BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms

Ain Shams Engineering Journal xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

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Architectural Engineering

BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms Laila Mohamed Khodeir ⇑, Ashraf Ali Nessim Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history: Received 4 July 2016 Accepted 8 January 2017 Available online xxxx Keywords: Building Information Modelling (BIM) Building Energy Models (BEM) Architectural firms Egypt

a b s t r a c t Egyptian architectural firms are moving from the use of CAD towards the adoption of BIM. Meanwhile, these firms are challenged with the use of BEM in order to cope with the call for energy conservation. To achieve better collaboration, the approach of BIM2BEM has emerged, aiming to integrate between BEM and BIM, which leads to the production of buildings that cope with updates in environmental policies. Nevertheless, these changes facing Egyptian architectural firms haven’t been examined in an integrated manner in published research work. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to examine the status of the application of both BIM and BEM, in Egypt. The research methodology involved using a semi-structured questionnaire and analysing two office buildings as case studies. Results showed that the application of BIM2BEM approach in Egypt is currently spreading and developing. It also showed that there are several barriers to adoption of this approach. Ó 2017 Ain Shams University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction The significant developments in the technological field have recently provided an opportunity for architectural firms to invest in state-of-the-art technologies. Among these technologies is the Building Information Modelling (BIM), which is a term that has become present in the design and construction fields over the past 20 years [1]. It has been defined as an integrated representation of a structure, encapsulating geometric as well as process-related information which enables involved stakeholders to work collaboratively for the efficient project delivery throughout the lifecycle of building projects [2]. Most of the world’s leading Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) firms have realized the benefit of using BIM in projects, which was a motivation for leaving CAD system and using BIM [3]. Consequently, In Egypt, architectural firms are currently moving from the use of CAD methods towards the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM), which forms a Primary challenge. Meanwhile, these firms are secondly challenged with the use of Building Energy Models (BEM) in order to cope with the worldwide call for energy conservation. This secondary challenge

Peer review under responsibility of Ain Shams University. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected]. eg (L.M. Khodeir), [email protected] (A.A. Nessim).

was formed as a result of consuming natural energy sources, especially that the energy used in the AEC sector in general has steadily increased since the early 1980s [4]. This has led to the application of different environmental policies in order to deal with the objectives of conserving the environment, while offering efficient Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) in buildings. Accordingly, BEM can be used effectively to simulate the energy performance, evaluate energy needs and hence optimize the design of the buildings. Currently in Egypt, a large number of buildings are targeting to acquire the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, which requires implementing the basics of sustainability by ensuring the efficient use of water, materials, resources and energy. It also targets a better IEQ, addresses regional priorities and preserves sustainable sites. Nowadays, the LEED certification is regarded as an addition to the value of the asset [5]. In order to provide tools for environmental analysis, different packages of BEM applications are offered by construction companies to evaluate design and construction practices. These analysis software applications are intended to be integrated with BIM, where until recently, BEM used to be separated from BIM. Thus, to achieve better collaboration, the approach of BIM2BEM has emerged, aiming to achieve integration between BEM and BIM, which will in its turn lead to the production of higher adaptable buildings that are able to cope with environmental policies updates. Through this integrated approach, building performance analysis software and BIM can be connected through common

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004 2090-4479/Ó 2017 Ain Shams University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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exchange file extensions to facilitate information exchange and to allow for integrated interoperability between building environmental models and building design models [6]. Nevertheless, the status of application of these innovative technologies, processes and integrated approaches in architectural firms in Egypt, haven’t been examined in an integrated manner, in recent published research work. Thus, the main objective of this study is to examine the status of the application of both BIM and BEM either in a separated or integrated manner, in Egyptian architectural firms. Furthermore, examining the factors affecting the firm’s decision to invest in these technologies. Embedding building information modelling in Green Buildings Construction. 2. Understanding the concept of building information modelling BIM is defined as the process of designing, constructing or operating a building or infrastructure asset using electronic object oriented information [6], Whereas, The glossary of the BIM handbook (Eastman et al. [7]) defines BIM as ‘‘a verb or adjective phrase to describe tools, processes, and technologies that are facilitated by digital machine-readable documentation about a building, its performance, its planning, its construction, and later its operation” These definitions made it clear that BIM is a distinctive process away from Computer Aided Design (CAD), as the BIM model is a virtual 3D structure and assemblies rather than the CAD-based two-dimensional representation of the building [7]. The application of BIM in the AEC related activities takes various forms. For architectural engineering applications, the concept of BIM has made the Virtual Prototyping feasible. In AEC industry, which is collaborative in nature and requires extensive exchange of data [8], BIM shown an ability to collaborate with different disciplines, which resulted in enlarging BIM utilization in such industry over the last few years. In addition, BIM enables AEC stakeholders to work collaboratively for achieving efficient project delivery throughout its life cycle [9]. Thus, Most of the world’s leading AEC firms have realized the benefit of using BIM in projects, which was a motivation for leaving CAD system and using BIM [10]. Nevertheless, in Egypt, there is a lack of indicators that could help in the evaluation of the current status of application of BIM in Architecture Firms. 2.1. Advantages of BIM in Architecture and AEC Based on literature review, BIM provides a number of potentials over the use of CAD either to architectural firms or to AEC industry in general. These advantage are clear in having the ability of managing information and supporting a controlled environment. Among the benefits of using BIM [11], are:
Strategic Development: Improving the strategy of building project design, construction and maintenance management.
Integration Management: Ensuring the integration management of graphical and informational data flow.
Team Work and collaboration: Transforming individuals into teams and decentralized tools into complex solutions.
Effective Life cycle: Performing life cycle operations of construction projects in a more effective manner. In addition, the use of BIM in AEC1 industry allowed better transition from design phase to construction phase, where BIM 1 AEC: The sector of the construction industry that provides the services for the Architectural design, Engineering design and Construction services. It is a sector which is very active in the adoption of Information, Communication and Technology [3].

allowed for the work processes and flow of information to be collected from multiple disciplines, different construction companies and varied project phases. Fig. 1) shows the role played by BIM in integrating and collaborating many disciplines of AEC industry as individual building tasks [7]. Table 1 summarizes the main potentials and value added as a result of adoption of BIM, based on literature.

2.2. Challenges facing the adoption of BIM Although Yan and Damien in 2008 highlighted that many design teams were planning to adopt BIM within three years from their research, nevertheless, this hasn’t been yet fully implemented. In 2011, Arayici et al., suggested that the architectural profession has begun to become pressurised regarding the adoption of BIM technology [15]. Thus it became crucial to understand the obstacles or challenges that hinder BIM spreading in AEC industry and the limitations and constraints of BIM effective adoption [16]. In spite the fact that the American Institute of Architects (AIA) provides nearly 200 forms and contracts documents, divided into nine families based on project type or delivery method, which covers almost all scope of work, the AEC industry in the MENA area is not fully aware of the Digital Practice Documents (C106, E203, G201 and G202) that can be used for any project involving digital data or BIM and for small or large projects. This unawareness results in little legal guidance on the authorization of the BIM, [17] the ownership of the information within the model and the accurate determination of the owner’s information requirement (EIR) in the MENA area, consequently in Egypt. In addition, other existing obstacles are related to the knowhow and technical expertise. Furthermore, the interoperability of information between various software platforms is still a challenge and until seamless transformation of information between different software is accomplished, current file exchange formats must be used carefully to minimize loss of data [18]. Moreover, the relative high costs of obtaining licenses for BIM software urge a lot of AEC companies to evaluate BIM as not costeffective [12]. Finally, the number of professional firms and engineers using this technology can be seen as somehow limited, when compared to the total number of professional working in the market.

2.3. The value added from the integrated BIM2BEM approach The production of green buildings through BIM2BEM is a collaborative type of work that starts with the identification of project needs. The stakeholders of the project should understand the potential of using this approach as a useful tool in making informed decisions regarding costs before the actual construction stage commences, based on the final design models [10]. The application of this integrated approach incurs added value as a result of the avoidance of a number of common problems: waiting and searching for information, over-production, overprocessing information and defects caused by poor coordination among different sorts of graphical data and non-graphical data. BIM can also be used to accelerate the extraction of knowledge accumulated in a number of environmental/energy simulations, which means that the model of a project itself can demonstrate a number of solutions in nearly every phase of project development [19]. As more AEC professionals understand the value added when using BIM, it will become a vital tool for sustainable design and construction within industry.

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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L.M. Khodeir, A.A. Nessim / Ain Shams Engineering Journal xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

Post Occupancy

Animation / Rendering

Cost Estimating

Systems Coordination

Contractor

Specifications

Client Vision/Goals

Regulatory Requirements

Design Visualization

LEED Documentation

FFE

Integrated Model (BIM)

Acoustics

Sun Shading Day Lighting

Constructability Site Consultant Integration

Energy Modeling

Direct Fabrication Interference Checking Programming Water Use Facility Management Community Materials Life Cycle analysis Fig. 1. Integration and collaboration capabilities of BIM in AEC, adapted after [4].

Table 1 Potentials and value added from the adoption of BIM in AEC, according to literature. Author

Phase of building life cycle

Potentials of BIM

Value added

Eastman et al. [9]

Preconstruction

Cost and time estimation

Ensure feasibility of design concept Evaluation of design alternatives

Luthra [12]

Design phase

Integrated design and analysis environment

Improves the quality of design and drawing deliverables

Eastman et al. [9]

Design development

The central database updates all the changes in the building models at the same time Making informed decisions regarding costs

Design efficiency

Azhar and Brown [13]

Energy simulation

Aid in executing complex building performance analysis

Energy efficiency optimized sustainable building design

Azhar and Brown [13] Eastman et al. [9] Morrison [10]

Construction

Create a simulation of the day-to-day construction process Control over time

Revealing potential risks and opportunities for possible improvements Efficient time management

Yan and Damian [14]

Operation

Creates concurrent information on performance

Building life-cycle savings

Morrison [10]

3. Understanding the Egyptian architecture and AEC industry context In fact, the analogy between the case of Egypt as a developing country when applying BIM, and other developed countries, especially in the western world, is quite illogical. This is due to the lack of definite codes of practices, standards, guidelines or even sufficient and available technology. Nevertheless, similar standards should be generated in Egypt in order to suit better the Egyptian Context. Regarding the application of environmental policies and BEM in Egypt, the most popular policy that most buildings follow recently is LEED which aim at saving the natural resources by promoting the use of renewable and clean energy instead of depending on non-renewable resources. Accordingly, LEED-certified buildings cost less to operate and reduce energy bills by as much as 40%. Moreover, LEED certification focuses on reducing water consumption, making healthier building material choices, and driving innovation [20]. Meanwhile from the business perspective, organizations across the globe use LEED to increase the efficiency

Cost efficiency

of their buildings, freeing up valuable resources that can be used to create new jobs, attract and retain top talent, expand operations and invest in emerging technologies. Furthermore, LEED buildings have faster lease-up rates and may qualify for a host of incentives like tax rebates and zoning allowances. Finally, such buildings retain higher property values. According to the USGBC, only 22 buildings are registered to acquire the LEED certification in Egypt. Most of the buildings are located in the major two cities in Egypt: Cairo and Giza, and only one building is located in New Burj Al-Arab, near Alexandria. Applying to the Registration process started in Egypt since 2007 but the first certified LEED building located in Egypt goes back to 2010. Meanwhile, the most recent certified building dates back to 2014. Currently, only six buildings are certified which represent around 27% of the total registered buildings. Out of the 22 registered buildings, only two buildings are owned by government, whereas the remaining buildings are privately owned. Meanwhile, the used LEED version ranged between LEED–NC 2.2 (4 buildings), LEED–NC v2009 (10 buildings), LEED–CS v2009 (6 buildings), and LEED–CI v2009 (2 buildings). As for the LEED certification levels,

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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they were equally divided between the Gold and Silver certification levels.

4. Methodology In order to achieve the objective of this paper, the authors applied a survey questionnaire targeting the top architectural firms that are involved in producing green buildings in Egypt. In addition, two office buildings were examined as case studies. Fig. 2) shows the methodology process. The survey was developed based on both information gathered through literature review and brain storming with a group of experts working in the field of IT, BIM and LEED professionals. The survey was distributed on various companies in the Egyptian AEC industry with branches in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) area. The questionnaire consisted of four major parts, namely: (a) company information, (b) BIM and its relation to design and building practices, (c) challenges & opportunities to BIM adaptation in Egyptian construction Industry, and (d) sustainability and green building practices.(a) Company/Organization Information: This part of the questionnaire was designed to classify the responses of the participant in term of the characteristics of their corresponding organization/firm. The responses to questions included in this part provided information about the relationship between the company’s project type and its involvement with BIM and sustainability.(b) BIM and Its Relation to Design and Building Practices: The main objective of this part was to find out the relation between BIM and building design practices. The questions in this part targeted the types of BIM software platforms that had been used, in addition the participants were asked questions based on their opinion on the use of BIM within the AEC industry. The responses to this part were used to develop an understanding of the potential drawbacks of BIM which are keeping it from being used with large scale in AEC industry in Egypt. (c) Challenges & opportunities to BIM adaptation in Egyptian Construction Industry: This part of the questionnaire aimed at exploring the main opportunities embedded in the adoption of BIM, meanwhile finding out the major challenges that hinders BIM adoption in

literature review and brainstorming with experts

Introduction to BIM

Challenges facing the adoption of BIM

the surveyed firms, according the point of view of participants. (d) Sustainability and Green Building Practices: This part of the questionnaire was designed to understand the application of the organization/firm of sustainable design and building practices as part of its current practices. The questions involved in this part targeted the company’s opinion on key aspects of sustainable design in order to achieve green building certification. The responses were used to determine the importance of sustainable design features to the participant’s company. Some questions were concerned with understanding the correlation between BIM and sustainable design in support for construction practices. The questions were used to determine the BIM methods and strategies that are used in order to facilitate sustainable design and construction practices. 4.1. Sample population The second step of this research consisted of selecting a list of potential survey participants in order to distribute the proposed survey among the AEC industry in Egypt. The sampling plan, using a maximum variation and purposive sampling, aimed at selecting a population that is representative, non-biased and of interest, which will enable them to answer the research questions. The basic principle behind using maximum variation sample is to gain greater insights into the application of BIM by looking at it from all angles. The survey questionnaire population was a list of 98 Architecture Design Organizations registered at the Egyptian Syndicate of Engineering at Cairo, Egypt. These organizations were classified into two categories: 22 ‘‘Houses of experience”, which are concerned with all the disciplinarians and 76 Multi-disciplinary. The sample size was determined based on Eq. (1) to compute the initial sample size and Eq. (2) to compute the new sample size, [21,22],.

SS ¼ Z2  ðpÞ  ð1  pÞ=c2

ð1Þ

New SS ¼ SS=ð1 þ ðSS  1Þ=PopÞ

ð2Þ

where SS (Sample Size) and Z (Z-values) for confidence levels are (1.645 for 90% confidence level, 1.96 for 95% confidence level and 2.576 for 99% confidence level); P = Percentage picking a choice, expressed as decimal (0.375 used for sample size needed);

develop survey quesonnaire

distribute survey quesonnaire

analysis of survey responses

Organization Information

Determine the sample population to be studied

-Examine the status of the application of both BIM and BEM either in a separated or integrated manner, in Egyptian architectural firms.Determine generic trends found throughout AEC industry regarding the implementation of BIM and energy models.

BIM's Relation to Design and Building Practices

Green Buildings Certification in Egypt

Challenges & opportunities to BIM adaptation

BIM and Green Buildings Construction BIM2BEM

Sustainability and Green Building Practices

Develop a list of potential participants

Distribute survey questionnaire to potential participants through webbased survey generator

case studies analysis

develop conclusions and recommendaons

Selection of case studies

Analyze and consolidate data

Comparative analysis

Establish interpretation based on literature review, survey analysis and case studies

Fig. 2. The process of the research methodology.

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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C = Confidence interval, expressed as decimal (e.g., 0.04 = ± 4); Pop = Population. In this case: SS = (1.96)2 ⁄ (0.375) ⁄ (1  0.375)/ (0.1069)2 = 78.789. New SS = 78.789/(1 + (78.789  1)/98) = 44.01  44. Out of the 44 organizations that were contacted, only 26 organizations agreed to participate in this study representing 59%, which is a valid sample according to Babbie, [23]. 4.2. Criteria for the selection of case studies In order to select peer case studies, several aspects were considered. These aspects included the building location and its function, zoning regulations, ownership type, green building approach, and BIM application. – Building location: The examined case studies were chosen of a similar location i.e. within the same city (30°010 29.8800 N, 31°2 80 19.8500 E) in order to have same weather conditions.

– Function of the building: where both buildings were of similar function (Office buildings) so that the activities carried out inside the spaces would almost be similar. This eliminates the need for special requirements in the green building approach or BIM which might result from any difference resulting from the activities. – Building regulations: For both buildings, the total built-up area was nearly equal; accordingly, the number of occupants was comparable. Total volume of the buildings was almost the same, which leads to almost equal consumption of electricity and water supply. – Type of ownership: Both buildings were owned by private investors. This almost eliminates any variation in the EIR that might result if one of the owners was the public or governmental sector, which usually has its own special requirements. – Green building approach: Both case studies followed the same green building rating system which was the LEED rating system.

Table 2 Comparative analysis of case studies. Comparison point

Case study (1)

Case study (2)

Comments

Location Owner

New Cairo, Cairo, Egypt Private real estate firm

New Cairo, Cairo, Egypt Private investor

(30°010 29.8800 N, 31°280 19.8500 E)

4088 m2 2 basements/ground/six typical floors/roof 16700m2

4219m2 2 basements/ground/six typical floors/roof

The difference in the total built-up area is around 10%

Administrative building Completed 2014 HAP analysis program version 4.50 (2010)

Administrative building In progress (started 2014) HAP analysis program version 4.61 (2012)

LEED BD + C: Core and Shell (v2009) LEED Gold awarded 2014

LEED BD + C: Core and Shell (v2009) In Progress. The project is targeting the LEED Silver certificate 1. Sustainable Sites: 12 out of 26 possible credits 2. Water Efficiency: 8 out of 10 possible credits 3. Energy and Atmosphere: 14 out of 35 possible credits 4. Materials and Resources: 2 out of 14 possible credits 5. Indoor Environmental Quality: 9 out of 15 possible credits 6. Innovation in Design: 3 out of 6 possible credits 7. Regional Priority: 4 out of 4 possible credits

General description

Plot/land area No. of floors Total built-up area

Building type Construction date Energy modelling LEED

Registration Certification Scoring System

BIM

1. Sustainable Sites: 22 out of 28 possible credits 2. Water Efficiency: 8 out of 10 possible credits 3. Energy and Atmosphere: 16 out of 37 possible credits 4. Materials and Resources: 2 out of 13 possible credits 5. Indoor Environmental Quality: 4 out of 12 possible credits 6. Innovation in Design: 4 out of 6 possible credits 7. Regional Priority: 4 out of 4 possible credits

Application Stage start Software Objectives

Not Not Not Not

applicable applicable applicable applicable

Deliverables

Not applicable

18700m2

LEED AP was appointed for both projects As for Case Study (2), the project is currently in progress. Accordingly, there is no final scoreboard. Accordingly, the mentioned credits are targeted credits

Applied on all engineering disciplines RIBA: B (Design Brief) Revit 2013 1. Real-time access to project building data in an integrated digital environment 2. Reducing errors and call-backs 3. Accurate coordination among all disciplines 4. Resolving all conflicts in the pre-construction phase 5. Running what-if scenarios to visualize and plan activities related to construction cost and scheduling 1. Disciplinary models in native formats 2. Design intent visualization in JPEG and walkthrough in AVI formats 3. Design coordination and clash detection reports 4. List of software applications utilized 5. Presentation of the scheme

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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– BIM application: in both cases the owners investigated the possibility of using BIM. Nevertheless, only one owner actually applied BIM on the project.

Architectural Consultaon

5. Case studies (comparative analysis)

0% In this research two case studies, located in New Cairo, Cairo, Egypt, are analysed. Due to confidentiality agreements, the name of the projects will not be disclosed and the projects shall be referred to as Case Study (1) and Case Study (2). In Case Study (1), the owner requested the LEED certification but did not include the BIM in the project. In Case Study (2), the owner requested the LEED certification and included BIM in the project design. Case Study (1) acquired the LEED Gold Certification since 2014. Case Study (2) is currently under construction. Table 2 shows comparative analysis between the two chosen case studies. 6. Generic findings This part of the study shall discuss the major findings that are either related to the discussed case studies or to the questionnaire, with the objective of examining current practices of applying BIM/ BEM in architectural firms in Egypt, and in sample projects. In addition to exploring the main challenges facing the adoption of the integrated BIM2BEM approach. 6.1. Findings of the case studies The researchers were involved in several administrative projects located in Egypt. In two projects, the owners requested that the building should acquire the LEED certification. In addition to the low running cost of the building, the owners’ points of view coincided in adding inherent value by providing a higher leasing rate in case of targeting multinational companies. Usually such companies have their own guidelines for the specifications of the leased spaces which might state that the building should be LEED certified. Accordingly, the major aspects that urge the ownership to pursue the LEED certification can be seen as follow: A better building performance: LEED rating system aims to implement the principles of green/sustainable buildings including: conserving energy, reducing water consumption, improving indoor air quality, making better building material choices and driving innovation. Reduced running cost: Certified buildings cost less to operate and can reduce energy and water bills, by as much as 40%, which increases the efficiency of the building. Higher lease-up rates: Certified buildings have a higher property values and a faster lease-up rates. 6.2. Findings of the survey questionnaire A total of 26 participants took part in the questionnaire. The survey covered various specialization fields including: architectural consultations, Design and Build, construction field, MultiDisciplinary, Project Management, EPCM, and Architectural design and supervision. The majority of the participants (81%) stated that they or their firm use BIM, while the remaining (19%) stated that they do not use BIM, which implies the spreading of using BIM in AEC industry. Two thirds of the participants who are using BIM stated that they used it for less than 5 years, whereas one third of them used it for more than 5 years. 6.2.1. Company/organization information The following part of the findings is related to identifying the characteristics of the participants corresponding organization/firm.

31% 8%

27%

34%

Design and Build Construcon field Mul-discplinary / PM / EPCM / etc…

Fig. 3. Main Business of surveyed firms.

Out of the 26 participants, only 24 participants mentioned the name of their companies which represented 20 different firms. Two thirds (65%) of the participants are employees in firms based in the Middle East only, while the remaining one third (35%) are employees in international firms, having branches in the Middle East. Regarding the main business of the surveyed firms, 27% of the participants work in firms specialized in architectural consultations, while 34% work in firms specialized in Design and Build. The remaining percentage varied between Multi-Disciplinary, Project Management, EPCM, Architectural design and supervision, Architectural design and construction documents, and all of the above as shown in Fig. 3). The Size of the surveyed firms varied accordingly, where 50% of the participants work in small firms with less than 50 employees, while 12% work in medium-size firms and the remaining 38% work in large-size firms with more than 150 employees. As for the number of BIM driven projects, the highest number which is 20 projects, represented 12% of the participants who use BIM. Almost half of the participants worked on two or five projects. 22% of the participants used it in two projects and another 22% of the participants used it in five projects. In the meantime, 16% of the participants used the BIM in only one project. 6.2.2. BIM and its relation to design and building practices The following part of the findings is related to the perception of participants towards BIM and its relation to the design and building practices. Fig. 4 shows how participants were able to define BIM, which reflects their awareness of the meaning of BIM. One third of the participants (34%) strongly agreed that BIM is not a clear term in the construction industry, whereas 30% of the participants strongly agreed that BIM is all about software applications, and that it is another synonym for 3D CAD Drawing. In the meantime, 65% of the participants strongly disagreed that BIM is just a coordination tool and that it is all about real time collaboration which reflects the awareness of the participants that BIM is more than a coordination tool. Regarding the Programming language used in the Firm, almost half of the participants (46%) stated that no programming language is used in their firm. 27% of the participants used Grasshopper for Rhino as a programming language. Other languages, such as C++, Auto Lisp or VisualLisp, Java and Python were the least used by 8%, 8%, 8%, 4% respectively. The Type of CAD/BIM system used for production according to the survey results is shown in Fig. 5, where 60% of the participants used the BIM solutions, such as ArchiCAD/Revit or a mix of

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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60

54

50 38

40

35

35

35

30

35

35 31

32 27

27

27 23

23 18

18

20

14 12

12 8

10

18

8

8

8

4 0

0

15 12 12 12 12

11 12

12

4

23

18 8

8

44

9

4

4

0

0

0 Is all about BIM is a real me design and coordinaon collaboraon tool

Did not specify

Is all about soware

Strongly Agree

Changes the The industry is Digital data Is just a Does not not clear management synonym for tradional facilitate way of work enough on throughout 3D CAD construcon what BIM is project life drawings method cycle yet

Somewhat Agree

Neutral2

Somewhat Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Fig. 4. The awareness of participants of the meaning of BIM.

BIM Soluons such as ArchiCAD or Revit 12%

5%

30%

23% 30%

A mix of convenonal CAD and BIM soluons Draing CAD packages

8%

New joining architects must know AutoCAD

7%

85%

The company trains its staff

A mix of all the above

Fig. 5. The Type of CAD/BIM system used. Fig. 7. Firm requirements regarding the drafting packages that newly hired architects should know.

Residenal 13%

12%

25%

Administarve Mixed-use

8% 21%

21%

Hotels Other All the above

Fig. 6. Application of BIM on different types of projects.

conventional CAD and BIM solutions (30% each). Meanwhile, Fig. 6 shows the type of projects that BIM was applied on which ranged between residential buildings, administrative buildings, mixed-use buildings, hotels, 12.5% used BIM in all of the above and 12.5% used it in various projects, such as hospitals and big mosques. The survey showed that 60% of the participants stated that the type of ownership of the BIM implementing projects was the private sector. The majority of the firms require that the new or fresh-joining architects should know CAD. Majority of the participants (85%) stated that it is essential. Fig. 7 shows the various firm requirements

regarding the drafting packages that newly-hired architects should know. When analysing the computing abilities for newly-hired architects, computer-aided drafting and presentation packages and database design were the most required skills required in new architects. Fig. 8 shows the required skills for newly-hired architects. As for the training for the newly-hired architects, Fig. 9 shows that, one third (35%) of the participants stated that their firms feel that new hired architects need more training in the computer graphics field. Also, the survey covered a part which is related to the current education in the Middle East. As shown in Fig. 10, 52% of the participants thought that the current education in the Middle East is insufficient to meet the demands of the AEC industry, 24% were neutral and did not state a specific opinion, 16% thought that it is extremely sufficient, 4% thought that it is sufficient and the remaining 4% thought that it is completely insufficient. Accordingly, universities in the Middle East are urged to upgrade their teaching approaches to meet the demands of the AEC industry. 6.2.3. Challenges & opportunities to BIM adaptation in Egyptian construction industry This part of the findings is related to identifying the challenges and opportunities to BIM adoption in Egyptian Construction Industry. The first challenge that usually faces any new/emerging

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Strongly Disagree

Some how Disagree

Some how Agree

Strongly Agree

Neutral

Fig. 8. Computing skills for newly hired architects.

Computer Graphics 4% 11%

Geometric Modeling

4% 35%

Data Structures

19% Database Concepts

27%

15% 35%

Familiar

50%

Not fully aware not sure

Coordinaon Skills & Parametric Design Computer Modeling and computer graphics Fig. 11. Familiarity with Return of investment tools. Fig. 9. Different fields of training that firms require newly-hired architects to take.

Completely insufficient

16% 4% 4% 24%

Insufficient

52%

Neutral Sufficient extremely sufficient

Fig. 10. The opinion of the industry about the current education in the Middle East.

technology is the ‘‘Return of Investment” (ROI). Figs. 11 and 12 respectively show the familiarity with ROI tools provided by CAD/BIM and the case of conducting a ROI study for implementing BIM tools. Half of the participants stated that their firm is familiar with the ROI tools provided by CAD/BIM vendors. In the meantime, the survey revealed that one third of the market (35%), which is considered as a large sector of the market, is not fully aware of the ROI. The questionnaire also showed that the market is almost divided equally between conducting a ROI study and not conducting one, where 46% of the participants stated that their firm conducted a ROI study. Meanwhile, 92% of the participants stated that when their firms conducted a ROI study, it helped the firm on moving to a BIM platform. As for the challenges to BIM adoption, Fig. 13 shows that two thirds of the participants (69%) thought that the major challenges are: availability of skilled staff, additional cost and availability of training, and they are equally distributed among the aforementioned aspects. The Inconsistent requirements, availability of standards and change of the existing processes constituted by 31% and are equally distributed among the aforementioned aspects. In the

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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12% 46%

42%

Design creaon phase

Conducted a "Return of investment" study

23%

Did not conduct a "Return on Investment" Study

Design review phase

2% 50%

15%

Design coordinaon

10%

Design approval phase

Fig. 12. Conducting a ‘‘Return on Investment” study.

Not specified

10%

Change of the exisng processes

Fig. 15. The phases at which energy analysis is normally use.

10%

Availabilty of standards

Inconsistent requiremnts

%11

Availability of training

23%

Addional cost

23%

0

5

10

14%

None

17%

5%

Green Globes

23%

Availability of skilled staff

Other

15

20

25

Fig. 13. The Challenges to BIM adaptation in Egyptian Construction Industry.

64%

LEED 0

20

40

60

80

Fig. 16. The type of Green Building rating system used.

better quality. Other aspects, such as better collaboration and faster decision making represented almost 27%. Better communication and reduced project cost were the least seen opportunities with almost 12%.

12%

Beer communicaon / reduced project cost

%27

Beer collaboraon / faster decision making

61%

Higher producvity / Time savings / Beer Quality

0

20

40

60

80

Fig. 14. The opportunities to BIM adaptation in Egyptian Construction Industry.

meantime, Fig. 14 shows that the majority of the participants (61%) thought that the opportunities to BIM adaptation in Egyptian Construction Industry lie in higher productivity, time savings and

6.2.4. Sustainability and green building practices This part of the findings is related to understanding the application of sustainability and green building practices as part of the firm’s practices. Using energy analysis models was the main theme of this part of the questionnaire. Two thirds of the participants (62%) used energy analysis models. In the meantime, one third (38%) of the participants have not used energy models before. It is notable from Fig. 15 that 50% of the participants that used energy analysis before use energy models in the Design Creation phase. In the meantime, the use of the energy models was the least in the Design Review phase and Design coordination with 10% and 15% respectively. Regarding the software used for energy simulation, 45% of the participants used Eco-tect for energy models. Green Building Studio, Design Builder and HAP came in the second place with 15% each. The least used was IES and a mix of all the above with 5% for both. Fig. 16 indicates that most of the surveyed organizations use the LEED rating system for green buildings.

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004

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7. Conclusions On one hand, this paper was able to fully establish its objective to examine the current status of application of BIM in the Egyptian architectural firms. Where results extracted from the survey questionnaire showed that most of the surveyed firms have been using BIM for the past 5 years. Consequently, the paper concludes that the application of BIM in Egypt is currently in the phase of spreading and is undergoing continuous developments. More than half of the surveyed architectural firms were aware of the BIM related technology, nevertheless, only 19% of these firms require the knowledge of BIM basics in their newly-recruited staff. Furthermore, the paper was able to detect the major factors affecting the firm’s decision to invest in BIM technologies. Where, according to the users of BIM, the most important factor that guides their decision was the potential of BIM in achieving better coordination, detection of clashes and time and resources savings during construction phase. Findings of this paper further indicated that the absence of company training programs and lack of studies on implementing BIM and its ‘‘Return of Investment” are considered a major challenge to the BIM spreading in Egypt. Empirical data states that architectural firms have difficulty in applying BIM successfully due to the unawareness of the owner or lack of willingness to implement such tool due to its current high associated cost. Although architectural firms play a leading role in the adoption of BIM in Egypt, the spreading of BIM among building owners and owners is still limited owing to a number of key reasons:
The small number of firms currently working with this technology;
Not including the BIM courses as mandatory during the undergraduate studies;
Lack of training; and
Lack of owner willingness to implement such tool due to its current high associated cost. On the other hand, this paper was able to partially fulfill its objective regarding examining the current status of application of the integrated BIM2BEM approach through both the survey questionnaire and the analyses of case studies. It concluded that although a number of projects started applying building energy modeling and analysis to conserve energy in Egypt, the integration between the BIM and the BEM in a single tool is not found till date. Although two thirds of the surveyed firms were already using energy analysis tools, this was still working separately from the BIM environment. Accordingly, two separate software tools were purchased in such firms which turned it into a complex process that increases the initial cost, complexity of work, and raises interoperability issues. Finally, it was obvious that the adoption of BIM2BEM integrated approach in Egypt and developing countries requires the readiness of the industry, the improvement in the owner’s awareness of the value added of using BIM2BEM and the initiatives by government. BIM should increase its capacity in order to better integrate with environmental analysis and improve interoperability. The AEC industry and owners must be willing to implement these tools of performance into their standard of practice. Stakeholders must cooperate with one another in order to produce optimized collaborative effort for sustainable buildings projects. References [1] www.archdaily.com/302490/a-brief-history-of-bim < 07 Dec 2012 by Vanessa Quirk>, accessed 1/2016. [2] NBS. National BIM Report 2013, RIBA Enterprise Limited; 2013. [3] Hardin, Brad. BIM and construction management: proven tools. Methods Workflows 2009.

[4] Torcellini P. Zero energy buildings: a critical look at the definition. In: Conference paper of the 2006 ACEEE summer study, American Council for Energy Efficient Economy, Washington DC; 2006. [5] Nyikos D, Thal A, Hicks M, Leach S. To LEED or not to LEED: analysis of cost premium associated with sustainable facility design. Eng Manage J 2012;24(4). [6] PAS 1192-2. Specification for Information Management for the Capital/ Delivery phase of construction Projects using Building Information Modeling”, BSI the British standards institution, UK; 2013. p. 7–11. [7] Krygiel E, Nies B. Green BIM: successful sustainable design with building information modeling. 1st ed. New York: Wiley; 2008. [8] Singh V, Gu N, Wang X. A theoretical framework of a BIM-based multidisciplinary collaboration platform. Automation Construct 2011;20:134–44. [9] Eastman C, Teicholz P, Sacks R, Liston K. BIM handbook: a guide to building information modeling for owner, managers, designers, engineers, and contractors. 1st ed. New York: Wiley; 2008. [10] Morrison C. BIM 2010: The Benefits and Barriers for Construction Contractors in Auckland. A Report for Industry Project CONS 7819; 2010 . [11] Popov V, Mikalauskas S, Migilinskas D, Vainiunas P. Complex Usage of 4D Information Modeling Concept for Building Design, Estimation, Scheduling, and Determination of Effective Variant; 2006. [12] Luthra A. Implementation of Building Information Modelling in Architectural Firms in India, College of Technology Directed projects Paper one: PurdueePubs; 2010. [13] Azhar S, Brown. BIM for sustainability analyses. Int J Construct Ed Res 2009;5 (4):276–92. [14] Yan H, Damian P. Benefits and barriers of building information modelling,12th International conference on computing in civil and building engineering; 2008; 161. [15] Arayici Y, Coates P, Koskela L, Kagioglou M. Technology adoption in the BIM implementation for lean architectural practice. Automation Construct 2011;20:189–95. [16] Mihindu S, Arayici Y. Digital construction through BIM systems will drive the re-engineering of construction business practices. In: International conference visualisation. IEEE Computer Society; 2008. p. 29–34. [17] Katz GI, Candrall JC. BIM, BAM, BOOM-Getting the most from BIM, CONSTRUCT2010 Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 14 May 2010. [18] Hardin B. BIM and construction management: proven tools, methods, and workflows. 1st ed. New York: Sybex; 2009. [19] William Patrick Bynum. Building information modeling in support of sustainable design and construction. M.Sc, University of Florida; 2010. p. 23–4. [20] United States Green Building Council (USGBC). . [Last accessed 05-2015]. [21] Freedman DA, Pisani R, Purves RA. Statistics. 4th ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton; 2007. [22] Johnson RA, Bhattacharyya GK. Statistics: principles and methods. 6th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley; 2009. [23] Babbie E. The practice of social research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing; 1992.

Dr. Laila Khodeir, is an Associate Professor of Architecture, she obtained her bachelor in Architecture Engineering from Ain Shams University (ASU), Egypt 2002. She earned her Master’s degree Sustainable Design in 2005. Her PHD, in the year 2010, addressed ‘‘Facility and Maintenance Management”. She has been involved in teaching up – to-date courses in a variety or correlated disciplines; Building Services and Sustainable Design, Building Construction and Management, Project Management and Architecture Design. Academically, Dr. Laila has supervised a number of PHDs, in addition, she has published a number of remarkable research papers in both international conferences and academic journals.

Dr. Nessim obtained his B.Sc. in Architectural Engineering from Ain Shams University (ASU), Cairo, Egypt. He is no stranger to the higher education field, having spent ten years as a Demonstrator and a Lecturer Assistant at the Department of Architecture, FoE, ASU. Dr. Nessim’s M.Sc. was related to Daylighting. He was granted his M.Sc. degree from ASU. Meanwhile, his Ph.D. theme was the exterior lighting of buildings and the surrounding environment. He was granted his Ph.D. degree in 2011 from ASU, Cairo, Egypt. He attended several training courses and has several published researches, participated in organizing several conferences and workshops.

Please cite this article in press as: Khodeir LM, Nessim AA. BIM2BEM integrated approach: Examining status of the adoption of building information modelling and building energy models in Egyptian architectural firms. Ain Shams Eng J (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.01.004