robust foundation of knowledge, enabling the proposal of an intelligent framework for automating early stage sustainable structural design optimization (ESSDO) within the construction sector. The ESSDO framework addresses the challenges of fragmented collaboration between architects and structural engineers. This proposed framework seamlessly integrates with the BIM platform, i.e., Autodesk Revit for architects. It extracts crucial architectural data and transfers it to the structural design and analysis platform, i.e., Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis (RSA), for structural engineers via the visual programming tool Dynamo. Once the optimization occurs, optimal outcomes are visualized within BIM environments. This visualization elevates interactive collaborations between architects and engineers, facilitating automation throughout the workflow and smoother information exchange.

Keywords: automated structural design; building information modeling (BIM); design automation; generative design; interoperability; structural design optimization (SDO); systematic framework (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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