Review of BIM for existing building sustainability performance and green retrofit

Abstract

Green retrofit is considered an effective strategy to improve the sustainability of existing buildings which have high energy usage and carbon emission especially at urban area due to scarcity of land. Nevertheless, the conventional method of analyzing and green retrofitting the existing buildings depends on various disjointed processes and decision-makings. Though the development of Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers integrated solutions for green retrofit by evaluating different building sustainability performances based on a centralized digital model, the actual applications of such technology still require further studies. Thereby this paper reviews the previous research related to the use of BIM and relevant computational technologies such as simulation and visual programming for green retrofit of existing buildings. The review shows that the recent research on this area covers case studies, framework developments and reviews. Based on the findings, common BIM sustainability tools, performance parameters and design parameters in the recent research on existing buildings were identified. Furthermore, the issues and challenges faced in the implementation of BIM for green retrofit were raised including missing information, data transfer issue, lack of unified platform as well as the low automation of BIM and building performance tools. Through the review, this paper provides important guidance to the researchers and practitioners to implement BIM for green retrofitting of existing buildings.