Development of BIM use cases for building performance, in particular decarbonization and energy controlling

Funding provider: EFRE and MHKBG NRW

Project duration: 09/2017 to 08/2020

The research project "BIM-supported work planning in SMEs" was seen as part of a major project on the use of the BIM method over the life cycle of buildings. The aim was to advance the standardization efforts of building data models with regard to processes and the associated information flow between the project participants in all life cycle phases. This was to contribute to creating transparency with regard to the BIM method for those involved in construction, while at the same time ensuring legal and standard compliance.

Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from existing buildings are of central importance for the energy transition and climate protection both nationwide and for NRW. The federal and state governments are aiming for a virtually climate-neutral building stock by 2050. For new buildings, these issues are reflected in the planning phase through increased legal requirements; for existing buildings, the focus is on a higher renovation rate and depth of renovation. Significant and underestimated potential lies in the improved operation and use of existing buildings. This applies in particular to non-residential buildings. They account for around 40% of emissions from existing buildings. The concerns of those responsible for building operation are not sufficiently taken into account in planning. On the other hand, valuable information from the planning phase is lost due to a lack of consistent information for the operation and dismantling phase. The measuring equipment in most buildings is not suitable for quality assurance. It is also inadequate for detecting faults at an early stage and optimizing commissioning/operation management with regard to low energy consumption and decarbonization of the energy supply. The targeted reuse of components/building materials during demolition is hindered by information gaps in the area of building construction.

The Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering is already involved in numerous projects dedicated to information management in the construction industry (BIM, building information models) as well as the simulation and monitoring of building performance. In the field of energy performance, the interface to the network researchers of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering is served. A basic infrastructure with test facilities, tools and devices is available in all areas. The recently completed new building on the Haspel campus is a modern building, but it has no equipment for a research platform.

Building on the existing research focuses, facilities and (further) education offers in both faculties, the aim of the proposed project is to create a networked infrastructure for expanded and improved research services. Three interconnected work packages and a transfer strategy in a joint "Building Performance Living Lab" will serve this purpose:

The building is representative of the portfolio of large real estate companies. Activation as a living lab in the sense of the three work packages contributes to increasing research performance and making it more concrete for transfer. In particular, the targeted expansion of existing further training courses for players in the NRW real estate and energy industry (Perform TRANS work package) serves this purpose, and the project has created a demonstrator and a unique selling point for attractive and practical further training courses.