Bim 2019 PDF

SmartMarket Report
Green BIM
How Building Information
Modeling is Contributing
to Green Design and Construction
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■ Design and Construction Intelligence
SmartMarket Report
McGraw-Hill Construction Green BIM

SmartMarket Report
President
Keith Fox Executive Editor
Harvey M. Bernstein, F.ASCE, LEED AP
Vice President, Product Development
Kathryn E. Cassino Editorial Advisor—BIM About McGraw-Hill
Stephen A. Jones, Senior Director Construction
McGraw-Hill Construction Editorial Director McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC),
Research & Analytics/Alliances
Michele A. Russo, LEED AP part of The McGraw-Hill Companies,
Vice President, Global Thought connects people, projects and
Managing Editor
Leadership & Business Development
Donna Laquidara-Carr, LEED AP products across the design and
Harvey M. Bernstein, F. ASCE, LEED AP
construction industry, serving
Senior Group Art Director
Senior Director, Research & Analytics owners, architects, engineers,
Francesca Messina
Burleigh Morton general contractors, subcontractors,
Contributing Art Director building product manufacturers,
Director, Partnerships & Alliances
Donald Partyka
John Gudgel suppliers, dealers, distributors
Production Manager and adjacent markets.
Director, Green Content &
Research Communications Alison Lorenz A reliable and trusted source
Michele A. Russo, LEED AP Contributing Editors for more than a century, MHC
Bruce Buckley has remained North America’s
Reproduction or dissemination Enver Fitch leading provider of construction
of any information contained project and product information,
Research Project Manager
herein is granted only by contract
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or prior written permission from
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SmartMarket Report
Green BIM
table of
contents
4 Executive Summary
7 Data
8 Green BIM Adoption: Triggers, Drivers and Obstacles for Current and Future Use of BIM on Green Projects
8 Using BIM to Achieve Green Objectives
8 Future Green BIM Adoption by Non-Green BIM Practitioners
10 sidebar Green Building Market Insight
11 Use of BIM on Green Projects by Project Type
14 Green Design and Construction Activities Undertaken with BIM
15 Green BIM Implementation Drivers (according to Green BIM Practitioners)
16 Green BIM Adoption Drivers (according to Non-Green BIM Companies)
16 Factors Influencing Decision Not to Use BIM on Green Projects
17 sidebar BIM and Green Design: The Technology Software Industry Perspective
20 Profile of Green BIM Practitioners

20 Frequency of BIM Use for Green Projects
20 Types of BIM Use
21 Company Expertise with BIM
22 Company Level of Green Building Work
22 Years Practicing Green BIM
23 sidebar Profile of BIM Users
24 Building Performance and Energy Modeling

24 Frequency of Simulating Building and Energy Performance
© Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd (Front Cover Image) © CO Architects (Photo Right)
25 Satisfaction with Current BIM Tools for Energy Performance Simulation

26 Reasons for Not Using BIM for Energy Performance Simulations
26 Simulating Energy Performance in Two Years
33 sidebar BIM and Green Building for Contractors
34 Monitoring Building Performance: Green Operations and Maintenance

34 Importance of Verifying Building Performance against Green Design Targets
34 Ideal Interval for Monitoring Green Building Performance
35 BIM Contribution to Monitoring Sustainable Performance
35 Owner Awareness of BIM and Access to Models
36 sidebar The Promise of BIM for Improving Facility Management
38 Using BIM for Green Retrofits

38 Using BIM for Green Retrofit Projects
39 Role of BIM in Meeting Sustainable Goals on Green Retrofit Projects
40 Green Products and BIM
McGraw Hill Construction SmartMarket Reports 2 www.analyticsstore.construction.com

© KlingStubbins in association with RTKL (Left) © Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd (Right)
This page from left to right:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Southeast Quadrant, Silver Spring, MD;
Shanghai Tower, part of the new
super-tall district in Shanghai, China.
Opposite page: Palomar Medical
Center West, Escondido, CA
Front cover image: Shanghai Tower
Green BIM contents
41 LEED & BIM

41 BIM and LEED Credit Calculations
42 Value of a BIM LEED Calculating Tool
43 sidebar The Intersection of BIM and LEED

44 BIM Model-Driven Prefabrication
Case Studies
12 project case study Achieving Green Innovation Through Integrated Design:
Palomar Medical Center West, Escondido, CA
18 project case study Envisioning Green in a Super-Tall Building:
Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China
28 special subject matter case study Simulating Building Performance
30 special subject matter case study Daylighting
46 special subject matter case study BIM, Lean and Green
48 project case study Overcoming the Challenge of BIM on Large Projects while Achieving Energy Efficiency:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Headquarters Consolidation Southeast Quadrant, Silver Spring, MD
Thought Leader Perspectives

32 Steve Selkowitz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
37 Charles Matta, U.S. General Services Administration
50 Glossary
52 Methodology
53 Resources
McGraw Hill Construction SmartMarket Reports 3 www.analyticsstore.construction.com

SmartMarket Report
Introduction
G
reen building is rapidly This projected growth in application of
transforming the design and BIM tools for green projects is mirrored
green bim
construction industry in the by the finding that current Green BIM

United States. Simultaneously, a practitioners are just starting to take full
growing number of industry practitioners advantage of the potential of BIM for green
are embracing the advantages of building building. Only 17% of firms practicing
information modeling (BIM). As a logical Green BIM reported that they currently
development of these trends, green building take advantage of more than half of the
project teams are increasingly discovering potential BIM offers for green projects. Harvey M. Bernstein
how BIM tools can help them achieve more Highlighting the exciting evolution F.ASCE, LEED AP
Vice President
sustainable outcomes. These tools provide of Green BIM, the report also captures
Global Thought Leadership
immediate insight into how design decisions perspectives on its future from a broad & Business Development
impact building performance. BIM also range of green building experts and BIM McGraw-Hill Construction
encourages an integrated design process—a technology leaders—as well as case studies
critical strategy for making projects greener. that demonstrate a variety of Green BIM
Because of the way BIM facilitates green contributions to achieving sustainable
design, construction and sustainable outcomes. These real-life examples reveal
outcomes, the growth of green building as specific advantages BIM brings to green
an accepted, widespread practice is helping building projects—enabling cutting-edge
to accelerate BIM adoption. design and technology integration (see
This SmartMarket Report studies the Shanghai Tower case study on page 44),
symbiotic convergence of these formerly prefabrication (see page 42) and better
separate trends into an emerging practice building performance and daylighting Stephen A. Jones
referred to as Green BIM. We believe that all (see pages 24 and 26). Senior Director,
industry players—including design firms, We want to acknowledge the U.S. Green Business Development
McGraw-Hill Construction
contractors, owners and building product Building Council, Mechanical Contractors
manufacturers—need to think strategically Association of America and Autodesk,
about the role Green BIM can play to help along with thirteen other corporate and
position them as leaders in the green association partners, for supporting the
building marketplace. To provide context research for this study and helping bring it
for this evaluation, the report examines how to the market. McGraw-Hill Construction
BIM is used now on green projects and what looks forward to continuing to provide
BIM users see as the potential for Green BIM actionable intelligence to the industry on
in the future. We found, for example, that the emerging trends that will shape our
Green BIM is poised for great growth. 78% collective future.
of BIM users who do not currently use it for For more information on the methodology Michele A. Russo
LEED AP
green projects expect to be doing so within behind the data in this report, please see
Director, Green Content &
3 years. page 52. Research Communications
McGraw-Hill Construction
Harvey M. Bernstein, Advisory Council and as a visiting Jones was a vice president with over 15 years. She is responsible
F.ASCE, LEED AP has been a Professor with the University of Primavera Systems, one of the for helping direct the green
leader in the engineering and Reading’s School of Construction world’s leading providers of content across MHC’s portfolio
construction industry for over Management and Engineering in project management software. of products and services,
30 years. Currently, he has lead England. Bernstein has an M.B.A. Prior to that, he spent 19 years including management of MHC’s
responsibility for MHC’s research from Loyola College, an M.S. in creative, marketing and SmartMarket Report series.
and analytics group, including in engineering from Princeton management roles with design Russo is also a contributor to
MHC’s thought leadership University and a B.S. in civil firms. Most recently he was a The McGraw-Hill Companies’
initiatives in areas such as green engineering from the New Jersey Principal and Board of Directors corporate sustainability
building, BIM, interoperability, Institute of Technology. member with Burt Hill, one of the initiatives. Previously, she
innovation and global world’s largest architectural and served as Executive Director of
construction markets. Previously, Stephen A. Jones leads MHC’s engineering firms. Jones holds an the Clean Beaches Council and
Bernstein served as the President initiatives in BIM, interoperability M.B.A. from Wharton and a B.A. Deputy Director of the National
and CEO of the Civil Engineering and integrated project delivery from Johns Hopkins. Pollution Prevention Roundtable.
Research Foundation. He as well as developing alliance Russo has a B.S. in chemical
currently serves as a member of relationships with major Michele A. Russo, LEED AP, has engineering from Cornell
the Princeton University Civil corporations for technology and been working in environmental University and a Masters in
and Environmental Engineering content. Prior to joining MHC, policy and communications for Public Policy from Harvard.
McGraw-Hill Construction 1 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

Executive Summary
Green BIM Is on the Rise
The strong growth of the green building market can encourage

Green BIM
BIM adoption in the design and construction industry.

BIM tools enable highly sustainable outcomes through energy simulation and prefabrication.
As a result, Green BIM practitioners use the tools more often and more fully than non-Green BIM companies.
Additionally, all BIM users anticipate higher levels of BIM use to achieve a variety of sustainability goals.
Realization of BIM’s Potential to Achieve Green

Objectives (according to Green BIM Practitioners)
Green BIM Is an Emerging Trend
Industry players agree that they are just beginning to tap Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
the full potential of BIM to achieve their green objectives.

Only 17% of Green BIM practitioners realize more than 50%
of BIM’s potential to help achieve green objectives. The fact 17%
that most green BIM practitioners believe they can achieve ■ >50% of Potential
far more with BIM than they currently do demonstrates that ■ 26–50% of Potential
the industry sees the strong potential for BIM to improve
■ 25% or Less
sustainable outcomes. It also supports the likelihood that 53% of Potential
the growth of green projects will drive the growth of BIM 30%
use in the industry and, ultimately, productivity improve-
ments in the design and construction industry.
Green Retrofit Projects

Green BIM practitioners find BIM to be particularly useful
for green retrofit projects. Over one quarter (27%) see BIM
as highly applicable for use in green retrofits, and nearly
half (49%) believe it is of medium applicability. Given
the forecast that the market share of retrofit projects by Timing Expected to Green BIM
value that are green will increase from 5%–9% in 2009 to Market Penetration
20%–30% in 2014 (Green Building Retrofit & Renovation (according to Non-Green BIM Companies)
SmartMarket Report, McGraw-Hill Construction, 2009), Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
green retrofits promise to be a strong growth area for

Green BIM.
Monitoring Building Performance

Long-term growth in use of BIM to help monitor building
performance is expected—51% believe it has high potential 17% 61% 14% 8%
for this purpose.
< 1 Year 1–3 Years 4 + years from now Never
Strong Increase in Green BIM Practice

Expected by All BIM Users
The industry perceives great value in using BIM on
green projects, but so far market penetration has been
limited. However, use of Green BIM is expected to
grow dramatically. As can be seen at right, 78% of BIM
users not currently utilizing Green BIM expect to be doing
so within three years, including nearly 17% that believe it
will happen in the next 12 months.
continued
SmartMarket Reports McGraw-Hill Construction 4 www.construction.com

Executive Summary
continued
Steep Growth Expected in Use of Players Driving Green BIM Adoption

Green BIM
Energy Performance Simulation Architects currently play a significant role in driving adop-
95% of firms using Green BIM will do energy tion of BIM for green projects, but creating more owner
performance simulations within two years, compared demand would be even more effective in penetrating the
with 73% now. 79% of non-Green BIM firms will conduct potential market. There are two key factors for driving
such simulations, a dramatic increase from only 21% owner demand—more education about how BIM saves
currently. This rapid increase reflects the growing impor- time and money in the design and construction process,
tance of energy efficiency in buildings and the capacity and an increased ability to use BIM effectively during the
BIM tools have for this purpose. operations and maintenance (O&M) phase of a green
The main areas that non-Green BIM companies would building, rather than just during design and construction.
like to simulate in the next two years are: These are also especially important when working with
• Whole building energy use: 80% owners on existing building projects.
• Lighting and daylighting: 69%
• Energy code compliance: 65% Triggers and Obstacles to
Green BIM Adoption
Green BIM Practitioners Use BIM on The key factors that would influence a non-Green BIM
More of their Projects than Non-Green company to start using BIM on green projects are owner
BIM Companies demand (85%) and saving time and money (76%).
Nearly half (49%) of Green BIM practitioners use BIM on 68% of A/E firms also note the availability of BIM tools
over 50% of their projects, compared to approximately as highly influential.
one quarter (28%) of non-Green BIM companies. This The main obstacles to BIM adoption are the blunt
result, combined with the more intensive use of BIM to nature of the current tools and the perception that
both create and analyze models by Green BIM practitio- existing tools are easier to use. Therefore, as tools are
ners, suggests that, as the sustainability benefits of BIM adjusted to address the unique needs of green building,
become more well known, the growth of green build- employment of this technology will increase even more
ing will help to increase the use of BIM by design and rapidly.
construction firms.
Current/Future Use of BIM to Simulate Energy Performance

Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
Green BIM Practitioners Non-Green BIM Companies

Never Low Medium High Very High Never Low Medium High Very High
25% or less 26%–50% 51%–75% More than 75% 25% or less 26%–50% 51%–75% More than 75%
of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects 79% of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects
45% 44%
30% 29%
27% 27%
21% 21% 20%
15% 14%
10%
5% 4% 8%
CURRENT FUTURE
1% 0% 0% 0%
CURRENT FUTURE

Critical Green BIM Trends
Expert Views on the Future of Green BIM
While many Green BIM practitioners already find it an essential tool
for green projects, BIM capabilities are still evolving—and at a rapid
green bIM
pace. The interviews and case studies conducted throughout this

report reveal several areas that are key to the potential growth of
Green BIM and its impact on the green building marketplace.
Software Integrated incorporating different Recognition of the

Integration Output from areas of expertise from appropriateness of
Nearly all the experts Different the early design stages, BIM for small retrofit
interviewed expressed the Building Systems integrated design helps projects is also critical
need for better software The ability to see an build better outcomes. given the dynamic growth
integration. The two types integrated view of all the anticipated in the green
of software most frequently building systems would Modeling retrofit market, which
mentioned in this context improve sustainable Standards by 2014 is expected to
are energy performance outcomes by capturing As the BIM industry grow to five times its
modeling software used the impact of design continues to mature, a size in 2009.
by engineering firms decisions across multiple movement to develop
and facility management parameters, allowing for modeling standards has Using BIM
software used during more well-informed design the goal of helping achieve for Building
building operations and decisions. better integration across Performance
management. In both This kind of feedback different types of modeling. Monitoring and
cases, the software also allows for improved Verification
currently cannot utilize communication with the Increasing The research demonstrates
the depth of data available client and other major play- Use of BIM for a high level of interest
in the BIM model. In ers. Output that captures Small Green in monitoring and
fact, building models sustainability benefits from Retrofit Projects performance verification
are frequently rebuilt by multiple systems in one, Most of the BIM users by all practitioners,
engineers in their own straightforward view would surveyed (88%) who are evidence of the potential
energy performance allow designers to com- not currently practicing perceived in the value
modeling programs rather municate the benefits of Green BIM expect that of BIM tools during
than drawn from existing green design more imme- their firm will use BIM on the operations and
BIM models. diately to the owner and to a green retrofit project maintenance phase of a
The USGBC plans to all firms involved in design within two years. Greater project. Most would like
update its LEED Online and construction—thus recognition of how to be able to capitalize
software to allow BIM helping save key sustain- BIM can help achieve on the data in the BIM
models to feed project data able design elements from sustainable outcomes on model in order to monitor
directly into the software. being value-engineered out green projects, including building performance
It has already put in place of the project. small retrofit projects, and verify how well
the necessary underlying could help transform the the building actually
architecture in the most Greater Use of industry’s assumption performs compared to the
current update. Integrated Design that the value of BIM lies predictions during design.
Better software inte- Nearly all of the Green largely in coordinating This will not only help
gration will allow project BIM experts interviewed large, complex projects. improve energy efficiency,
teams to utilize the BIM asserted that BIM This could lead to more but it could also help
model more thoroughly contributes to sustainable widespread BIM adoption designers improve their
and compare real building outcomes because it across a firm’s practice use of models to achieve
performance results with supports the use of because most firms do more reliable outcomes in
initial rough estimates. integrated design. By many small projects. the future. n

Data:Introduction
T
he construction industry in the last decade has seen the rise
Green BIM data
of two major trends that are fundamentally changing the Note About
approach to design and construction in the United States— the Data
green building and the use of BIM tools. The data in this survey
The green building movement has grown from a small group is based on interviews
of enthusiastic practitioners to become a force within the industry. with a range of industry
Concerns about climate change and energy dependence, as well as professionals who use
an economically driven focus on increasing efficiency and building BIM tools, including
architects, engineers,
performance in a cost-effective manner, have led many practitioners
contractors, owners,
to adopt green building strategies. This change has been encouraged building product
by legislation both incentivizing and mandating green building on the manufacturers (BPMs),
local, state and federal levels. government agencies
BIM adoption, while still relatively modest, is also having a funda- and consultants. Any
mental impact on design and construction practices. To fully realize data not broken out
the value of BIM, many firms are transforming their approach to the by firm type includes
all these respondents.
process, with BIM enabling input from all players early in the design
However, since
process, as well as allowing for greater use of prefabrication. The
architects, engineers
value proposition experienced by users, as reported in The Business and contractors
Value of BIM (McGraw-Hill Construction, 2009), has led to significant comprise 84% of the
growth in adoption in the last couple of years. total respondents,
Although these trends have progressed independently, many all firm type breakouts
practitioners at the leading edge of both find that green and BIM have include only these firms.
remarkable synergies. Green design is best served by an integrated
For full methodology,
design process, with a holistic approach to all design and construc-
see page 52.
tion disciplines, and BIM adoption is in part based on its ability to
facilitate integrated design. Also, green design and construction rely For a glossary of terms
on improving building performance. Many of the tools of BIM, includ- used in the report,
ing energy use modeling and daylighting studies, provide better see page 50.
information on how design changes impact building performance
than any traditional design tool. BIM models can also provide more
information to product manufacturers, allowing for greater use of
prefabrication, which can eliminate waste and makes the construc-
tion process greener and faster.
This report explores how firms that use BIM on green projects
have found that it has improved project outcomes. It examines
what drives them to practice Green BIM and how many of them
are employing specific tools, and measures their satisfaction with
those tools. It also compares those Green BIM firms to BIM users
not currently using BIM for green projects, and examines how many
of these non-Green BIM companies expect to employ Green BIM in
the future and which tools they expect to be most useful to them in
meeting sustainability goals. The report offers a glimpse into how
the growing green market can be a major force in driving the overall
adoption of BIM as the usefulness of BIM for green work becomes
more widely known in the industry.

Data:Green BIM Adoption:
Triggers, Drivers and Obstacles for Current and
Future Use of BIM on Green Projects
Using BIM to Achieve Green Objectives

Green BIM data
Realization of BIM’s Potential to

Industry players agree that they are just beginning to Achieve Green Objectives
tap the full potential of BIM to achieve their green objec- (according to Green BIM Practitioners)
tives. Only 17% of firms using BIM for green projects feel
that they currently take advantage of more than half of
the potential BIM offers to achieve their green building
goals. This finding corresponds to the industry’s general 8%
response to BIM use and its potential. It also suggests 9%
■ >75% of Potential
that the rise in green projects (see Green Building Market
■ 51–75% of Potential
Sidebar on page 10) may encourage greater BIM adoption
■ 26–50% of Potential
as the industry better understands the potential of BIM 53%
for achieving sustainable objectives. 30% ■ 25% or Less
of Potential
Predominantly Green Firms

Firms whose practice is primarily green (more than
75% of their total projects) report getting more of the
full potential of using BIM to achieve their green goals.
Nearly one quarter (24%) of these largely green firms
state that they achieve more than 75% of BIM’s potential
for their green objectives—a rate three times higher than
that of general respondents (8%, as can be seen at right).
This finding suggests that there is significant overlap
between firms that are early and intense adopters of
green and firms that are advanced BIM users. It also
supports the idea that growth in green will lead to
greater BIM adoption.
Future Green BIM Adoption

by Non-Green BIM Practitioners
Timing Expected to Green BIM
Use of BIM for green projects is expected to grow dramat- Market Penetration
ically in the relative short term—78% of BIM users not (according to Non-Green BIM Companies)
currently using BIM on green projects expect to be doing Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
so within three years.

This extraordinary growth demonstrates the pent-up
demand in the industry, which generally recognizes BIM’s
potential to improve green design and construction.
It also reflects the growth in green building among
contractors in particular, since contractors are the 17% 61% 14% 8%
majority of potential new Green BIM practitioners. < 1 Year 1–3 Years 4 + years from now Never
continued

Green BIM Adoption
Future Green BIM Adoption continued
Triggers for Future Use of BIM Anticipated Triggers to Use of BIM for Green
Green BIM data
for Green Projects Projects (according to Non-Green BIM Companies)

Clients are a critical driver to use of BIM on green Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
projects—36% of respondents expect client demand to

Will be asked by a client
be the reason they will use Green BIM in the future.
28% indicate that market differentiation will encourage 36%
them to grow in future Green BIM use. Will see a way to be competitive in market
With 55% of the non-Green BIM companies being 28%
contractors—more than double the percentage of A/E
firms—it is not surprising to see client demand and Will want to improve capability to do green work
market differentiation as the most important triggers 18%
for increased Green BIM use. These factors correspond
Will want to generate greater ROI
to the most important driver for non-practicing firms to
start using Green BIM—differentiation for owner/client 11%
(see page 15). Other
7%
driving owner engagement
This result reflects the importance of increasing owner
education about the benefits offered by BIM in general
and for sustainable projects in particular.
Although owner engagement in BIM overall is limited
today (see page 35 and The Business Value of BIM Smart-
Market Report, McGraw-Hill Construction, 2009), the
development of tools that allow building owners to
demonstrate their building’s performance could increase
owner interest.
The building performance reporting requirements of
LEED 2009, and of legislation in New York City and Wash-
ington D.C., will continue to drive the interest of owners in
tools and methods that help them benchmark, measure
and improve building performance. This, combined with
the possibility of mandated carbon emissions report-
ing in future energy legislation, suggests that the market
itself may be an important driver to owner interest in
Green BIM as well as BIM overall.
One key element to encourage owner use of BIM is
better integration of BIM with current facility manage-
ment software. This will allow owners to have full access
to the depth of information in BIM without requiring them
to master design and construction software. (See page 36
for more information.)

Sidebar: Financing
Green Building Market Insight

The green building market expands as the economy contracts,
with renovation work on the rise. This shift in construction
Green BIM data
practice creates opportunities across the industry.
I
n 2005, green building had just more dedicated to green building— significant penetration in the market.
started to emerge in the mar- the General Services Administration As with use of BIM, design firms
ket—comprising 2% of new (GSA) has been a strong green build- are leading in the share of activity
construction. By 2008, that ing proponent and recently made a that is green—46% of the A/E firms
share had grown dramatically to 12% commitment that all its new build- have a high involvement in green
of commercial construction and 8% ings would have a net-zero carbon projects, compared to 19% of
of residential construction.1 McGraw- footprint by 2030. State and city gov- contractors. However, contractor
Hill Construction analysts estimate ernment owners are also influencing involvement in green building has
even greater market share in 2010 their local construction markets. been growing over time according to
despite the economic recession, As owners push for green build- surveys conducted by McGraw-Hill
drastically lower levels of over- ings, other players will need to Construction in 2005 and 2008.
all construction activity and higher become experienced in delivering
perceived costs of green buildings, these projects—and delivering them Implications for BIM
which prevails despite evidence to on time and on budget. The more owners understand the
the contrary. advantages of BIM for meeting their
The renovation market has also Percentage of green—and cost savings—goals, the
started to present tremendous Green Work more BIM will increase. Key factors
opportunity across the industry for Survey respondents reported nearly that will enable Green BIM growth
energy efficiency and green building. equal levels of green building work. include tools that can handle the
Renovation activity comprised 61% However, 15% of all respondents complexities involved in addressing
of all construction projects in 2009.2 report very high levels of green work. green building goals, apply to
McGraw-Hill Construction reported This notable percentage of firms existing building projects and are
the green building share of that dedicated to green building reveals easier to use. n
activity to be 5%–9%.3
Percentage of Green Work
Owners Driving (by Respondent Firm Type)
Green Building
Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
There are several players influencing
the shift to green building, but most ■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors All Respondents
important of all is the owner. On the
private side, large corporations are Very High (76% or more)
increasingly making commitments 22%
to greening the buildings in their 4% 34%
portfolios. According to McGraw- High (51% to 75%)
Hill Construction, in 2009 more than 24%
one fifth of the corporate leaders of 15%
the largest companies in America
were dedicated to having over 60% Medium (26% to 50%) 35%
31%
of their portfolio be green. More
(42%) expect to do so by 2012.4 The 42%
influence of these owners on the Low (25% or Less)
market will help drive further growth. 23% 31%
The largest public owner is even 39%
1 Green Outlook 2009, McGraw-Hill Construction, November 2008; 2 McGraw-Hill Construction, Construction Starts Database, January–December, 2009; 3 Green Building Retrofit & Renovation SmartMarket Report, McGraw-Hill
Construction, November 2009; 4 The Greening of Corporate America 2009, McGraw-Hill Construction/Siemens, September 2009.

Green BIM Adoption continued
Use of BIM on Green Projects

by Project Type
Green BIM Project Types for Green BIM

Practitioners (by Respondent Firm Type)
Nearly all firms involved in Green BIM use BIM for new
Green BIM data

green construction projects. The fact that firms use BIM
for nearly twice the percentage of major green renova- ■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors ■ All Respondents
tions as they do for minor green retrofits suggests that
New Designs
BIM is generally perceived as more applicable to larger,
96%
more complicated projects.
The McGraw-Hill Construction building stock data- 95%
base reveals that over the last 20 years, larger volume 96%
projects—those over 50,000 square feet—have grown in Major Retrofits
terms of total area constructed relative to smaller proj- 68%
ects. However, the data also demonstrate that large 57%
volume projects are more susceptible to the state of the
general economy. Thus, the current economic down- 61%
turn has impacted this market more than the market for Minor Retrofits
smaller projects. 41%
The current economy has also increased 28%
attention to the green renovation and retrofit market in 32%
existing buildings. These are typically smaller projects.
Operations & Maintenance
Therefore, in current economic conditions and in
13%
the immediate future, BIM growth would be encouraged
if BIM were more widely perceived as applicable to 21%
minor retrofits. (For more study results related to BIM on 19%
retrofit/renovation projects, see page 38.)
Variation by Firm Type Operations and Management

A/E firms use BIM for a larger percentage of their Given that the majority of respondents are design firms
green renovation projects than contractors do, especially and contractors, it is not surprising that the percentage of
for minor renovations. This result affirms the previous projects for which BIM was used for operations and main-
finding that a higher percentage of design firms tenance (O&M) is only 19% since these firms typically are
have incorporated BIM into their basic practice not charged with O&M responsibilities.
compared to contractors. Demonstrating the usefulness of BIM for O&M would
provide additional evidence to building owners about the
■■Major Retrofits/Renovations:
value of BIM for them (see page 9).
• A/E Firms: 68%
• Contractors: 57% ■■ 21% of contractors use BIM for O&M,
compared with 13% of A/E firms.
■■Minor Retrofits/Renovations:
• A/E Firms: 41% ■■27% of the firms whose practice is largely in green
• Contractors: 28% projects (over 75%) use BIM for O&M.
■■When firms use BIM for O&M of green buildings,

they tend to do so more often for minor projects,
as opposed to the way BIM is used in the design
and construction phases:
• Minor Retrofits/Renovations: 35%
• Major Retrofits/Renovations: 25%
• New Projects: 19%

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Achieving Green Innovation
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Through Integrated Design

Palomar Medical Center West
Escondido, California
T
he designers of Palomar to build a facility true to their original approach. “When we talk about
green bim
Medical Center West believe green philosophy. BIM,” states Moretti, “we are also
that the concept of a green talking about integrated design.
hospital should extend Early BIM Adopters BIM is a technology that has made
beyond energy and water savings. When design on the Palomar this integrated project delivery
For them, a sustainable approach Medical Center West began in 2004, method feasible, just brought it to
involves incorporating nature as use of BIM was rare. However, the life. You really can’t have one without
much as possible in the building. principals at CO Architects felt that the other.”
Tony Moretti, AIA, CSI principal at BIM was the direction they wanted to They found that BIM provided sev-
CO Architects, explains, “The build- take in the firm. According to Moretti, eral advantages in putting together
ing was all about how to integrate “We believed in the promise of BIM. their team. First, it attracted more
nature into a facility that is otherwise We knew this project was going to sophisticated firms. All of the major
extremely technology driven.” Critical be going on for a long time, and it trades and players were involved in
to that vision were the terrace gardens became almost impossible for us BIM, including structural, MEP, exte-
on every floor, multiple courtyards to envision working into the future rior wall, fire protection and the con-
and an expansive, undulating green on this project in the old-fashioned struction manager.
roof that, when viewed from the way.” Tom Chessum, FAIA also a Another critical advantage was the
patient tower, connects the building to principal at the firm, agrees that they way in which BIM helped them make
the hills beyond. took a calculated risk by tackling the the process of construction more
To achieve that vision, the entire project in BIM: “It was a leap of faith, sustainable. And for the design team
design and construction team—from but well-founded faith.” at CO Architects, the green design
the client to the engineers to the con- process and the green final building
tractors—had to share the same Integrated Design are strongly interconnected. “You
goals. The team at CO Architects An important part of the BIM value could design a sustainable building
found that BIM was invaluable incre- proposition for them was its abil- without BIM. But what you can’t do
ating the integrated team necessary ity to facilitate an integrated design is design and construct it in a truly
© CO Architects
One-way truss system (left) and rolling green roof construction (right) at Palomar Medical Center West
continued

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sustainable way that goes above and a view of nature into the patient that this is the first major health care
green bim
beyond the traditional approach, tower overlooking it, the green roof project to prefabricated 100% of
such as use of the LEED checklist or was essential to the fundamental the piping. The design team credits
the Green Guide for Health Care,” green goals of the building. the prefabrication process with
states Frances Moore, AIA, LEED AP, The roof was also one of the helping to achieve efficiencies in
CO Architects associate principal. most challenging design elements labor and materials and to reduce
BIM and the integrated design pro- of the building because it involved construction waste.
cess allowed the architects to share unusually long spans underneath.
their larger green vision for the build- The goal was to create a column- Designing in BIM
ing, not just the individual compo- free surgical area to allow for CO Architects now only designs in
nents, with the entire integrated maximum adaptation of the BIM. According to Chessum, “We
team. Chessum affirms, “The trans- space. Given the rapid evolution in model first and look for opportunities
parency that the use of BIM brings medical equipment technology, this to share and collaborate later.” n
added to the success of the green flexibility was important to keep the
ideas. [The green approach] survived building up-to-date in the future. It
the usual challenges of budgets and is also fundamentally green since
st
Project Facts
at
risks, and all because everybody an open, easily re-programmable and Figures
s
believed in them. Everyone under- space minimizes the need for future Owner
stood them, and they all bought in. demolition and rebuilding. Palomar Pomerado Health
And it is being built that way because However, such a long-span space Architect
of that buy-in.” under a green roof, and one with CO Architects
a rolling design, was a “highly Associate Architect
Role of the BIM Architect integrated design [that] required Anshen+ Allen
One surprising element for them was the involvement and input of the Structural Engineer
the way in which, counterintuitively, whole team to make it work the way KPFF Consulting Engineers
an integrated design approach using it was supposed to,” according to
MEP Engineer
BIM actually reinforced the impor- Moretti. Originally planned as a M-E Engineers, Inc.
tance of the architect. “It puts us as two-way truss system, an analysis
Landscape Architect
architects in the position to guide [the of the design in BIM by the steel Spurlock Poirier
team] by explaining to them what the subcontractor led to the selection
Lighting Design
overriding design goals and concepts of a one-way system instead, an Horton Lees Brogden
were and to lead all that to fruition approach that saved material, money Lighting Design
with their buy-in,” explains Chessum, and time without compromising
Construction Manager
“as opposed to the old method of structural integrity. DPR Construction
meeting the contractors after they... The designers believe the roof
Size
have made their own interpretation demonstrates the power of an inte- 736,000 square feet
of our documents that weren’t quite grated team’s shared vision. “Things
Construction Cost
right, forcing us to have to defend like [the roof] are always value-engi- $612,000,000
the design.” neering targets, but it got a certain
momentum because so many people Started
October 2007
Key Sustainability got behind it,” says Jennifer Knud-
Feature: Green Roof sen, AIA, senior associate. Scheduled Completion
April 2012
An integrated team approach with
all parties working toward the same Prefabrication Green Certification
Green Guide for Health Care Rating
goal was most critical in the design of BIM and integrated design also System (Pilot Project)
the rolling green roof in the Diagnos- allowed the project to take advantage
tic and Treatment wing. By extending of prefabrication. Moore reports

Green Design and Construction Activities

Undertaken with BIM
Top Green Design/Construction Activities

with BIM for Green BIM Practitioners
Design and analysis of complicated systems that impact
Green BIM data
(by Respondent Firm Type)

energy use are the most common green activities under-
taken in BIM by Green BIM practitioners.
The top three activities—energy performance, light-
ing analysis and HVAC design—all have a major impact ■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors
on building performance in terms of carbon emissions,
Energy Performance
energy use and cost savings. HVAC design also impacts
67%
indoor air quality, another key green building consider-
45%
ation. In addition, robust tools currently exist in BIM to
perform these analyses. Lighting Analysis
Electrical design lags behind HVAC design in BIM 60%
adoption—only 38% of all respondents indicating that 35%
they use BIM for their electrical work.
HVAC Design
52%
Variation by Firm Type 53%
A/E Firms Green Building Certification

The green activities undertaken by the largest percentage 48%
of A/E firms in BIM are ones that help assess and improve 34%
overall building performance in the early design phases: Cost Estimating
• Energy Performance (67%) 40%
• Lighting Analysis (60%) 55%
• HVAC Design (52%)
Building Product Material
42%
Contractors
Cost estimation is the tool most commonly used by 28%
the largest percentage of contractors (55%). Nearly Electrical Design
as many use it for HVAC design (53%), which is the 41%
only other category reported by more than half of the 28%
contractors surveyed.
Renewable Energy
32%
Renewable Energy Design 21%
29% of all respondents report using BIM for renewable
energy design. Carbon Emission Analysis
According to the findings in the Commercial and 17%
Institutional Green Building SmartMarket Report 7%
(McGraw-Hill Construction, 2008), only 35% of all industry Plant Selection with Water Use
players are specifying or using on-site renewable energy. 12%
These similar results indicate that most Green BIM practi- 6%
tioners are sophisticated BIM users (see page 20) and that
most Green BIM A/E firm practitioners are more heavily
involved in green (see page 22). This suggests that as
users become more involved in green building and in
Green BIM practice, the application of these tools for
on-site renewable energy design will likewise increase.

Green BIM Implementation Drivers

(according to Green BIM Practitioners)
Influence of Different Drivers to Green BIM

according to Green BIM Practitioners
The influence of the owner is the primary driver for
Green BIM data

contractors to use BIM on green projects, whereas A/E
firms place greater importance on how BIM helps them
to achieve their sustainability goals. In fact, while owner
requirements were a driver for 56% of contractors, that ■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors
factor only influenced 32% of the design firms.
Make BIM More Useful
This finding corresponds to the role that A/E firms,
63%
architects in particular, have played as vanguard BIM
52%
adopters who have influenced other players, including
owners, to consider BIM. Better Validate That Buildings Achieve Green Objectives
It is also consistent with the influence owners have 53%
on contractor decisions when it comes to green building 37%
activity overall. As reported on page 9, future triggers Differentiation for Owner/Client
for BIM adoption by non-Green BIM practitioners, the 53%
majority of whom are contractors, are primarily client 59%
demand and market competitiveness. This further
demonstrates the potential role of building owners in Owner Requirement
encouraging the market for BIM. 32%
56%
Make the On-site Construction Process Greener
26%
33%

Green BIM Adoption Drivers

(according to Non-Green BIM Companies)
Influence of Factors behind Start in Green BIM

Practice by Respondent Firm Type
Design firms and contractors that are not Green BIM prac-
Green BIM data

titioners agree that the top two drivers for using BIM
on green projects are owner demand (85%) and saving Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
time and money (76%). Each of these factors has a direct ■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors
impact on a firm’s bottom line and competitiveness.
Another factor considered to be highly influential by Owner Demand
the market overall is the demand created by design firms. 82%
As early adopters, A/E firms have been, and continue to 88%
be, an important driver to widespread BIM adoption— Save Time & Money
over 50% of respondents recognize the role of those 74%
players in promoting initial use of Green BIM. 78%
Availability of BIM Tools
Variation by Player 68%
41%
A/E Firms
Tool availability resonates strongly with design firms A/E Firm Demand
(68%) as a key driver for Green BIM adoption. As other 53%
results have demonstrated, A/E firms currently are driven 58%
far more by BIM functionality than other players. Make Construction Site Safer
29%
Contractors 46%
Contractors are highly motivated to make construction Make Construction Site Greener
sites safer, with almost half (46%) regarding this point as 24%
influential. 31%
Though contractors place less emphasis on making
sites greener as compared to safety, when they start
using BIM on green projects, more of them believe it is
important as compared to A/E firms.
Influence of Factors Behind Not Using BIM for
Factors Influencing Green Projects (by Respondent Firm Type)

Decision Not to Use BIM on Green Projects

■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors
Tools Do Not Have Required Functionality

More than half (53%) of all firms not currently practic-
34%
ing Green BIM report that they do not have a need to do
19%
it. That result could be influenced by a variety of factors,
including lack of direct client demand and fewer green Tools/Models Are Too Complicated
projects in their current pipeline. A higher percentage of 34%
contractors (61%) felt this was an influential factor than 20%
A/E firms (42%).
Lack of Tools
The remaining factors (see chart at right) were all
42%
considered influential by a higher percentage of A/E firms
25%
than contractors. Functionality is again key for most of
these issues, corresponding to the general trend that Easier to Do Green Projects Using Existing Tools
design firms are impacted more by functionality and 47%
contractors more by owner demand and market factors. 32%

Sidebar: Perspective of the Software Technology Firms
BIM and Green Design: The Technology

Software Industry Perspective
The next generation of BIM applications will include better interoperability
and more effective analytical tools, including energy lifecycle analysis.
green bim
T
he use of BIM is increasing Meanwhile Don McLean,
among architects, engi-
“[Good translation of president and founder of Integrated
neers, contractors and large quantities of Environmental Solutions, points
subcontractors. Further- data from the model to out that there is a strong need
more, it can be a vital green design analytical tools] is where among design and construction
tool because it allows users to weigh the next generation of professionals to effectively manage
various design options and their cor- BIM tools can have an large quantities of data and translate
responding impact on green building the information from a BIM model
performance.
incredibly important to an analytical tool. Currently he
Implementation of BIM could future in making believes the quality of translation
enable many energy-efficient and sure the construction of information for analysis is not
environmentally-conscious designs, industry is more satisfactory. He affirms, “This
such as passive design concepts, to productive and green.” is where the next generation of
be addressed at the very beginning BIM tools can have an incredibly
of a project. When the building’s size, —Don McLean, president, important future in making sure
Integrated Environmental Solutions
shape and orientation are developed the construction industry is more
to perform in conjunction with the productive and green.”
natural elements, requirements for span multiple disciplines and multi- According to Miklos Sved, product
heating, cooling, ventilation and ple phases of work, because interop- development manager at Graphisoft,
electrical loads can be reduced erability will allow all the participants the next step for BIM will be its use
substantially. to contribute directly to improve the for determining the accurate lifecycle
With this in mind, technology soft- design model. “In order to be able of a building’s energy performance,
ware firms are busy working on the to connect the mechanical, electri- a core component of green buildings.
next generation of BIM applications cal, architectural, structural and util- He states that there are isolated
that focus on interoperability, inte- ity systems,“ he says, “they will need tools in the market that claim they
gration and fostering a collabora- to talk to each other in a dynamic and can do this, but a tool that provides
tive design process that improves friendly way.” a seamless workflow from the
constructability within budgets and As a result, developers of BIM building information model all the
schedules and engenders better applications have become one of the way to accurate lifecycle analysis has
green outcomes. driving forces behind interoperability not been developed yet. According
standards such as the Industry to him, the software developers
Future Goals Foundation Classes (IFC), which at Graphisoft are hard at work
Huw Roberts, Bentley Systems’ allows the exchange of the 3D attempting to build this tool. He
global marketing director, sees con- model’s information for generating believes that this is the next frontier
nectivity between systems as the building simulations across multiple for BIM.
next big step for BIM technology applications. At a time when creation of better
with respect to green design. He John Kennedy of Autodesk has buildings requires the economical
emphasizes that connectivity must observed that some of their users are and sustainable use of resources,
be established, not just between somewhat overwhelmed once they design and construction firms must
BIM and analytical software, but also get the results of their calculations. have the technology tools to find the
between different aspects of the BIM He sees simplifying the workflow as best solutions. As the demand for
process. He believes interoperability the next goal for their analytical tool, green building increases, software
of systems will yield the best results as well as offering guidance through- developers will need to create the
for green building design issues that out the process. tools to meet this demand. n

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Envisioning Green in a Super-Tall Building

Shanghai Tower
Shanghai, China
S
hanghai Tower is the tallest essential to deal with the complex-
green bim
of a trio of buildings designed ity of the structure, coordinate an

to represent China’s past, international team and achieve their
present and future in its first green goals.
super-tall district. The tower’s deeply
sustainable design and striking glass Dealing with Complexity
spiral form make it the vision for the The tower is composed of nine cylin-
future. From the start, the owner, drical buildings stacked on top of
© Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd

Shanghai Tower Construction & each other, encircled by nine public
Development Co., Ltd, and the design atria. It also features a double glass
architect, Gensler, realized that use facade, with a circular inner curtain
of BIM and integrated design were wall structure enclosed by a triangu-
lar exterior curtain wall. The second
facade rotates slightly as it rises, cre-
st
Project Facts ating a spiral form that is central to

at
and Figures the building’s sustainability because

s
Owner/Developer/ it reduces the wind load and assists

Construction Manager with rainwater harvesting.
Shanghai Tower Construction & Shanghai Tower
Development Co., Ltd Michael Concannon, produc-
tion coordinator at Gensler, affirms
Design Architect
Gensler that using BIM for Shanghai Tower Tower, “Being able to create a BIM
“was beneficial for us to understand model and visualize for the client,
Local Design Institute the entire scope of the project.” He for the engineering groups, for the
The Architectural Design and
Research Institute of Tongji explains that design of the double contractor, what we are trying to do
University facade in particular had to be done in from an efficiency standpoint was
Structural Engineer three dimensions to understand the really beneficial.” All team members
Thornton Tomasetti, Inc. nuances. In fact, Christopher Chan, were able to fully visualize the project
MEP Engineer design director at Gensler, believes using BIM tools.
Cosentini Associates that Gensler was able to design a Chan notes that the tools help
more complex facade because they make team coordination a much
Landscape Architect
SWA Group used BIM. leaner process. On previous proj-
Modeling the complicated dual ects with an international team, he
Size
6.4 million square feet facade in BIM allowed for a process remembers the “huge, full-size draw-
(tower and podium) between the consultants and design- ings being shipped back and forth, lit-
Height ers that Chan explains “was not only erally the same set that gets marked
128 stories (121 occupiable) less costly, but actually went a lot up, sent back, commented on and
smoother and faster.” During con- forwarded; it was just a nightmare.”
Started
November 2008 struction, BIM data will also support On this project, working digitally
better coordination with the curtain replaced that cumbersome process.
Scheduled Completion
2014 wall manufacturers. According to Chan, “That doesn’t
just reduce the carbon footprint enor-
Green Certification
LEED NC Gold (Pre-Certified)
Team Coordination mously, but it also saves a lot of time
BIM also allowed the entire proj- and money, and in this day and age,
Green Building Three-Star
Certificate from the China ect team to share a vision for achiev- who doesn’t want that?”
Green Building Council ing green goals. According to Grant Both the design team and
Uhlir, AIA, LEED AP, principal and the owner also credit BIM with
senior project director for Shanghai increasing the owner’s input into
continued

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the project. Gu Jianping, board tall building, but they were also able points out, the cost savings are also
green bim
director and general manager, and to achieve significant cost savings in significant: “Each 5% reduction
Ge Qing, design director, prioritize many of the green elements. equates to roughly about USD $12
using BIM on their projects because million in savings.” The tower design
it allows them to work with the Tower Design also uses 14% less glass than a
design and construction team to As stated above, the complex shape square building with the same area.
“plan, coordinate and control all and structure of the tower enabled by Another way the complex dual
aspects of the work.” They anticipate the BIM tools contributes to several skin of the building increases its
BIM playing a role in the tower’s aspects of greening the building, sustainability is that it creates nine
daily operation after construction including harvesting rainwater and public atria between the inner and
is complete, coordinating a very using wind turbines. The greatest outer curtain walls that will function
different team than the one currently impact, though, came from the like plazas in a traditional cityscape.
in place. “We will take advantage of reduction of materials used in Concannon explains that, through
the model to optimize the operation building the tower. these gathering spaces, “the building
scheme, equipment management, Uhlir explains that BIM technology itself is a community.”
real estate management and allowed them to design the most
emergency management, to efficient structural frame of the customization
realize the greatest returns for the tower. Tests gauging the impact of According to Chan, bringing
developer.” the taper and rotation of the tower suppliers into the design process
led the design team to develop the earlier also saved materials and
Achieving Green Goals current exterior configuration, which created value for the owner
The insight using the BIM tools pro- reduces the windload by about 24%. by allowing them to minimize
vided was critical to their attempt to This reduction makes it possible customization. High profile, complex
achieve high LEED and Three Star to keep the building stiff using less projects normally involve a large
(the Chinese green building certifi- steel, saving energy as well as number of customized products.
cation program) ratings. Not only material since steel is a particularly By finding existing high-quality
did they create a sustainable, super- energy-intensive product. As Uhlir products that met their demands,
they were able to add “another layer
of savings to the whole process,
and to the carbon footprint, due to
the fact that [the building product
manufacturers] don’t have to create
a whole new assembly line just to
create a grand new thing that is
© Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd
specific to this project.”
Energy Savings
Concannon also credits the built-in
tools in BIM with assisting them to
achieve their significant energy use
reduction goals. As Chan explains,
modeling provided the design team
with specific, quantitative feedback
on building energy performance. He
believes that using BIM helps alle-
viate concerns about not hitting the
Innovative facade model images for Shanghai Tower metrics for targeted LEED points. n

Data:Profile of
Green BIM Practitioners
Frequency of BIM Use for Green Projects

Green BIM data
Frequency of BIM Use (Green BIM Practitioners

Green BIM practitioners use BIM on more projects overall vs. Non-Green BIM Companies)
than do firms not using BIM for green projects. Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
BIM use on over 50% of projects: ■ Green BIM Practitioner ■ Non-Green BIM Company
• Green BIM Practitioners: 49%
• Non-Green BIM Companies: 28% 76% or More of Projects
25%
Additionally, more than half of non-Green BIM companies 13%
are using BIM on less than 25% of their projects.
These result suggest there is greater BIM experience 51% to 75% of Projects
and sophistication among firms who practice Green BIM. 24%
15%
26% to 50% of Projects
23%
18%
25% or Less of Projects
28%
54%
Types of BIM Use

Overall BIM Involvement (Green BIM Practitioners
vs. Non-Green BIM Companies)
Firms that use BIM for green projects have a different use Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
profile from firms that do not. Green BIM practitioners
both analyze and create models with BIM two-thirds more ■ Green BIM Practitioners ■ Non-Green BIM Companies
often than those not using BIM for green projects—59%
versus 35%. This result includes all analysis that can be Creating and Analyzing Models
done in BIM, including those that improve outcomes that 59%
are not necessarily green. 35%
Using BIM Tools to Analyze Models, But Not Creating Own Models
Model Creation Only 16%
• Green BIM practitioners: 25% 17%
• Non-Green BIM companies: 48%
Creating (Authoring) Models with BIM Tools
25%
Create and Analyze Models
• Green BIM practitioners: 59% 48%
• Non-Green BIM companies: 35%
continued

Profile of Green BIM Practitioners
Types of BIM Use continued
Green design and construction require greater Non-Green BIM Companies:

Green BIM data
analysis of building performance, so this result corre- Create and Analyze Models
sponds to advantages BIM tools offer for greening • A/E firms: 24%
a project. As the green building market increases, the • Contractors: 46%
effectiveness of BIM analysis tools at improving green
outcomes may lead to increases in BIM use overall as well Green BIM Practitioners:
as specifically for analysis. Create and Analyze Models
• A/E firms: 61%
Variation by Player • Contractors: 62%
Among those who are not using BIM for green projects
This demonstrates a significant correlation between BIM
there is a noticeable difference between the percent-
for analysis and for green projects.
age of A/E firms that both create and analyze models,
and the percentage of contractors that do so. However,
there is little difference among firms that are Green BIM
practitioners.
Company Expertise with BIM

Level of Expertise with BIM (Green BIM
Practitioners vs. Non-Green BIM Companies)
Green BIM practitioners are more advanced in their use of Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
BIM than firms that do not use BIM on green projects.
■■Green BIM Practitioners: 48% identify themselves as ■ Green BIM Practitioner ■ Non-Green BIM Company
Expert or Advanced
Expert
■■Non-Green BIM Companies: 31% identify 14%
themselves as Expert or Advanced 6%
Advanced
34%
25%
Moderate
38%
38%
Beginner
14%
31%

Profile of Green BIM Practitioners continued
Company Level of Green Building Work

Percentage of Green Work
(Green BIM Practitioners vs. Non-Green BIM Companies)
Green BIM practitioners do a much larger share of green
Green BIM data

projects as part of their overall practice compared to non-
Green BIM companies. Green insights and approaches ■ Green BIM Practitioner ■ Non-Green BIM Company
tend to grow with increased involvement with green proj-
ects, and this result suggests that Green BIM practitioners Very High (76% or more)
may have greater depth of experience with green work 17%
than non-Green BIM companies. 6%
High (51% to 75%)
Green Projects Comprise More Than 50% of 22%
Total Projects (high and very high levels seen at right): 10%
• Green BIM Practitioners: 39%
Medium (26% to 50%)
• Non-Green BIM Companies: 16% 37%
28%
Low (25% or Less)
24%
56%
Years Practicing Green BIM

Length of Experience with Green BIM
Green BIM is an emerging trend. Relatively new adopters (by Respondent Firm Type)
(those with less than two years experience) and moder- Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
ately experienced adopters (those with two to five years

of experience) are at roughly equivalent levels—48% ■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors All Respondents
versus 42% respectively.
Not surprisingly, both categories significantly exceed Over 5 Years 10%
12%
the percentage of early, experienced adopters who
account for 10% of the total Green BIM practitioners. 7%
2 to 5 Years 42%
Design firms are further along the Green BIM adoption 41%
curve than contractors. This follows the general pattern
Under 2 Years 48%
for adopting green building strategies in the industry,
44%
where more A/E firms did so compared to other industry
52%
players at the start of the green building movement.
However, contractors are shifting toward adoption
rapidly.
■■More than Five Years Green BIM Experience

• A/E firms: 12%
• Contractors: 7%
■■Less than Two Years Green BIM Experience

• A/E firms: 44%
• Contractors: 52%

Sidebar: Profile of BIM Users
Profile of BIM Users

BIM itself is still an emerging trend in the construction industry.
Green BIM data
The data demonstrate that design firms lead in both frequency of BIM
use and green projects, while overall BIM adoption continues to grow.
Frequency of BIM Use Types of BIM Use Share of Green Projects

44% of firms using BIM are using it The majority of BIM users are BIM users has a slightly different
on more than 50% of their projects. implementing it fully, with 54% level of green building activity as
This indicates some growth in creating models as well as analyzing compared to their professions as a
the frequency of BIM use over previ- them in BIM. An additional 29% use whole. In surveying a representative
ous studies. In The Business Value it only to create models, and 17% use sample of construction industry
of BIM (McGraw-Hill Construction, it only to analyze models. This result players, McGraw-Hill Construction
2009), 56% of BIM users were using is relatively consistent with previous found that 13.5% of all architects
it on 30% of their projects or less. surveys. have a very high percentage of green
This current survey reveals 56% There is no significant variation work, whereas 22% of BIM users
are using it on 50% of their projects by player among the firms who are report this same level of green work.
or less, with only 34% of the total fully implementing BIM by using Accordingly, those reporting at the
respondents using it on less than one it to create models and analyze lower levels also show the BIM user as
quarter of their projects. This shift in them—53% of designers and 58% more heavily involved in green—26%
a one-year period demonstrates the of contractors. of architects in the entire industry are
growth potential of BIM. However, for firms who are not at the lowest levels of green activity as
Design firms report using BIM on performing both functions with BIM opposed to 23% of BIM users.
a larger percentage of projects than tools, A/E firms more commonly The opposite trend occurs for
contractors. Over one third of A/E author models, while contractors contractors that use BIM. Of the
firms (36%) use BIM on over 75% of more commonly analyze models overall contractor community, 7.5%
their projects, compared to only 11% without creating them. These results are engaged at very high levels of
of contractors. The higher level of are consistent with the respective green building, compared to 4% of
use by design firms is consistent with roles of these players in the BIM users, and 36.5% are at the
their position as early BIM adopters. construction process. lowest levels as compared to 39%. n
Frequency of BIM Use (by Respondent Firm Type) Overall BIM Involvement
Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010. (by Respondent Firm Type)
■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors All Respondents

76% or More of Projects
36% 22%
Creating and Analyzing Models
11% 53% 54%
51% to 75% of Projects 58%
25% 22%
Using BIM Tools to Analyze Models,
21% But Not Creating Own Models
3% 17%
26% to 50% of Projects
22% 24%
17%
27% Creating (Authoring) Models with BIM Tools
25% or Less Projects 44% 29%
22% 34% 18%
41%

Data:Building Performance and
Energy Modeling
Frequency of Simulating Building and

Green BIM data
Energy Performance
Use of BIM to Simulate Total Building
65% of all Green BIM practitioners have performed total Performance (among Green BIM Practitioners)
building performance simulations in their BIM models. Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
Energy performance simulation is even more common—

73% use these tools in BIM.
Despite this, most Green BIM practitioners are only
deploying these tools on a small percentage of their proj-
ects. Out of the firms who do simulations in BIM for green
65%
projects, 62% do energy simulations on one quarter or Use 35%
less of their projects.
Never
The same is generally true for total building perfor-
mance—67% of firms who do total building performance
simulations in BIM do so on one quarter or less of their
projects. This result indicates that firms are selecting
applicable projects on which to perform whole building
and energy simulations rather than generally applying
them to most projects.
One factor potentially impacting long-term use of Use of BIM to Simulate Energy Performance
these tools is public policy about energy efficiency. The (among Green BIM Practitioners)
U.S. Department of Energy is working to provide market- Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
able solutions to commercial and residential buildings

to achieve market-ready, net-zero energy commercial
buildings. The net-zero strategy combines use of energy
efficiency and onsite renewable energy, resulting in a
building that generates as much energy as it uses. In
addition, incentives to encourage efficiency in buildings 73% 27%
Use Never
continue to garner legislative support. As public focus
remains on efficiency, demand for these tools may rise on
a wider range of projects than just green buildings.
High-Achieving GREEN BIM Practitioners

Green BIM practitioners who report achieving more
than 50% of the overall potential of BIM (see page 8) also
tend to simulate building and energy performance more
frequently than the total group of Green BIM practitioners
cited above:
■■Total Building Performance Simulation: ■■Energy Performance Simulation:

• 86% simulate whole building performance. • 83% simulate energy performance.
• 63% of those performing simulations do so on more • 69% of those performing simulations do so on more
than one quarter of their buildings—compared to 33% than one quarter of their buildings, compared to 38% of
of all Green BIM practitioners all Green BIM practitioners
continued

Building Performance and Energy Modeling
Frequency of Simulating Building and Energy Performance continued
This result suggests that as users continue to Green BIM practitioners compared to those who report
Green BIM data
increase their knowledge and use of BIM, building doing energy simulations as a whole. The large number
and energy simulation within the models should of tools employed to understand energy use indicates the
be used more widely. complexity of energy consumption in buildings.
Percentage of Green BIM practitioners who

Non-Green BIM Companies
simulate the following building aspects to gauge
Firms that do not use BIM on green projects largely have
energy performance:
not adopted these tools for simulation purposes:
• Lighting and Daylighting Analysis: 74%
■■Total Building Performance Simulation: • Whole Building Energy Use: 72%
22% perform simulations in the model. • Energy Code Compliance: 70%
• Product Qualification & Selection: 64%
■■Energy Performance Simulation:
• Renewable Energy: 63%
21% perform simulations in the model.
• Natural Ventilation Analysis: 57%
Aspects of Energy Performance Fewer than 20% of non-Green BIM companies engage in
Most Frequently Simulated any individual simulations. However, of these the most
Most Green BIM practitioners simulate multiple aspects common aspect simulated by non-Green BIM companies
of the building in order to gauge energy performance. is whole building energy use, followed by lighting and
Some aspects are simulated by a larger percentage of daylighting analysis.
Satisfaction with Current BIM Tools for

Energy Performance Simulation
BIM User Satisfaction with BIM Tools
for Simulating Energy Performance
Over one-third of all Green BIM practitioners (36%) have
high or very high satisfaction with the BIM tools they use

for energy performance. Another half of the respondents Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
have medium satisfaction.

It is striking that more than twice as many Green BIM ■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors
practitioners report a high/very high level of satisfac-
Very High Satisfaction
tion as those that report low or no satisfaction with their
6%
tools (14%). This finding suggests that the current tools
3%
available for energy performance are meeting the expec-
tations of their users. High Satisfaction
35%
While roughly similar, A/E firms are slightly more
Medium Satisfaction
satisfied with their tools than contractors: 49%
• A/E Firms: 41% highly satisfied
54%
• Contractors: 31% highly satisfied
Low Satisfaction
7%
13%
Not Satisfied
3%
2%

Building Performance and Energy Modeling continued
Reasons for Not Using BIM

for Energy Performance Simulations
Influence of Factors Behind Non Use of
BIM for Energy Performance Simulations
There are a number of factors that impact the decision
Green BIM data

not to use BIM for energy performance simulations.
They vary by firm type. Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
A/E Firms ■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors

The lack of the appropriate tools, the lack of required func-
No Need to Do Energy Analysis
tionality and the perception that they do not need to do 48%
energy analysis are all reasons design firms are hesitant
58%
to use BIM in energy performance simulations—and all at
equal levels of 48%. Lack of Tools
48%
Contractors 26%
The largest percentage of contractors who do not perform Tools Do Not Have Required Functionality
energy simulations (58%) do not believe they have a need 48%
to do any energy analysis. Since the current energy anal- 16%
ysis tools can achieve more significant improvements
and are more cost-effective to use in early design phases, Easier to Do Green Projects Using Existing Tools
44%
contractors, who use BIM tools later in the process, are
less likely to perceive energy analysis as essential or appli- 22%
cable to their green building work. Tools/Models Are Too Complicated
However, the availability of good, easy-to-use tools 26%
does impact the contractors. Roughly one quarter report 20%
the lack of tools (26%) and the ease of using their current,
non-BIM tools (22%) as reasons they have not yet begun to
simulate energy performance in BIM.
Simulating Energy Performance in Two Years
Both Green BIM practitioners and non-Green BIM compa- tions that the available tools will improve, particularly for
nies anticipate doing energy performance simulations in meeting the specific needs of green design and construction.
a BIM model on a much larger percentage of their total Other factors that may contribute to this increase include
work within two years. changes to LEED in 2009 that place greater emphasis on
energy performance and potential carbon pricing impacts,
■■Green BIM: 80% will simulate energy performance on
which are expected to increase energy-efficiency in buildings
more than one quarter of their projects, compared to
as well.
28% currently.
■■Non-Green BIM: 35% will simulate energy perfor- Aspects of Energy Performance Expected
mance on more than one quarter of their projects, to Be Simulated in Two Years by Current
compared to 1% currently. Non-Green BIM Companies
Most of these areas are already being simulated by
The dramatic increase is likely influenced by several Green BIM practitioners on some of their projects. Therefore,
factors, including the general expectation of using BIM the explosion in the use of energy performance simulation in
models for more projects overall as well as expecta- BIM models lies with the firms that are not currently using BIM
for green projects.
continued

Building Performance and Energy Modeling
Simulating Energy Performance in Two Years continued
Current/Future Use of BIM to Simulate Energy Performance

Green BIM data

of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects 79% of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects
45% 44%
30% 29%
27% 27%
21% 21% 20%
15% 14%
10%
5% 4% 8%
CURRENT FUTURE
1% 0% 0% 0%
CURRENT FUTURE
Fewer than 20% of non-Green BIM companies currently

Aspects of Energy Performance Firms Would
report simulating particular aspects of the building for
Like to Simulate in Next Two Years
energy performance (see chart at right for list). However,
in two years, more than 50% of these firms would like to be Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
simulating energy use in BIM in several areas:
Whole Building Energy Use
• 80% want to simulate whole building energy use. 80%
This broadly-held intention, despite the inherently
complicated nature of whole building analysis, Lighting & Day Lighting Analysis
underscores the increasing importance of energy 69%
savings to green building. Energy Code Compliance
• 69% want to simulate lighting and daylighting
65%
analysis. Taking advantage of natural light not only
reduces the need to use unnecessary interior lights Natural Ventilation Analysis
but also provides a strong connection to the outside. 49%
However, heat gains from light impact building energy
use. Modeling tools help designers balance these two Renewable Energy
issues in early design. 45%
• 65% want to simulate energy code compliance. Product Qualification And Selection
Concerns about climate change are leading to more
42%
restrictive codes that must be addressed in new
buildings and major renovation projects.
Desired BIM Simulations

When asked what they would like to simulate that they
currently cannot, most respondents focused on cost
simulations, better energy modeling tools, better
lighting/daylighting analysis, HVAC modeling tools
and water simulations.
As this industry evolves, tools will need to be better able
to address these fundamental issues to achieve the growth
potential suggested by the results above.

special subject matter Case study
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Simulating Building Performance

green bim
© The Miller|Hull Partnership
Cascadia Center for

Sustainable Design
and Construction
T
he potential to simulate nearly every project that its in-house integration problems there were.”
building performance using architects and engineers work on Eventually, the firm mandated its
BIM is among the emerging together. Aaron Phillips, director of use among its consultants. “We got
technology’s most technology and BIM services at SHP, to the point where we said, ‘All right,
promising aspects. A vast majority says that after the company con- we’re 100% Revit; now you’re 100%
of BIM users would like to see tools verted all of its architects and MEP Revit, or you don’t work with us,’”
that help simulate whole building engineers to Revit in 2004, it began Phillips said.
energy use and work seamlessly with to push its consultants to follow suit,
a central model, although they are but when that wasn’t possible, the Challenges of
used for those purposes on only a staff would often conduct its own Existing Tools
small percentage of projects today. basic energy analysis. Phillips says the firm has since
As these tools develop, many firms “In the beginning, when we would adopted a standard energy model-
are devising ways to share data do an architectural project in-house ing workflow. Starting with its Revit
between their BIM models and and the engineering portions of it model, data flows to Green Build-
energy modeling programs. were out of house, we were still, as ing Studio, back to Revit, then to
architects, doing energy modeling Ecotect Analysis and on to eQUEST.
Requiring Integration from a standpoint of iterative design, Although the firm is committed
of Energy Modeling such as the orientation of a building, to its BIM-centered process, Phil-
within BIM Process massing, percentage of glazing lips admits that it is not seamless.
Some design firms that are able to and things of that nature,” he says. However, over time the firm has
fully integrate architectural and engi- “Then the engineers provided the developed workarounds.
neering tasks are out in front with more finite detailed energy analysis, “Unfortunately, with most energy
the trend. SHP Leading Design of sometimes using the model, modeling software, you’re going to
Cincinnati integrates energy mod- sometimes not, depending on what have to cheat the system sometimes
eling within its BIM process on software they were using and what because the types of systems that
continued

special subject matter Case study: Performance
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green bim
we spec, install and measure are “We definitely have to [conduct energy analyses] if
becoming more and more complex, we’re going to create buildings that are designed
and our software manufacturers are with performance criteria in mind, and there’s a
just not keeping up with having their
systems in the software we use,” he
real need for effective tools to accomplish that.”
explains. “We do have to fudge the —Brian Court, associate, Miller Hull Partnership
system to mimic the results of those
systems, but we’ve done it enough
to know where the hiccups are, what
the workarounds are, what results we multiple models, including Revit, slopes and orientations. These
can bet the bank on and what results Ecotect and eQUEST. However, variations were brought back into
we can’t bet the bank on.” those models are not always able to Sketch-Up for shading and massing
exchange data. studies, and then Ecotect was used
The Need for “The lack of a fully integrated for daylighting studies.
Interoperability approach can be frustrating,” he Although the firm has not yet
The process of getting various says. “I feel that the true promise refined the process within its BIM
energy analysis software programs of BIM isn’t really there yet. We’re still models, Court says he expects
to work together can be limiting in those early stages where it can be such projects to push demand for
for some users. For The Miller cumbersome.” improved interoperability.
Hull Partnership in Seattle, energy A critical portion of the work “We’re walking a fine line now
analysis has been a critical part of done in the modeling software between the mechanical engineers’
its Cascadia Center for Sustainable involved balancing maximal use of scope and the architects’ scope,” he
Design and Construction project, photovoltaic panels to provide solar says. “We definitely have to go there
which is set to begin construction in energy with daylighting needs. Miller as architects if we’re going to create
late 2010. The urban in-fill project is Hull imported an architectural model buildings that are designed with
aiming for net-zero energy and water from Sketch-Up into Rhino. It then performance criteria in mind, and
use. Brian Court, associate at Miller used Grasshopper to manipulate there’s a real need for effective tools
Hull, says the project has generated the photovoltaic array shapes, sizes, to accomplish that.” n
Left to Right: © The Miller|Hull Partnership; © SHP Leading Design
Technical College community room rendering

showing daylight analysis (above); Cascadia Center for
Sustainable Design and Construction (left)

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Daylighting
A
s the uses of BIM for with clients or other [team mem- energy analysis tools that work in
green bim
green buildings have bers],” says Tom Turkington, proj- conjunction with BIM. “What used
evolved in recent years, ect manager with KMD Architects in to take weeks now takes days or
daylighting analysis has San Francisco. “If someone suggests maybe just hours,” he adds.
emerged as an early benefit for many a change, we can more easily show
BIM adopters. Among those who how it will impact [a project’s] sus- Tools Help Maximize
use BIM for sustainable design, the tainability. We can say, ‘Look, if you Daylighting
vast majority conduct lighting and remove these pieces then you’re not The firm has been sharing model-
daylighting analysis with BIM and going to get the same effect of day- ing data for daylighting analysis for
BIM-related tools. For architects, lighting. You’re going to use more nearly a decade. On the 277,000-sq-ft
this provides the opportunity for a artificial lighting, which is going to San Francisco Public Utilities Com-
more effective and robust iterative use more energy, which is going to mission project, which KMD began
design process that can drive more endanger your LEED status.’” designing in 2001, the team ini-
informed choices regarding a build- Turkington says the process of tially did its daylighting modeling
ing’s performance. modeling to show how changes in Google SketchUp, then brought
“Having these tools is invalu- could affect sustainability has been those results into Revit. The firm
able when we go into conversations significantly accelerated through has since adopted Ecotect Analysis
© DesignGroup
Grange Insurance
Audubon Center
continued

special subject matter Case study: daylighting
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for daylighting modeling. Through The team then drew ideas from
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its analysis of the project, which is

“Having these those sun studies to add a signature
aiming for LEED Platinum certifica- [daylighting analysis] design element to the building.
tion when it is completed in 2012, the tools is invaluable when A rooftop oculus was designed
team established a maximum lease we go into conversations to cast a shadow on a sundial on
depth of 60 feet to maximize daylight- with clients or other the floor, which accurately shows
ing and exterior views. Light shelves [team members].” the vernal and autumnal equinoxes
were also strategically placed to help as well as the summer and winter
minimize solar heat gain and maxi- —Tom Turkington, project manager, solstices.
mize daylight penetration. KMD Architects
Existing Buildings
Enabling Creativity Skirpac says the speed and
While BIM tools for daylighting have versatility of daylighting analysis
allowed some firms to improve the Sun Studies Enable for iterative design has also been
communication process with team Passive Design & helpful for renovation projects.
members, they have also helped Signature Elements “[Daylighting] has become a
push creativity. By spending less For the 18,000-sq-ft Grange Insur- really easy analysis to look at,”
time inputting data, more time can ance Audubon Center in Colum- he says. “When we have projects
be invested in actual design, says bus, which opened in August 2009, where we go back to look at an
Brian Skirpac, associate and BIM the team used BIM to help orient the existing building, it’s much easier to
technology manager at DesignGroup building along an east-west axis to think about the retrofit possibilities.
in Columbus, Ohio. maximize sunlight exposure. With an We can easily look at whether or
“It opens up experimentation,” he emphasis on passive solar design, not it would be worth it to redo a
says. “As you start trying things out, the firm created models to study how lighting layout that includes daylight
new ideas come up because you real- sun angles would affect both heat- sensors. We can validate those
ize you can play around and see what ing and daylighting, helping the team kinds of design decisions and
works. It generates excitement. Every- design more accurate window shad- express the value of them to
one adds more ideas to the mix.” ings and roof overhangs. the owners.” n
Grange Insurance
© DesignGroup
Audubon Center

Interview:Thought Leader
Steve Selkowitz
on the effort to improve BIM tools for green building
green BIM
Department Head, Building Technology Program

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
As department head of the “The vision we have is a world with an interoperable

Building Technology Program BIM that in minutes allows you to take your current
at Lawrence Berkeley National architectural design from your favorite platform
Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.,
Steve Selkowitz leads a nearly
[and analyze it in] your favorite energy program...”
250-person effort to research all
aspects of energy use in build- to go back and change the model, Why has that been such a
ings. He is also the former vice which might take a week and cost struggle?
chair of the International Alli- $10,000. If the client doesn’t have the SELKOWITZ: People say the
ance for Interoperability (IAI), time or the money, you cross off the vision is the right one, but the
now known as buildingSMART. shading system and proceed. implementation—rather than it
The vision we have is a world with being driven by a powerful central
As an early member of IAI, how an interoperable BIM that—in min- group with an open standard—was
did you envision BIM could be utes rather than days or weeks— driven by the proprietary standards
used as a tool to improve energy allows you to take your current that each of the major vendors had
efficiency? architectural design from your favor- or has. It was logical in the sense
SELKOWITZ: Fifteen years ago, my ite platform, import it into your favor- that the building process starts with
focus was: Why aren’t energy issues ite energy program and do your design, then the vendors have each
addressed more frequently and analysis. Your consultants within a of their own BIMs and their own
effectively in building design? One few hours of work—rather than a few way of structuring and organizing
answer was that the tools you’d use weeks—now can work as a team on the building. It was logical that they
to address some of the energy mod- energy alternatives and optimiza- proceed that way.
eling require a lot of data input, and tion. Then that meager budget can be
that data is not typically available. much more effectively deployed. What would accelerate
When a consultant gets a $20,000 the process?
budget to do energy analysis, they How has BIM evolved as a SELKOWITZ: Mandates. If a big
might waste $15,000 getting the CAD green tool? owner mandates that something will
files that describe the geometry and SELKOWITZ: There’s enough accom- happen, that tends to push the ven-
laboriously input them into what- plishment out there to show that the dors or other owners. It’s the free
ever separate format the energy tool potential is real and important, but market forces that tend to be pain-
requires. By the time they’ve done it’s still frustratingly out of reach if fully slow in most cases. Already
that and it’s representative of the you want it to be routine, solid and more large organizations are asking
building when modeled, they’ve got working every time. To get to the for BIM because they see value here.
$5,000 left in the original budget, and point where everyone is using it And there are organizations that want
they don’t get to do much energy and we’re changing the way build- to be green or are forced to be green.
analysis. Then, months later when ings are built, it needs to be usable There’s a connection between the
they’re doing value engineering by the average designer without a two. If you made the leap to be more
and someone says, “Let’s take out huge amount of extra effort. At the green, then you’ll be dealing with
the shading system, it looks like it moment it’s one of those things more data and more analysis. If an
costs too much,” and someone asks, where people who put in the extra owner wonders how they can do this
“What effect will that have on per- time and effort can make it work, but more efficiently and BIM offers that
formance?”, the consultant will have it’s a bit tricky and painful. solution, that is a reinforcing factor. n

Sidebar: Contractors
BIM and Green Building for Contractors

Many contractors have adopted BIM to save time and money
green bim
on projects. However, many are discovering that the same

strategies can also improve a project’s sustainability.
W
hile the ultimate goal outcomes, contractors are more can add significant detail to BIM
of green building comfortable using techniques such models today, the potential to use
is to produce high- as prefabrication, preassembly and that information for improved
performance facilities, modularization, says Derek Cunz, building performance is often
sustainable practices are at work vice president and general manager wasted, says John Tocci, Jr., virtual
during construction as well. By using at Mortenson Construction in construction manager for the
building information modeling, Minneapolis. western region of Gilbane Building
many contractors realize efficiencies “As we have our buildings built Co. in Phoenix. In addition to creating
that can reduce material waste and virtually with more and more detail, construction models for projects,
resource consumption to improve that puts us in a position to drive Gilbane also does in-house energy
the overall carbon footprint of a a lot more things like modular modeling of projects to help ensure
project. construction,” he says. “At the quality control. However, Tocci says,
“We think of ourselves as a beginning of the BIM wave, it started the team has to “dumb down” its
sustainable business because of how with things like prefabrication of models to make them work with
we apply BIM,” says Dace Campbell, structural steel or ductwork. Now, most energy modeling software.
integrated delivery specialist for we’re looking at more subassemblies “Our experience is that the
BNBuilders in Seattle. “Our goal and groups of subassemblies.” actual BIM model contains more
with BIM is to save time and money. Cunz says that Mortenson is information than an energy model
In doing so, we cut back on waste. increasingly using BIM to create can understand or handle,” he says.
That could mean using less material modular components, such as Tocci says that to get a useful
or saving the fuel used to transport headwall assemblies and bathroom energy model of the exterior skin
materials or reducing the impact assemblies. of a building, his modelers remove
of rework. By being efficient, our “We bring together chunks of multiple elements such as precast
footprint is reduced.” interiors rather than stick-building panels, curtainwall systems, mullions
Campbell says the net effect them on site,” he adds. “It’s as green and multipaned windows, and a roof
of construction efficiency on as you can get when you’re not using has to be made completely flat.
sustainability is often overlooked all of that raw material and creating Tocci says that the detail provided
because it does not easily translate waste.” in BIM models by contractors could
into points for green ratings systems. Cunz also contends that modular ultimately improve the accuracy of
“The goal is to cut back on waste, pieces can often be more efficient energy modeling, but today it is a
but how do you measure what didn’t than those built in the field. missed opportunity.
take place?” he muses. “We can “The quality of an enclosure is a “We can make it work, but it’s not
make the case to owners that being huge driver of energy efficiency,” something you can expect to do in an
efficient saves money, but if that he says. “So much energy is placed hour,” he says. “It’s something where
doesn’t get you LEED points, [the on the performance of the building you say, ‘Let me roll up my sleeves
green aspect] is easily overlooked.” systems, but if your enclosure is not and clear my schedule.’ Consultants
high-performing, you lose a lot of have told me that sometimes it
Enabling Prefabrication that benefit.” makes more sense to just start the
and Modularization energy model from scratch. That’s
By using BIM to design and plan Energy Modeling & BIM waste that needs to be taken out of
projects with more predictable Although contractors and engineers the process.” n

Data:Monitoring Building
Performance:
Green Operations & Maintenance
Importance of Verifying Building Performance

Green BIM data
Against Green Design Targets

Importance of Verifying Building Performance
Verification that building performance matches green during Design (among Green BIM Practitioners)
design goals is currently one of the most important Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
challenges in green construction. 64% of Green BIM

practitioners and 59% of non-Green BIM companies
surveyed attach high importance to verifying that
building performance corresponds to the targets
25% 39% 23% 10% 3%
identified in design. In fact, one quarter of firms using
BIM on green projects regard building performance Very High High Medium Low No Importance
verification as of very high importance.

The ability to deliver performance verification has
strong implications for A/E firms and owners as they
pursue green outcomes. Matching design strategies with
verified results will allow A/E firms to refine their green
building strategies, and owners can track quantifiable
returns on their investment, which could in turn lead to
even higher levels of green building investment.
Ideal Interval for Monitoring

Green Building Performance
Ideal Frequency of Green Building
Performance Monitoring
While most agree that monitoring performance is critical, (according to BIM Users)
the industry has no clear predisposition toward a specific
interval at which buildings should be monitored. The firms
engaged in Green BIM are closely split between annually,
1% 2%
every 2 years and every 5 five years.
The lack of agreement may reflect two different
motives behind industry’s engagement in monitoring
building performance: ■ Annually
• Building performance should be monitored frequently to 33% 34% ■ Every 2 Years
make sure the building achieves green goals. ■ Every 5 Years
• Building performance monitoring should be balanced ■ Every 10 Years
against cost benefits to maximize building savings with
■ Never
minimal operations investment. 30%
The close correspondence of the split between Green BIM
practitioners and non-Green BIM companies regarding the
ideal monitoring interval suggests a lack of overall indus-
try consensus about the best tactical approach to take in
order to achieve optimal building performance during
operations versus something specific to green building.

Monitoring Building Performance continued
BIM Contribution to Monitoring

Sustainable Performance
Contribution of BIM to Monitoring Sustainable
Performance of Buildings: Current and
Green BIM practitioners recognize the strong potential
Green BIM data
Potential (according to Green BIM Practitioners)

BIM offers as a tool for monitoring building performance
in the operation phase.
More than half (51%) of Green BIM practitioners
None Low Medium High/Very High
believe that BIM has a high long-term potential contri-
bution to monitoring sustainable performance. By 60%
comparison, only 2% see it as having no contribution and 51%
only 14% perceive it having low value.
As mentioned on page 9, building performance moni-
toring and performance is starting to be mandated,
both in the new LEED 2009 requirements and in recently 33%
passed regulations in Washington, D.C. and New York 25%
City. Market pressure around this issue may increase as 14% 13%
other cities, including Boston, consider adopting similar 2% 2%
legislation to encourage private industry to improve CURRENT POTENTIAL
building energy performance.

Given these factors and the strong potential
contribution of the BIM tools (according to Green BIM
practitioners), growth in the use of BIM for monitoring
is likely to increase in the future, potentially at
dramatic levels.
Owner Awareness of BIM and Access to Models
Educating owners about the value they receive from Influence Factors to Encourage Owner
modeling their buildings in BIM is needed—most of the Awareness and Adoption of BIM
industry agree that owners in general have a low aware- 62% of Green BIM practitioners believe case studies that
ness of the benefits of BIM. demonstrate bottom-line benefits for owners would be a
highly influential strategy for encouraging owner aware-
■■Green BIM Practitioners:
ness and adoption of BIM, again underscoring the critical
• Low Owner Awareness—59%
need for owner education.
• No Owner Awareness—7%
55% of Green BIM practitioners also affirm that making
■■Non-Green BIM Companies: BIM compatible with building control system software
• Low Owner Awareness—58% packages would strongly influence owner adoption of
• No Owner Awareness—20% BIM. Greater usability is thus another critical factor for
increasing owner involvement with BIM.
Given the importance client demand has on BIM adop-
Other influence factors include enacting performance
tion levels, actively engaging owner awareness through
and tracking related codes and legislation (44%) and
education and outreach around the benefits of BIM is a
engaging owner organizations (43%).
critical strategy for wider adoption of BIM in general, and
of Green BIM in particular. Educational efforts that specif-
ically demonstrate the financial benefits of BIM as well as
potential operations and maintenance efficiencies may
be particularly successful for the owner audience.
continued

Monitoring Building Performance
Owner Awareness of BIM and Access to Models continued
Percentage of Owners
Provided with BIM Models
Percentage of Firms that Supply
Green BIM data

BIM Models to Owners
At this point, providing the owner with a BIM model ■ Green BIM Practitioners ■ Non-Green BIM Companies
for monitoring building performance is not a common
practice. Among firms using BIM for green projects, 26% or More
42% do not provide models to any owners, and 44% 14%
provide models to 25% of their owners or less. However, 4%
Green BIM practitioners more frequently provide owners 25% or Less
with models than non-Green BIM companies, suggesting 44%
that owners are more often involved with BIM on green 23%
building projects.
None
42%
73%
The Promise of BIM for Improving Facility Management

Birgitta Foster, BIM champion need to determine the key data con- to train the maintenance people
at Sandia National Laboratory tained in the BIM that would aid about the systems during the
in Albuquerque, NM has been an facility management and focus design and construction process.
active advocate in the industry on how to collect and manage “When the building comes on
for the changes needed to fully them within current CAFM (com- line and they take over, they are
achieve the use of BIM by facili- puter aided facility management) very, very familiar with it because
ties managers since she was first systems. According to her, build- they have been working with the
introduced to BIM five years ago. ing owners need to “decide what model and understand all the
She explains several strategies to information they want, not only to systems.” She compares that to
increase the value of BIM for build- manage, but to maintain.” For her, the inefficiencies of the current
ing owners and facility managers. the data inside the model is the core method, which she characterizes
BIM is often used as a tool that piece that will help them manage as “Here’s the keys, go figure it out,
enables integrated design. Foster the building better. and here’s your big stack of O&M
notes that integrated design However, in order to access that manuals.”
should include facility managers. data, there needs to be improved Work on a building is
She asserts that we need to “start interoperability between CAFM continuous and does not end
looking at design for maintenance, systems and BIM systems. Foster with construction. Foster
not just design for construction.” believes the best way to achieve notes that one advantage BIM
She argues that it is counterpro- this is for the CAFM designers offers is the ability for facility
ductive to budget and design for to adopt an open standard that managers to continue to optimize
“the first two years of the build- can interact with any of the BIM the building. She wants to be able
ing and not consider 50 years of programs. She contends that to use BIM to measure whether
impact ... [facility managers] need designers should choose the tools the owner has achieved the
to educate designers, and the only that work best for them, and her return on investment promised
way to do that is bring in the facili- CAFM system should be able to in the design and construction
ties people early on and have them pull data from any program the of a green building and to make
share their insights.” project team has chosen. improvements throughout the
Foster also believes that build- Foster notes that one valuable building’s lifecycle that increase
ing owners and facility managers use for the data stored in BIM is building performance.

Interview:Thought Leader
Charles Matta
on GSA’s outlook on the role of BIM in green building
green BIM
National Director, Strategic Programs & Professional Resources,

U.S. General Services Administration
The U.S. General Services Admin- component, specifically BIM energy standards, we’ll be able to achieve
istration (GSA) faces multiple analysis and daylight analysis. much faster, better and more
mandates in the coming years to We’re aiming at more accurate pre- smoothly. The way we look at it
cut its energy consumption, and dictions during early design phases. is, can we afford not to do this,
BIM is seen as a tool to help fulfill That helps us understand how a especially with the goals established
that mission. In 2010, GSA facili- building and its users consume under the executive order and our
ties must use 55% less fossil fuel energy and allows us to make more internal goals?
energy than the average commer- informed decisions. Mechanical Our push toward having a better
cial building. By 2030, all new engineers for a long time have been transition through modeling
GSA facilities must be net-zero doing some form of energy analysis standards will greatly help through
carbon energy buildings. Last predictions, but BIM allows us to do it incremental improvements that are
year, the GSA released the first more accurately with better assump- based on more accurate simulation.
draft of the “GSA BIM Guide for tions. We use the architect’s model The modeling standards that we are
Energy Performance” and is more and more to squeeze out those working on go a long way toward
currently creating a BIM guide for last bits of energy savings leading to making it more seamless.
operations and maintenance with better, faster design and analysis.
a strong focus on sustainability. How do you envision BIM
What are the top benefits of factoring into your green
How do you see BIM helping BIM in green building? mission in the future?
GSA achieve its aggressive MATTA: Traditionally, before BIM, MATTA: We have over 1,500 GSA-
green goals today? the engineer would look at a building owned buildings and, at best, we
MATTA: Our administrator [Martha block, assign a perimeter and a core may build 20 per year. I see in the
Johnson] is pushing for a zero envi- and do the analysis based on the future more modernizations and
ronmental footprint, which is a very two. With BIM, we do space-based fewer new buildings.
tall order that cannot be achieved analysis that applies the occupancy From a business model, BIM
without the use of BIM. Two things for each room and other components has to apply to the operations and
will be at play: the integrated design that in the past were very vague, maintenance of the facility. That is
achieved through BIM and the inte- general assumptions. Now, you where we will get the greatest value.
grated building systems. These two achieve a greater level of granularity With integrated building systems,
have to flow from one to the other and insight into the design, and at if there’s any activity that’s off in its
and work hand-in-hand to achieve that point you start to influence the output, we’re able to compare that
these goals. development of the design based on with the intent in the model and
The commissioner of the Public the readings from that energy model. address that much faster than in
Buildings Service [Robert Peck] is the past. We’re working on having
pushing for a green proving ground. What challenges do you face and a central sustainability command
He wants us to experiment with new how are you addressing them? that would identify these potential
technologies that will help improve MATTA: Interoperability. It is difficult variations that impact energy usage
sustainability and energy use in to translate a design model into and notify the local team to address
our facilities. BIM helps achieve the an energy model with the current them immediately. This is in line with
front end of it, early in the planning software. That is something that, the flow between integrated design
and design and in the construction as we are defining the modeling and integrated building systems. n

Data:Using BIM for Green Retrofits
Using BIM for Green Retrofit Projects
In today’s economy, a large share of construction proj- Better Energy Performance Prediction
GREEN BIM data
ects are renovation projects—approximately 61% of all The highest percentage of overall A/E firms (68%)
projects in 2009 according to McGraw-Hill Construction consider better prediction of energy performance to be a
data on construction starts. Therefore, the existing build- key influential factor.
ing market provides a significant opportunity for green • A/E firms Practicing Green BIM: 67%
design and construction activity. • A/E firms Not Practicing Green BIM: 71%
In the Green Building Retrofit and Renovation Smart-
Market Report (2009), McGraw-Hill Construction Energy performance accounts for the majority of financial
projected that the green share of the retrofit and renova- benefits achievable in a green retrofit project, and captur-
tion market would grow from 5%–9% by value in 2009 to ing those benefits early through BIM modeling allows
20%–30% by value in 2014. A/E firms to demonstrate the financial returns of various
Many BIM tools that are applicable to enhancing the green strategies more effectively.
performance of new buildings also apply to green retrofit More than half of the contractors surveyed (57%)
and renovation projects, making this area a prime oppor- also recognize the value of better predictions of energy
tunity for the growth of BIM as well. performance as a highly influential factor in the growth
of green retrofit activity.
Future Use of BIM on Retrofit Projects
by Non-Green BIM Companies Other Influence Factors
88% of all respondents who do not currently use BIM on A/E firms and contractors also consider more experience
green projects believe that their firm will use BIM on a with energy modeling and better access to financing
green retrofit project in the next two years. Similar to the influential. The high level of reporting on multiple factors
use of BIM for green projects in general, the majority of suggests there are a number of drivers of green building
respondents (65%) believe that they will use it on 25% or in existing building projects, and by extension, the use of
less of all their green retrofit projects. BIM for these purposes.
However, strong interest by those not currently using
BIM for green projects suggests awareness in the indus-
try at large of benefits BIM may offer retrofit projects.
Most Influential Factors Behind the
Factors Influencing Increase of Increase of Green Retrofit Activity
Green Retrofits (by Respondent Firm Type)
Contractors and A/E firms agree that green retrofits will Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
increase if cost benefits and savings can be quantified.

Improved ROI
Improved ROI
Contractors in particular (70%) regard ROI as a highly
65% 68%
influential factor for increasing green retrofit activity.
70%
Contractors with experience in Green BIM believe it
even more strongly. Better Prediction of Energy Performance
• Contractors Practicing Green BIM: 72% 68% 63%
• Contractors Not Practicing Green BIM: 64% 57%
More Experience with Energy Modeling
65% of design firms also value improved ROI, which
58% 54%
ranked second for design firms overall, and first among
49%
non-Green BIM design firms, at 74%.
Better Access to Financing
49% 44%
40%

Using BIM for Green Retrofits continued
Role of BIM in Meeting Sustainability Goals

on Green Retrofit Projects
Value of BIM for Achieving Sustainable
Objectives in Retrofit Projects
Most Green BIM practitioners believe that BIM will help
GREEN BIM data

them achieve sustainability goals on green retrofit proj-
ects—76% rate its applicability for these projects as Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
medium or high. More than one third of that group (27%

5%
of the total Green BIM respondents) find BIM to be highly
applicable for green retrofit projects.
27% 19% ■ High Applicability
Firms with BIM Experience ■ Medium Applicability
Firms that use BIM on more than three quarters of their ■ Little Applicability
projects are even more enthusiastic—41% find it highly ■ Not Applicable
applicable to the retrofit projects they tackle. As firms’
experience with BIM grows, so does their application of it
for existing building projects. Therefore, as BIM adoption 49%
increases, so too should its use on retrofit projects.
Firms THAT do Minor

Renovation Projects
In addition, 37% of the firms that work on minor
renovation projects agree that BIM is highly applicable
to green retrofits. This group is important because green
retrofits can range from large, complicated projects to
small, relatively simple jobs. The fact that more of the
firms specializing in minor renovation projects value BIM
for green retrofits, as compared to general Green BIM
practitioners, indicates the need for greater industry-wide
recognition that BIM is effective for small projects.

Data:Green Products and BIM
Green Products
Importance of Green Products
to Green Projects
Green building products increase in number and
GREEN BIM data
availability every year, but 69% of respondents still Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
report that finding green products represents at least a

Very High Importance
medium challenge when they work on green projects.
19%
Importance of Green Products for High Importance

Green Projects 43%
Almost all firms consider green products important
to green projects. Strikingly, 19% of firms rate the Medium Importance
importance as very high. For the most part, the 31%
importance is relatively high whether a firm uses
Low Importance
BIM for green projects or not.
6%
Lifecycle Assessment Linked to BIM No Importance

Lifecycle assessment is one measure of sustainability 1%
in products that is gaining in importance. This measure
can be linked to BIM, but currently, even Green BIM
practitioners are rarely linking it on more than 25%
of their projects, and 47% never link it at all.
However, 48% of Green BIM practitioners
state that it is highly important to have the ability to
do lifecycle assessment with BIM. Another 34% find
this to be of medium importance. This strong response
suggests that industry need should drive growth in
BIM capabilities in this area.

Data:LEED & BIM
BIM and LEED Credit Calculations
Usefulness of BIM Models in Calculating LEED
Credits (according to Green BIM Practitioners)
The expected growth of Green BIM (see page 8) rein-
Green BIM data
forces the correlation between the growth of the green Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
building market and the growth in use of BIM tools.

Therefore, as the green building market comprises a
12%
higher share of construction—new and existing—and
20%
as higher levels of energy efficiency become required in ■ High Usefulness
buildings, use of BIM is also expected to increase. ■ Medium Usefulness
The LEED rating system has also seen tremendous ■ Low Usefulness
growth in the marketplace, with LEED-registered projects 30%
■ Not Useful
increasing approximately 38% between 2008 and 2009
following a 78% increase between 2007 and 2008. This 38%
shift corresponds with more design and construction
teams understanding the LEED system and knowing how
to calculate and document credits.
Thus, the demand for tools to help project teams do
their LEED documentation more effectively is already
strong and should continue to grow, creating a new set of
demands—and opportunities—for technology companies
serving the market.
Using BIM for LEED Credit Calculation

Users of Green BIM are currently divided on how useful
BIM models can be in calculating LEED credits.
• 42% believe the technology has medium to high
usefulness.
• 38% believe its usefulness is at a low level.
• 20% do not see its value.
How teams currently use BIM may in part account for the
mixed opinions. Currently, BIM tools have been shown
to be used for energy simulations, lighting analysis and
other factors related to the energy use of buildings, but
many early adopters of Green BIM are not using it for
other aspects of whole building design, including water
conservation modeling, which may increase with both a
higher level of sophistication of LEED rating requirements
and improved functionality of technology.
Additionally, the ways users are currently employing
BIM on green projects may lead some respondents to
report that its usefulness for calculating LEED credits is
low. For example, firms may be using BIM models at the
end of the project to determine the implications of the
design rather than in the up-front stages where it would
have optimal value.
continued

LEED & BIM
BIM and LEED Credit Calculations continued
Level of Automation in Calculating

LEED Credits through BIM
Automating BIM Model Data for
Green BIM data

LEED Credit Calculation Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
Currently, the market does not have a high level of auto-
mation in the process for applying data in BIM to LEED 5%
credit calculation, though nearly one quarter of respon-
dents do report they have automation systems in ■ High Level
19% of Automation
place. This may contribute to the low level of useful-
ness currently perceived in application of BIM for LEED 37% ■ Medium Level
of Automation
calculations.
■ Low Level
It is likely, however, that the increase in Green BIM prac- of Automation
tice will require a corresponding increase in the use of 39% ■ Not Automated
BIM for calculating LEED credits or for helping determine
how the building will achieve requirements of other build-
ing performance standards, such as local government or
state policies. This will drive a need for automation.
Challenges of Using BIM for

Reasons Behind Not Using BIM to
LEED Credit Calculations
Calculate LEED Credits
42% of firms not currently practicing Green BIM are not
using BIM for LEED Credit calculation because they find
existing tools easier to use. Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
Another 36% do not believe they have a need. However,

Easier to calculate LEED credits using existing tools
since there is a lower level of green building adoption by
42%
these firms (see page 22), the fact that they are not using it
would be consistent. Do not have a need to calculate LEED credits
Respondents also cite specific challenges with the tools 36%
themselves, suggesting need in the industry as a whole
for models that can be used for LEED: Lack of tools
• 33% find there is a lack of tools. 33%
• 28% believe they are missing functionality.
Tools do not have required functionality
• 22% believe models are too complicated.
28%
Tools/models are too complicated
22%
Value of a BIM LEED
Calculating Tool
Value of BIM LEED Calculating Tools
More than three-quarters (76%) of individuals who are
currently practicing Green BIM believe having a BIM
LEED calculating tool would be of at least medium value,
suggesting a high market need for such a tool. Only 18%
think it would have little value, and a very small percent-
age (6%) think it would have no value.
11% 28% 37% 18% 6%
Notably, there were not significant differences
between the opinions of those currently calculating LEED Very High High Medium Little Not
credits with data from BIM models versus those that were Value Value Value Value Valuable
not, indicating a somewhat stable market need.

Sidebar: LEED
The Intersection of BIM and LEED

BIM tools and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system
green bim
are combining to create more sustainable outcomes in buildings

today and have the potential for greater integration in the future.
T
he USGBC’s Mike Opitz, a more holistic view of how different same time, about the same thing,
vice president of resource elements in the design contribute to at the right points in the process.”
development and Brendan the building’s overall performance. The holistic view of building
Owens, vice president of He would like to see energy systems fostered by integrated
LEED technical development, share modeling, daylighting analysis design process enables strong
their insights about how project and other performance gauges sustainable outcomes.
teams that use BIM tools can more brought together in “one easy-to-use BIM provides an essential tool
effectively achieve some of the green package” and notes that progress that supports integrated design. In
building practices and strategies has already been made toward fact, Owens claims that “the main
promoted by the LEED rating system. that goal. point of connection [between BIM
They also clarify how the ongoing and green building] is integrated
evolution of LEED will increase Water Conservation design and integrated thinking.”
the benefits of using BIM for LEED While water conservation is another
projects. critical element of green building, Material Attributes
it is far less likely to be modeled in Owens believes one benefit of
Energy Performance BIM. Owens describes how water use BIM that should be more widely
According to Brendan Owens, credits in future versions of LEED will recognized is its ability to function
“LEED is all about focusing on multi- demand “a whole building/site water as “the repository of all the material
parameter decision making to ensure balanced view, asking people to attributes that make up a building.”
people are optimizing buildings look at the entire water flow through He argues that a long-term focus
as systems rather than optimizing their projects, [including] rainwater on developing the capabilities of
systems of buildings.” While BIM management, potable water use, BIM in this area prevents the loss
tools do not quite allow for complete, wastewater generation, process of information on the embodied
holistic whole building optimization water and cooling towers.” He greenhouse gas and chemical make
yet, Owens recognizes that BIM asserts that “as the sophistication up of building materials after the
energy modeling tools, used early in of the requirements in the LEED building is constructed.
the design process, allow designers rating system evolve, you will start
to understand the implications of seeing [BIM] tools better built to LEED Online and BIM
their decisions on the building’s serve that purpose.” The launch of LEED 2009 featured
energy performance. an updated version of LEED
However, Owens reports, these Integrated Design online. Opitz describes how that
tools are not always used to their full Opitz describes improved process update provides the “underlying
advantage. He describes how design as a common theme voiced by many architecture that sets the stage
teams will “use energy simulations successful project teams that achieve to allow more automation of the
as a compliance tool rather than as LEED certification: “We hear that project data.” He explains their
an iterative design analysis engine. process counts, process matters.” goal is to have future versions of
You obviate the benefit of the energy Integrated design is one of the major LEED online that will allow project
simulation if you do it at the end, after process improvements that he notes. teams to have their BIM software
you have made all the decisions.” “One of the best practices that LEED automatically send in their data,
Mike Opitz sees even greater embraces and leverages is the notion rather than laboriously upload it
potential if the tools evolve to provide of getting everyone to talk at the into the system. n

Data:Model-Driven Prefabrication
BIM Model-Driven Prefabrication
Primary Reason Behind Use of BIM
Model-Driven Prefabrication
Providing BIM models to building product manufac-
Green BIM data

turers to prefabricate building elements off-site offers
many green benefits, including the reduction of waste Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010.
produced by onsite fabrication. Prefabricated elements

■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors
can include complicated HVAC or electrical systems
in buildings. Save Time & Money
Increasing prefabrication also provides other 68%
advantages. In The Business Value of BIM SmartMarket 75%
Report (McGraw-Hill Construction, 2009), 71% of BIM
Make Construction Site/Process Greener
users considered increasing prefabrication highly
12%
important to improve overall project ROI. In addition,
7%
prefabrication has been demonstrated to reduce the
amount of time required for construction and to increase Owner Demand
safety on-site at projects. 8%
7%
Current Reasons for Doing BIM Make Construction Site/Process Safer
Model-Driven Prefabrication 5%
69% of Green BIM practitioners report saving time and
9%
money as the primary reason for engaging in model-
driven prefabrication. A/E firms and contractors both Other
predominantly value this reason for using BIM model- 7%
driven prefabrication. 2%
Prefabrication is one of the strategies to achieve lean
construction projects, a major driver of BIM in the indus-
try. A primary goal of a lean approach is to prioritize time
and money savings.
Other factors reported by Green BIM practitioners as the

primary reason for doing model-driven prefabrication,
though at relatively low levels:
• Making construction site/process greener: 10%
• Making construction site/process safer: 8%
Given the importance of saving time and money to

all players involved in BIM, the fact that some portion
of the industry feels the impact of prefabrication was
most important in terms of making the construction site
greener or safer suggests that there are other benefits
BIM is expected to deliver.
continued

Model-Driven Prefabrication
BIM Model-Driven Prefabrication continued
BIM Model-Driven Prefabrication Variation by Player

Green BIM data
Adoption in Two Years Contractors lead the design community in their

Currently, the majority of both Green BIM practitioners expectations for future adoption of BIM model-
and non-Green BIM companies are either not using BIM driven prefabrication.
model-driven prefabrication or using it on a very low
percentage of their projects. Expectation to use model-driven prefabrication on
In their two-year predictions, however, industry over 50% of their projects in two years:
opinion shifts, with more players anticipating higher use. • Contractors: 59%
• A/E Firms: 22%
High Levels of Use
Currently, only 16% of Green BIM Practitioners and 8% Model-Driven Prefabrication
of non-Green BIM companies report engaging in model- and Green Construction
driven prefabrication on more than 50% of their projects. Most Green BIM practitioners see model-driven
This increases significantly in two years to use by 42% prefabrication as a moderate to high contributor to
of Green BIM practitioners and 29% of non-Green BIM making a building and a project site greener.
companies.
■■Contribution Toward Greener Building:
• Medium: 45%
Low Levels of Use
• High: 25%
With the increase in high usage comes a corresponding
decrease in low levels of use. ■■Contribution Toward Greener Site:
Currently, 63% of Green BIM practitioners and 77% • Medium: 44%
of non-Green BIM companies cite low levels (use in less • High: 31%
than 25% of projects) in the use of BIM models to drive
prefabrication. Firms that do not use BIM for green projects, on the other
This shifts dramatically in two years when only 27% hand, predominantly identify prefabrication as a medium
of Green BIM practitioners and 43% of non-Green BIM to low contributor to greener buildings and project sites.
companies expect low levels of use. This differential suggests that greater experience with
using BIM for green design and construction leads to
higher expectations about the potential it poses for
prefabrication. As experience grows, it should help drive
industry adoption of BIM models for prefabrication.
Current/Future Use of BIM Model-Driven Prefabrication


of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects of Projects
42% 41%
36%
31% 28%
27% 26%
21%
21%
21% 21% 15% 17%
10% 15%
6% 6% 6% 8%
2%
CURRENT FUTURE
CURRENT FUTURE

y
ud
st
se
ca
BIM, Lean and Green
W
ith a focus on reduc-
green bim
ing waste, many lean

construction methods
are inherently sustain-
able. Because building information
modeling has introduced more effi-
cient ways of carrying out common
tasks for designers and contractors,
BIM has taken a prominent role in
supporting lean practices and pro-
ducing sustainable results.
“The more efficiencies and less
waste you use in the process, the
more ‘green’ the project is,” says
Derek Cunz, vice president and
general manager at Mortenson
Construction in Minneapolis.
BIM is Critical to Achieve

Lean Goals
Mortenson began adopting lean
principles in the mid-1990s, such as
an improved focus on early planning,
improved coordination and ways
to prefabricate components. With
the evolution of BIM, Cunz say the
technology is now a critical tool for
achieving those goals today.
“We had this road map, and BIM
has weaved its way through a lot
of those principles,” he says. “We
see BIM and lean as intermixed
© Mortenson Construction
now, and over time we’ve been able

to leverage them better. The tools
are more efficient, so we’re able to
do this on any scale of project as
opposed to just the megaprojects
ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington where you can afford the investment.
The granularity and level of detail
is getting better and better. We’ve
also seen an evolution of the model
flowing deeper into the field to
integrate the work and affect the
craftworkers directly. That’s where
the lean aspect really starts to
take hold.”
continued

special subject matter Case study: Lean
y
ud
st
ed
se
u
n
ca
ti
n
co
green bim
Integrated Work Plans “The more efficiencies as possible, says Ray Kahl, managing
Among the ways that BIM has and the less waste principal of UDG.
enabled Mortenson to develop new you use in the process, “We had to meet a tight schedule
lean practices in the field is through and a tight budget with little room
integrated work plans. On the $55
the more green for error, and prefab allows you to
million 154,400-sq-ft ShoWare the project is.” achieve those things,” he said.
Center project in Kent, Wash., the —Derek Cunz, On the 137,000-sq-ft Phase I, which
firm created concise, stand-alone vice president and general manager, broke ground in 2006 and completed
documents for craftworkers for Mortenson Construction in 2009, BIM was used extensively,
each feature of work. with the team sharing nine different
“This takes your typical 3D models created in software
drawings—like mechanical, including Revit, Tekla and AutoCAD.
electrical, architectural, civil and “If you’re delivering more precision Working in partnership with the
instruction sheets—and burns them to the job site, there’s less waste,” contractor, Hathaway Dinwiddie of
into a single set of instructions for he says. “That’s a green story, but San Francisco, the team conceived
each craftworker for the work he or it doesn’t get you LEED points. Less multiple prefabricated building
she is doing,” Cunz adds. “That is waste means less material to recycle. components, including roof trusses,
really only achievable though BIM.” You get points for recycling, but not roof panels, ceilings, plumbing trees,
Cunz also credits the process for the material that you didn’t use reinforcing and drywall. By using
for helping reduce errors and and prevented from having to BIM models to help design and
rework in the field. With the help be recycled.” fabricate these components, Kahl
of coordination efforts, the project says the project realized significant
saw a 38% reduction in requests for Prefabrication waste reduction in both materials
information compared to similar Prefabrication and modularization and schedule.
projects, helping eliminate additional are other emerging lean practices
waste. Cunz estimates that the that have gained momentum through Maximizing Impact of
project saved the owner more than the use of BIM. To reduce waste and Sustainable Design
$1.7 million in projected costs. errors, prefabrication is being used “If you do sustainable design, you
heavily on the two-phase School need to incorporate the elements
Preventing Waste of Cinematic Art at the University of lean construction,” he adds. “If
Although the project was designed to of Southern California project in you’re focused just on collecting
achieve LEED Gold certification, Cunz Los Angeles. The project architect, LEED points, you’re missing things
maintains that the building is greener Dallas-based Urban Design Group that have a real impact on what true
than its rating suggests. (UDG), used prefabrication as much sustainable design should be.” n
© Courtesy of View by View
School of Cinematic Art at the

University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, California

y
Overcoming the Challenge of
ud
st
se
BIM on Large Projects

ca
while Achieving Energy Efficiency

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Headquarters Consolidation
Southeast Quadrant
Silver Spring, Maryland
green bim
© KlingStubbins in association with RTKL

Southeast Quadrant Laboratory Building
T
he Southeast Quadrant, projects they had recently completed creates challenges envisioning the
with a laboratory building with BIM as a tool. project holistically. “BIM likes to have
and two office buildings the whole building in the memory
totalling over one million The Challenge of of a single computer, so that the
square feet, is just one element Using BIM on computer can understand holistically
of a larger plan to consolidate all Very Large Projects what is going on, but the complexity
U.S. Food and Drug Administration As they worked on these large [of a project this size] makes it
facilities in the Washington, DC projects, the design team at impossible to do that.”
region into one location. Work on KlingStubbins found that they A critical part of their strategy is
the project has been underway pushed the limits of the software. to keep the components as simple
since 1996, with one design team, Nonetheless, Cavallero has no doubt as possible. He describes how, on
KlingStubbins in association with that BIM was the right approach to another large project, they learned
RTKL, responsible for the overall designing this project: “I honestly do that an element like a 3-D workstation
project. not think the software was designed model with a camera can seem like a
for something of such colossal size, great addition, but when it is copied
Decision to Use BIM but it works, and it works very well.” a thousand times, it can crash a
Using BIM on one portion of a Because attempting to do the computer system. “In a small project,
massive project already underway entire project as one model in BIM that’s a perfectly fine thing to do, but
involved making a major transition. was impossible on a project of this in a very big project, you are going
However, as Alberto Cavallero, scale, the work-around devised by to have to take the additional step of
AIA, LEED AP, design principal at the KlingStubbins team was to create dumbing down elements like that” to
KlingStubbins reveals, by the time multiple models. On a project like deal with the limitations of memory.
they began work on the Southeast this with over one million square KlingStubbins also benefited
Quadrant, KlingStubbins “had feet, Cavallero estimates that as from having people dedicated to
committed ourselves to BIM as a many as 12 to 20 models need to coordinating the model. “For a
practice.” The decision to use BIM be created within BIM to design project of significant scale, we have
was informed by other very large the building. He points out that this a digital design coordinator in every
continued

y
ud
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Headquarters Consolidation
st Southeast Quadrant
ed
se
u
n
ca
ti
n
co
Silver Spring, MD
discipline, every team, and you are consequences of the location, form to use BIM to access the ASHRAE
green bim
always talking through these issues... and orientation of the building, which energy modeling done by the
There is a lot of art and finessing to is great because it really facilitates engineers to be able to see detailed
[working with and coordinating the early decision making.” energy results. “We still have to
models], and no one should believe As the design continues, “those have an engineer build an entirely
that you can just model everything early energy modeling decisions independent model, and it’s a shame
and take pictures.” Having digital trickle down into the final detailing,” because if those conduits were more
design coordinators brings that art according to Cavallero. The robust, we could iterate a lot more
and vision to the process of working information from the early modeling and really tune the building to [the
with the models. leads “to smart decisions in terms model].” He expresses a desire to
Given the challenges that using of programming and detailing the know “the real results” of building
BIM for a project this scale presents, building that are so much more energy use to fully integrate the
Cavallero admits that at times he immediate when you have architects results into the design process and
wonders “why we are putting our- literally playing with these tools early produce the best building possible. n
selves through the pain of doing on, doing a reflected light daylighting
this.” He feels that his design team is analysis or doing a thermal exposure
committed to BIM. “If we were to ask analysis to understand the amount
of heat on a surface.” For him, the Project Facts
st
them, ‘What if I told you on the next
at
project, you have to go back to plain BIM tools speak to how architects and Figures
s
old 2D [design]?’, I think they’d rebel. work: “Architects are graphics Owner
I think they’d actually go get a job people, so when they can see these U.S. General Services
Administration (GSA)
somewhere else.” things, it gives them that much more
immediacy into the design process.” Architect
KlingStubbins
BIM Informs Good The way in which the early energy in association with RTKL
Design for Energy modeling contributed to the design
Conservation of project details can be seen in a Structural and MEP Engineer
KlingStubbins
The team’s commitment to BIM can comparison of curtain-wall details in association with RTKL
be attributed, in part, to how the on the south side of the laboratory
Landscape Architect
tool allows them to make informed building versus the north side. Sasaki Associates, Inc.
decisions from early in the design The wall on the south side “has a
Civil Engineer
process, decisions that impact perforated metal screen over half Greenhorne & O’Mara
overall building design but that also of the glass controlling daylight Consulting Engineers
translate into creating small details. into the laboratories” while the
Project Scope
On this project, Cavallero describes north side “has offices facing Laboratory Building, Two Office
how they modeled nearly the entire into a courtyard with a very open, Buildings, Parking Garage
building in BIM. “I’m not saying transparent curtain wall.” For Size
that we had absolutely everything Cavallero, BIM is “a very important Laboratory: 429,000 square feet
modeled, but we came quite close tool to refine the formerly intuitive Office: 723,000 square feet
to it, and it was an exercise in really decisions that architects make.” Parking Garage:
pushing the limits.” 928,500 square feet
Cavallero explains that they do Improving Energy Scheduled Start
comparative energy modeling early Design in BIM August 2010
in the design process, and that As useful as Cavallero finds BIM Scheduled Completion
modeling informs all stages of the for energy design, he also sees November 2013
design. For example, he describes its limitations. All of the energy Green Certification
how they compare different massing modeling in BIM is done using LEED Silver (anticipated)
diagrams using a quick energy model relatively simple, comparative
to “understand the big-scale energy tools early in design. He would like

Glossary
Definition of Terms Used
Building Information Model (BIM): Green Buildings:

green bim
A BIM is a digital representation of physical and A building constructed to LEED or other green building
functional characteristics of a facility. As such it serves standards, or one that involves numerous green building
as a shared knowledge resource for information about a strategies across several categories, including energy,
facility and forms a reliable basis for decisions during its water and resource efficiency and improved indoor air
lifecycle from inception onward. BIM also refers broadly quality. Projects that only involve a few green building
to the creation and use of digital models and related products (e.g., HVAC, waterless urinals) are not included
collaborative processes between companies to leverage in this definition.
the value of the models.
Green Firm:
Building Massing Modeling: A firm whose practice primarily involves green projects
Evaluation of the building’s three-dimensional form, (more than 75% of its total projects).
including its basic shapes and scale. Design choices
made in building massing, like building orientation,
can impact overall energy use. Green Retrofit:
Renovation work undertaken on existing buildings
that meets LEED or other green building standards or
Daylighting Analysis: that includes numerous building strategies across four
Simulations conducted during the design process that category areas: energy, water and resource efficiency
measure the amount of natural light entering into a and improved indoor air quality. Projects that only involve
building. The analysis allows design teams to gauge the energy efficiency improvements or just a few green
impact of different daylighting approaches on building building products are not included in this definition.
systems. Typical outputs include: radiation maps, climate-
based metrics and glare analysis.
High-Performance Building:
A building that uses a whole building design approach
Energy Performance Simulation: to achieve energy, economic and environmental
Energy performance simulation programs are software performance that is substantially better than standard
tools used to estimate energy performance and thermal practice.
comfort. They are typically used during the design and
construction phases of a building, and they are based on
basic building characteristics. Integrated Design Process:
Active participation in all stages of design for all
disciplines involved in the design, construction and,
Green BIM: at times, the operation of the building. An integrated
The use of BIM tools to help achieve sustainability and/or design team usually includes an owner’s representative;
improved building performance objectives on a project. architect; mechanical, electrical and structural engineer;
and construction manager and/or general contractor.
It can also include future building occupants, facility
managers and maintenance staff, subcontractors for
major trades and building product manufacturers.

Glossary continued
Definition of Terms Used
continued
Integrated Project Delivery: Prefabrication:

Green bim
The delivery of a construction project according to a The practice of assembling components of a structure
contract that calls for an integrated design process (see in a factory or other manufacturing site and transporting
page 50) and that clarifies the legal responsibilities and complete assemblies or subassemblies to the
risks born by all members of the project team. construction site where the structure is to be located.
Model-driven prefabrication describes the use of the BIM
model to enable prefabrication and assembly of building
Leadership in Energy and components both off and on the construction site.
Environmental Design (LEED):
An internationally recognized green building certification
system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, Non-Green BIM:
providing third-party verification that a building or When BIM is not used to help achieve sustainability and/
community was designed and built using strategies or building performance objectives on a project.
intended to improve performance across the following
metrics: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions
reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and Rainwater Harvesting:
stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. A green strategy that replaces potable water with
collected rainwater for landscaping or nonpotable interior
uses such as toilet flushing.
Lean Construction:
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)
defines lean construction as a set of ideas based in the Value Engineering:
holistic pursuit of continuous improvements aimed at Analysis conducted late in the design process or during
minimizing costs and maximizing value to clients in construction aimed at reducing the cost of construction.
all dimensions of the built and natural environment:
planning, design, construction, activation, operations,
maintenance, salvaging and recycling. Lean construction Whole Building Design and
is conceptually based on lean practices in manufacturing. Performance Simulation:
(For more information, see the AGC Lean Construction Whole building design is a process that views the building
Forum, http://agcleanforum.org/about/.) as an integrated system, rather than a collection of
components. An integrated design process assumes that
a number of building solutions will be considered and
Lifecycle Analysis: that some degree of analysis will take place to compare
A method of determining the environmental impact of a strategies and determine which ones are appropriate
building product by evaluating its entire lifecycle—from to achieve the desired performance. Performance
material procurement through manufacture, delivery and simulation of daylighting, energy use, water use and
installation to disposal/recycling. air flow are methods that can be used to conduct this
analysis.
Net-Zero Energy Building:

A building that uses no more energy than it generates
through a combination of energy-efficiency measures
and on-site renewable energy generation. The U.S.
Department of Energy has been charged with developing
marketable, net-zero energy commercial buildings by
2025, as required by federal law set forth in the Energy
Independence & Security Act of 2007.

Methodology:
Green BIM Study Research

Respondent Firm Type
McGraw-Hill Construction conducted the 2010 Green BIM
green bim
Study to assess the level and scope of use of BIM tools to Contractor (CM, GC, Trade Contractor, Fabricator, Estimator)
help achieve sustainability and/or building performance 47%
objectives on projects as well as the expected level and
scope of use in the future. Architectural Firm
The research in this report was conducted through 31%
an internet survey of industry professionals between
Engineering Firm
May 24 and June 23, 2010. The survey had 494 complete
responses. The “total” category displayed throughout 6%
the report includes 182 architects/engineers (37%), 233 Owner
contractors (47%) and 79 other industry respondents 4%
(16%)—including owners, building product manufactur-
ers, government agencies, various integrated firms and Consultant
consultants. 3%
The use of a sample to represent a true population is
Building Product Manufacturer/Distributor
based on the firm foundation of statistics. The sampling
2%
size and technique used in this study conform to accepted
industry research standards expected to produce results Planning Firm
with a high degree of confidence and low margin of error. 1%
The total sample size (494) used in this survey bench-
Other
marks at a 95% confidence interval with a margin of error
of less than 5%. For the architect/engineer category, the 6%
confidence interval is 95%, with a margin of error of 7%;
and for the contractors category the confidence interval is
95%, with a margin of error of 6%.
Respondent Tenure in Firm Respondent Region

Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010 Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010
7% Northeast
16%
27% ■ < 5 years Midwest
22% ■ 5–10 years West 28%
■ 11–15 years 28%
■ 16–20 years
13% ■ 21–25 years
17%
14% ■ 26+ years South and Puerto Rico
28%

Resources
Organizations, websites and publications that can help you get
smarter about green buildings and building information modeling
Acknowledgements:
The authors wish to thank our sponsors for helping us bring this
information to the market. Specifically, we would like to thank
Brendan Owens, Michael Opitz, Judith Webb and Lauren Riggs
McGraw Hill Construction from USGBC; Dennis Langley, MCERF; Deke Smith, buildingSMART
Main Website : construction.com Alliance; and Markku Allison, AIA. And, in particular, we thank the
GreenSource : greensourcemag.com entire Autodesk team for their valuable insights.
Research & Analytics : construction.com/
We appreciate Charles Matta and Steve Selkowitz sharing their
market_research
expertise with us as well as the contributions of all the interview
Achitectural Record : archrecord.com
subjects that talked with our authors. We would also like to thank
Engineering News-Record : enr.com
the firms that provided information about their projects and expe-
Sweets : sweets.com
riences with Green BIM as well as for their assistance in helping
Green Reports :
us secure images to supplement their project information. Finally,
greensource.construction.com/resources/
we would like to thank additional MHC staff who contributed to the
SmartMarket.asp
report, namely Lily Siu.
Premier Association Partner Premier Association Partner Premier Corporate Partner

Mechanical Contractors U.S. Green Building Council Autodesk
Association of America www.usgbc.org www.autodesk.com/bim
www.mcaa.org
Federal Government Corporate Contributor Sponsors

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency Balfour Beatty Construction : balfourbeatty.com
and Renewable Energy (EERE) : eere.energy.gov Chicago Faucets : chicagofaucets.com
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency : epa.gov Graphisoft : graphisoft.com
U.S. General Services Administration : gsa.gov Johnson Controls : johnsoncontrols.com
Energy Star : energystar.gov Parsons Brinckerhoff : pbworld.com
National Institute of Standards and Technology : nist.gov
Other Resources
Association Sponsors American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
The American Institute of Architects : aia.org Air-Conditioning Engineers : ashrae.org
The Associated General Contractors of America : agc.org Building Green, LLC : buildinggreen.com
buildingSMART Alliance : buildingsmartalliance.org Carnegie Mellon University, Center for Building
Construction Owners Association of America : coaa.org Performance and Diagnostics : arc.cmu.edu/cbpd
Design-Build Institute of America : dbia.org/pubs/ Green Building Initiative : thegbi.org
National Association of Women in University of California Berkeley, Center for
Construction : nawic.org the Built Environment : cbe.berkeley.edu
National Electrical Contractors Association : neca.org National Renewable Energy Laboratory : nrel.gov
National Institute of Building Sciences : nibs.org
■ Design and Construction Intelligence
SmartMarket Report
www.construction.com
McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Reports™
Get smart about the latest industry trends.

For more information on these reports and others, visit
www.construction.com ⁄market _ research
SmartMarket Report
Sustainable
Construction
Waste
Management
Creating Value in
the Built Environment
Produced with
support from
$189
Environmental Benefits Statement: This report is printed using
soy-based inks on New Leaf ReincarnationMatte, made with 100% recycled
fiber, 50% post-consumer waste and processed chlorine-free with a
cover on New Leaf Primavera Gloss, made with 80% recycled fiber, 40%
post-consumer waste, processed chlorine-free. By using this environmentally-
friendly paper, McGraw-Hill Construction saved the following resources
(calculations provided by new Leaf Paper, based on research conducted by
Environmental Defense Fund and other members of the Paper Task Force):
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Premier Association Partners Corporate Contributors Association Partners

Premier Corporate Partner

McGraw-Hill Construction Green BIM

20 Profile of Green BIM Practitioners

23 sidebar Profile of BIM Users

24 Building Performance and Energy Modeling

25 Satisfaction with Current BIM Tools for Energy Performance Simulation

33 sidebar BIM and Green Building for Contractors

34 Monitoring Building Performance: Green Operations and Maintenance

38 Using BIM for Green Retrofits

40 Green Products and BIM

McGraw Hill Construction SmartMarket Reports 2 www.analyticsstore.construction.com

41 LEED & BIM

43 sidebar The Intersection of BIM and LEED

Thought Leader Perspectives

McGraw Hill Construction SmartMarket Reports 3 www.analyticsstore.construction.com

construction industry in the by the finding that current Green BIM

McGraw-Hill Construction 1 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

The strong growth of the green building market can encourage

BIM adoption in the design and construction industry.

Realization of BIM’s Potential to Achieve Green

the full potential of BIM to achieve their green objectives.

Green Retrofit Projects

green retrofits promise to be a strong growth area for

Monitoring Building Performance

Strong Increase in Green BIM Practice

SmartMarket Reports McGraw-Hill Construction 4 www.construction.com

Steep Growth Expected in Use of Players Driving Green BIM Adoption

Current/Future Use of BIM to Simulate Energy Performance

Green BIM Practitioners Non-Green BIM Companies

McGraw-Hill Construction 5 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

pace. The interviews and case studies conducted throughout this

Software Integrated incorporating different Recognition of the

SmartMarket Reports McGraw-Hill Construction 6 www.construction.com

McGraw-Hill Construction 7 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

Using BIM to Achieve Green Objectives

Realization of BIM’s Potential to

Predominantly Green Firms

Future Green BIM Adoption

so within three years.

SmartMarket Reports McGraw-Hill Construction 8 www.construction.com

for Green Projects Projects (according to Non-Green BIM Companies)

projects—36% of respondents expect client demand to

McGraw-Hill Construction 9 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

Green Building Market Insight

practice creates opportunities across the industry.

SmartMarket Reports McGraw-Hill Construction 10 www.construction.com

Use of BIM on Green Projects

Green BIM Project Types for Green BIM

Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010

Variation by Firm Type Operations and Management

■■When firms use BIM for O&M of green buildings,

McGraw-Hill Construction 11 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

Through Integrated Design

SmartMarket Reports McGraw-Hill Construction 12 www.construction.com

McGraw-Hill Construction 13 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

Green Design and Construction Activities

Top Green Design/Construction Activities

(by Respondent Firm Type)

A/E Firms Green Building Certification

SmartMarket Reports McGraw-Hill Construction 14 www.construction.com

Green BIM Implementation Drivers

McGraw-Hill Construction 1 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 5 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 7 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 9 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 11 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 13 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 15 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 17 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 19 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 21 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

■ A/E Firms ■ Contractors All Respondents

McGraw-Hill Construction 23 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 25 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 27 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 29 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports

McGraw-Hill Construction 31 www.construction.com SmartMarket Reports