Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900

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Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

A sustainable BIM-based multidisciplinary framework for underground

pipeline clash detection and analysis
Sang Luo a, Jinyue Yao b, Siqi Wang c, Yaozheng Wang b, Guoyang Lu d, *
a
Intelligent Transportation Research Center, Southeast University Road 2, Nanjing, China
b
School of Transportation, Southeast University, Southeast University Road 2, Nanjing, China
c
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, PR China
d
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, The City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, PR China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Handling Editor: Prof. Jiri Jaromir Klemeš An urban underground pipeline system is widely applied to ensure the normal operation of urban functions.
Building information modelling (BIM) can integrate a multi-disciplinary underground pipeline information
Keywords: system to improve the efficiency and quality of underground pipeline management and maintenance. This study
Clash detection therefore used BIM to establish a sustainable multi-disciplinary evaluation framework for underground pipeline
Underground pipeline system
clash detection and analysis. The framework integrated modules such as clash type definition and analysis, clash-
BIM
rule definition, BIM clash detection, rule contribution and evaluation, irrelevant clash filtration, and clash co­
Sustainable optimisation
ordination. The results showed that the proposed framework can effectively reduce design errors and burdens,
and develop a knowledge-based rule for multiple participants and data objects, maximising multi-level and
multi-factor optimisation for underground pipeline management and maintenance. The results also indicated
that the sustainable BIM-aided urban underground pipeline optimisation framework plays an important role in
advancing the infrastructural design process, and the exploration of greener measures to improve the under­
ground built environment.

1. Introduction
With the increase in urbanisation and population in recent years, the
urban traffic and demand for improved transportation infrastructure
have increased rapidly. There is a growing demand for the construction
of urban utility tunnels. Unlike highway tunnels, urban utility tunnels
cannot be accessed with full control, which can only be realized based on
the original traffic. However, the method of constructing urban utility
tunnels can be more complicated. The first issue is the uncoordinated
multidisciplinary design. Once designers with different majors are in a
relatively independent workspace, the defects exposed in the combina­
tion of all drawings will lead to rework loss. Hence, lack of communi­
cation and two-dimensional (2D) design are the major reasons for
clashes. Another issue is the difficulty of coordinating the construction
sequence of multi-specialised pipelines, as many different professional
construction companies are responsible for the construction of multi-
specialised pipelines.
It is well known that urban underground pipeline systems are
imperative for ensuring the operation of the entire city. It is an invisible
barrier to ensuring the normal life of residents. In the process of ur­
banisation in China, the problems of early underground pipeline con­
struction projects are being increasingly exposed. It is because the
construction of urban utility tunnels tends to have certain characteristics
including tight construction schedules, complex structures, and large
amounts of usage of materials. In addition, due to the involvement of
multiple design and construction units, in the process of construction,
operation and maintenance, the data involved are various and scattered,
which brings great inconvenience to the management of the tunnel.
Therefore, it is very necessary to integrate multi-party information to
achieve system integration and hierarchical decomposition of different
types of information. From the perspectives of sustainable development
and urban planning, it is necessary to study information technology that
integrates design and collection, management and application, and
updating and maintenance of pipeline spatial data (Love and Smith,
2016). In this circumstance, BIM is a necessary technology that can not
only go deep into the various stages of pipeline construction but also
bring the multi-information of pipeline design units into the operation
management system (Cao et al., 2015). Additionally, during the

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: guoyanlu@cityu.edu.hk (G. Lu).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133900
Received 17 January 2022; Received in revised form 24 August 2022; Accepted 26 August 2022
Available online 1 September 2022
0959-6526/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
S. Luo et al.
construction of pipelines, clash coordination can reduce the possibility
of construction errors and save installation time. It can be also noted that
the time cost caused by the pipe clash is mainly reflected in two aspects:
one is the modification time required by the designer to adjust the
original clash, and the other is the time for adjustment due to errors
encountered in the construction according to the design drawings. By
providing clash coordination, the sustainability of multidisciplinary
underground pipeline systems can be effectively improved (Kaewunruen
and Lian, 2019). Information technology can facilitate visual coordi­
nation in the design stage, which is highly important for solving the
multi-disciplinary pipeline collision problem caused by independent
designs. The pipeline collision coordination technology is effective in
realising sustainable development for design alteration (Li et al., 2017),
construction installation, operation, and maintenance of pipeline sys­
tems (Gan et al., 2018). It not only improves the project performance but
also reduces the safety risk, which ensures a balance between engi­
neering costs and benefits (Marzouk et al., 2018).
In recently conducted studies, a thorough collision analysis via BIM
has been attempted, especially in new building projects, with the de­
mand for spatial conflict coordination of mechanical, electrical, and
plumbing (MEP) systems (Wang and Leite, 2016). In construction en­
gineering, the main research directions are concerned with collision
cover steel reinforcement in RC building frames (Mangal and Cheng,
2018) and the precise fit of parts in a mechanical assembly (Hubbard,
1996). The mainstream collision detection software includes Autodesk
Navisworks, Bentley ProjectWise Navigator, and Solibri Model Checker,
which may be used independently or in combinations by designers to
realise a workflow. For example, after building BIM models using Revit,
Navisworks was used to perform basic collision reviews of models, or
Solibri was used to perform further collision checks against specific
conditions (Radke et al., 2009).
However, although most studies on different majors have reached a
basic agreement on the definition of collision types (Akponeware and
Adamu, 2017; Yuqing Hua and Castro-Lacouturea, 2019), studies have
argued about how a veracious and credible method based on the colli­
sion detection results can be developed. Filtering irrelevant clashes
detected by BIM software is considered meaningful when combined with
the collision optimisation method (Lin and Huang, 2019). Effective
filtering is highly significant for ensuring the authenticity and precision
of collision detection reports. Cleaning out irrelevant clashes as a
simplified but not simple spatial position issue is related to the relative
position relationship of BIM components. For designers, the optimisa­
tion algorithm of BIM collision software needs to consider too many
variables, and the optimisation principles of different majors are
different; thus, the collision optimisation algorithm has not been widely
applied. In addition, solving multidisciplinary underground pipeline
clashes one by one is unrealistic (Wang and Wu, 2020). In BIM designing
and modelling, the most important concern is how all collisions can be
coordinated efficiently and easily in a short period.
Instead of traditional and automatic algorithms, this study seeks a
convenient, quick, and highly efficacious coordinated optimisation
framework. Autodesk and Bentley software enabled collision detection.
However, how custom-defined collision coordination according to
actual construction can be performed needs to be further studied. The
paper highlights the importance of design coordination and presents a
framework for filtering optimisation in the face of existing collisions. In
addition, this paper discusses the complex conflict between multidisci­
plinary underground pipelines, the definition of which is the key to the
accuracy and availability of collision detection. Defining collision
principles and formulating strategies in complex projects is a major
challenge in 3D construction projects. This study focuses mainly on the
degree of coincidence between the strategy and coordination results.
The framework proposed in this paper can not only detect errors in
design drawings in time, but also provide digital integration tools for
demolition and reconstruction. The detailed reconstruction scheme
largely avoids risks in construction and effectively improves the
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Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900
sustainability of the whole life cycle.
The coordinated optimisation framework for multidisciplinary un­
derground pipeline clash involves the process of the clash type defini­
tion, cause analysis, construction requirements investigation, clash
filtration rules, clash detection method, effective clash evaluation, and
clash optimisation. To achieve the most effective clash optimisation
result, each part of the framework must be strictly emphasised. As
pointed out by previous studies, unresolved conflicts will impact project
construction, delaying the process and resulting in huge economic los­
ses. Via effective analysis and coordination, the consequences of a
collision can be resolved before the project is formally constructed.
Research and engineering practice indicate that the sustainability
assessment of a structure is a time-consuming and complex process, and
BIM can effectively compensate for the low efficiency and low degree of
automation of traditional assessment methods (Carvalho et al., 2021).
The sustainability of BIM is reflected in the visualisation and quantifi­
cation of the building life cycle. Combined with the genetic algorithm
optimisation technology, while considering sustainability, BIM helps
realise the construction of a random life cycle cost model to select the
best building material replacement and find the most influential build­
ing system in each cost element from the initial cost to the final cost of
life (Marzouk et al., 2018). In addition, studies have shown that in
highly urbanised regions, the BIM technology frameworks help promote
sustainable low-carbon design of buildings, including quantification of
hidden carbon in building material production and operational carbon
in daily energy consumption.
In recent years, with the emergence of BIM software, clash detection
has gradually become an important function. Compared with traditional
engineering drawings, BIM software realise the three-dimensional vis­
ualisation of collisions. Owing to the significance of BIM clash detection,
it has been applied in projects worldwide. Although different countries
differ in the application frequency of detection, it has been proven that
performing clash detection at regular intervals is critical. Countries in
the United Kingdom have rigid requirements for collision detection once
every week or two. In China, collision detection is typically performed in
the early, middle, and final stages of a construction project. Although
studies have reported that most conflicts can be adjusted and avoided
during construction, human resources and time may be wasted.
Achieving high-precision collision detection, filtering out irrelevant
conflicts, and realising efficient conflict coordination are key issues
related to the technical and management levels (Gan et al., 2018).
Design conflicts refer to errors of overlapping components in space,
which constantly occur in MEP projects (Lee and Kim, 2014). Scholars
have proposed methods to define clash types from several aspects based
on the intersection curves of clash objects (Yuqing Hua and
Castro-Lacouturea, 2019) and collision severity defined by experts (Lin
and Huang, 2019). Undoubtedly, the definition of a collision is reason­
able to some extent. However, it still needs to be associated with the
collision-coordination method. For project designers, the classification
of collision types is the first step in coordination, which can also help
them quickly analyse collision reports. Recent studies suggest that
design coordination issues gradually go beyond the traditional defini­
tion of a clash (Mehrbod et al., 2019). The occurrence of a clash can be
attributed to many factors. Leite et al. (Hu and Castro-Lacouture, 2019)
proposed that wrong or low level of detail will increase the number of
drawing design conflicts, which may further result in insufficient 3D
models and spacing errors. Craig (Craig and Zimring, 2002), Kalay
(1998), and Froese (2010) argued that the independent work of
multi-professional designers leads to low information-sharing ability
and inconsistent data update synchronisation. Tommelein (Tommelein
and Gholami, 2012) and Korman (Korman and Simonian, 2010) and
Criminale (Criminale and Langar, 2017) explored that in the era of 2D
drawings, it is difficult to ensure that the design is completed correctly
when dealing with complex drawings. Benning perceived that stress and
burden can cause more serious error problems for designers owing to
insufficient time due to tightly scheduled tasks. Another two major
S. Luo et al.
causes are detection software (Jalaei and Jrade, 2014) and experts
(Riley et al., 2005). For BIM software, there are significant differences in
the data formats among them. The current approaches in mainstream
BIM software are Autodesk and Bentley. The 3D modelling software and
collision detection software differ in the data format and file compati­
bility. Moreover, few experts are available, implying that most collisions
fail to be corrected at the design stage and are thus corrected at the
construction site. Several solutions are presented as practices devoted to
clash avoidance, including providing a cooperative work environment
for designers (Plume and Mitchell, 2007), adopting BIM software with
intense data interaction, and improving the collision algorithm (Gijezen
et al., 2009). Although BIM collision detection software developers have
made significant efforts in the development of collision algorithms,
there are a large number of invalid collisions. These algorithms can be
divided based on three aspects: object space relationship recognition,
formulation of collision filtering rules, and automatic optimisation of
collision nodes. First, space relationship recognition explores the degree
of proximity between subjects and whether virtual collisions occur.
Methods of approximating polyhedral objects can be traced to studies
such by Hubbard (Farnsworth et al., 2015) and Dingliana (O’Sullivan
and Dingliana, 1999). More recently, clash detection algorithms have
been divided based on shape comparison, aligned bounding box com­
parison, ray triangle intersection identification, and algorithms based on
industry foundation classes. Another popular method aimed at formu­
lating rules to quickly filter irrelevant collisions, while studies have
shown that rule-based algorithms rely on a large amount of fragmented
information and need to be improved by multidisciplinary experts to
ensure the maximisation of the filtering effect (Jiang et al., 2019).
Therefore, algorithms, such as machine-learning algorithms, are used to
determine the intrinsic association between a large number of collision
datasets. The advantage is that machine learning does not require too
many subjective rules and can complete optimisation calculations using
historical training datasets. Although it performs well in terms of
recognition accuracy and pattern recognition, researchers typically
believe that this method has high requirements for historical training
sets and cannot be directly applied to the first detection of new con­
struction projects. The third method is to achieve automated optimisa­
tion of moving components using a clash-resolution strategy. This
method is mainly applied to reinforcing steel bars because rebar design
problems can be considered a path-planning issue, wherein each rebar
can be regarded as an intelligence reinforcement learning agent. Liu
et al. (2020) employed a Q-learning algorithm as the learning engine of
reinforcement. By considering actual constructible constraints and
design codes, a framework of rebar path optimisation was developed to
realise automatic and intelligent arrangement, avoiding obstacle rebars
encountered in complex frame structures. Mangal et al. (Mangal and
Cheng, 2018) presented a three-stage hybrid generic algorithm for steel
reinforcement in RC frames. However, the above algorithms for rebars
are not very effective and cannot be applied directly to pipelines because
a pipeline cannot be considered a simple line such as a rebar.
This paper proposes consistency between collision cause, collision
type definition, filtering method, and collision coordination scheme.
Although some studies have achieved effective results in collision-type
definitions and filtering methods, the scalability of their applications
is insufficient. The application of a filtering algorithm is very difficult for
models with complex pipeline engineering rules. On the one hand,
because collisions can be attributed to clearance requirements, many
special parts of the pipeline engineering design will increase the number
of collisions; however, such collisions are allowed. Such collisions can be
identified by formulating special rules and partly depend on the pro­
fessional knowledge system. However, it is difficult for the filtering al­
gorithm developed by programmers to identify such problems. In the
actual collision coordination work, the collision rules have priority
levels at both time and space levels. This study aimed to develop a rule
base as completely as possible and apply rules in a reasonable order to
improve the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of collision results.
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Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900
2. Methodology
The collision classification principle based on spatial location and
element type is the basis of collision-coordination optimisation (Mehr­
bod et al., 2019). Before the collision principle is formulated, it is
necessary to investigate the pipeline construction specifications and
practice of the construction unit. Specifically, the methodology frame­
work is relevant to the Bentley navigator software. Clash detection is an
analytical tool that automates the clash-detection process. Bentley clash
resolution allows the identification of sets of business or graphical ele­
ments and the detection of geometrical clashes between these object
element sets. Users can then interactively and graphically review these
clashes, annotate or markup particular clashes, and assign them for a
follow-up. Clash results can be grouped, marked, and exported to a GPS
system or Excel spreadsheet. Suppression rules can be applied to identify
clashes that should not be reported. Although the software provides a
custom rule library, the rules that users actually need are related to the
construction requirements. In this study, a custom rule library is
developed to sort the importance of the rules according to the collision
reduction rate after the implementation of each rule, and a coordinated
optimisation framework for multidisciplinary underground pipeline
clash is developed.
The proposed methodological framework and data flow involving
various interest-related parties is shown in Fig. 1. Collaboration of
professionals from multiple fields is essential for this process. The owner
and management units should first present project construction re­
quirements and accurately convey them to the design and construction
units. After the preliminary implementation plan is formulated by the
design and construction units, the BIM technical institution will verify
the rationality of the scheme based on the two-dimensional scheme. In
this process, it is crucial to ensure the smooth transfer of all data types.
The complete design data workflow is jointly supervised by multiple
units and finally delivered to the data analysis department for processing
and filing.
2.1. Collision type
2.1.1. First classification principle: spatial location
The spatial location between pipelines was used to analyse the re­
lationships in which the clash occurs. Based on the spatial location, there
are two major collision types: hard collision (HC) and soft collision (SC).
The definition of HC is based on the absolute intersecting relationship
between two objects. There are two types of HCs according to the
collision surface properties. The first type is an absolute hard collision
(AHC), wherein the collision intersection area is greater than or equal to
the cross-sectional area of a component. When collision intersecting the
2D projection angle is 90◦ , a two-object orthographic collision occurs.
When the collision intersecting 2D projection angle is less than 90◦ , the
two objects are oblique (projection angle range: 0◦ –90◦ ). When the
intersecting area is zero, there is an implied relationship between the
two objects with inconsistent diameters. However, this cannot be
detected directly by the software but can be observed directly from
relative positional relationships or defined by special rules. Another HC
type is a conservative hard collision (CHC), where the collision inter­
section area is less than the cross-sectional area of any one component.
The definition of SC refers to the situation, wherein there is no absolute
intersecting relationship between two objects, but the distance between
the two entities is allowed within the specified range. For an actual
pipeline collision, the rules under the above two principles generally
exist simultaneously. The spatial relationship between the collision
components corresponding to the first classification principle is shown
in Fig. 2.
2.1.2. Second classification principle: element hierarchy
Element hierarchy is an important basis for defining collision-
checking rules. Collisions are divided into three types based on the
S. Luo et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900

Fig. 1. Proposed methodological framework and data flow involving various interest-related parties.

Fig. 2. Spatial location principle-based clash types.

element hierarchy: self-check collisions (SCCs), mutual inspection col­
lisions (MICs), and special inspection collisions (SICs). An SCC refers to a
collision of components within the same level, mainly occurring at the
intersection of broken pipeline connections, and the connection between
the pipeline and well. The MIC occurs between models with different
levels and attributes. A SIC is a collision type that checks specific
properties according to user-defined rules. The element hierarchy
relationship between the collision components corresponding to the
second classification principle is shown in Fig. 3.
For an actual pipeline collision, the rules under the above two
principles generally exist simultaneously. For actual collisions, the col­
lisions corresponding to the above two principles are often not in con­
flict, that is to say, a collision can be classified as any type of collision
under the two principles according to needs. Essentially, this feature of

Fig. 3. Element hierarchy principle-based clash types.

4
S. Luo et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900

underground pipeline collision represents the interpretation of
geographical design and software definitions, which is of great signifi­
cance to geographic designers and BIM technicians respectively. As can
be seen from the four scenarios shown in Fig. 4, collisions can be
distinguished from both the perspectives of spatial properties and ele­
ments. Consider the following example scenarios for real projects:
Scenario1: CHCs and MICs between the pipe segments. As shown in
Fig. 4 (a), the collision detected by the Navigator software is for two
different levels of pipe segments, with a collision intersection area
smaller than any one component.
Scenario2: AHCs and SCCs between the pipe segment and pipe well.
For pipes and wells contained within the same level, Navigator can
detect hard collisions at the connections, as indicated in Fig. 4 (b).
Scenario3: SCs and SICs between the pipe segments. An SC is always
classified as a SIC based on its definition, and Navigator can detect pipe
segments within a certain gap, as shown in Fig. 4(c).
Scenario4: SCs and SICs between the pipe segment and pipe well.
Fig. 4 (d) shows a collision detected between a pipe segment and a pipe
well that does not reach safe clearance.
2.1.3. Classification foundation
The two collision classification principles defined earlier correspond
to the following two types of collision rules. In municipal pipeline
design, an HC does not occur in the construction, and 3D coordination
via software self-examination can solve most of the problems. However,
an SC is a problem that needs to be considered and solved in advance for
construction. If it is not solved in time, it will cause inconvenience in the
installation and construction of new pipelines. However, if the re­
quirements of safe clearance are not satisfied for existing pipelines,
pipeline maintenance will be inconvenient. CHC is an extreme case of an
HC, which may occur in the case of design errors (i.e. repeated com­
ponents due to error replication), and when two pipelines with different
diameters do not intersect, one will contain another completely.
Although design errors do not affect the actual construction, they may
lead to repeated calculations of project quantities and statistical costs,
resulting in increased computational costs.
2.2. Cause analysis of collision
2.2.1. Local validity of comprehensive pipeline cross section
The cross section of a comprehensive pipeline can only reflect the
pipeline order within a certain distance. If the 3D space of the pipeline
changes in complexity, its validity will be reduced. The comprehensive
pipeline cross section is static, and the layout of the pipeline between the
front and rear sections depends on logical deductions. When the cross-
sectional space and number of pipelines change, the uncertainty in
logical deduction increases, resulting in the choice of the tube profile not
being the only solution. Faced with a variety of solutions, it is clear that
the construction unit must choose the easiest to achieve, which is also a
reasonable coordination method for the entire system. For a long time,
the choice of drawings or construction convenience as the primary
principle has been the focus of debate, which shows the shortcomings of

Fig. 4. Filtering effects of three rules

a. Scenario1: CHC and MIC between pipe segments
b. Scenario2: AHC and SCC between pipe segment and pipe well
c. Scenario3: SC and SIC between pipe segments
d. Scenario4: SC and SIC between pipe segment and pipe well.

5
S. Luo et al.
traditional 2D design methods. What is seen and obtained in the 3D
model is intuitive and clear, making designers think that the rationality
of drawing is the key point. However, in practice, the number of sections
is small, the pipeline at the section is simple, and other hard wounds do
exist. Therefore, whether in 2D or 3D design, designers should insist on
locating comprehensive pipeline cross sections in the most complex
parts of the pipeline, the narrowest space, and where space changes, so
that the number of collision points will be reduced significantly; even if
there is a collision, there is still space for adjustment.
2.2.2. Loss in data conversion
In the 2D design, some details, such as the cross-up of air and water
pipes and the avoidance of spray branches and other pipelines, are
intentionally or unintentionally ignored by designers. The aforemen­
tioned problems are left to the construction unit, according to the situ­
ation, to flexibly adjust the height and position. In fact, these problems
often need to be addressed on the ground because they are not consid­
ered in advance.
In mechanical and electrical drawings, exaggeration and indicative
symbols are often used to express the design intent, without the actual
size, resulting in installation difficulties. For example, for pipes in a
refrigeration station, the size of the elbow leads to a small elevation
difference that cannot be achieved. The fixed bracket is represented as a
thin line in the drawing, which is a fixed bracket or steel beam. There­
fore, the difference between 2D drawing and 3D modelling is not only
the use of tools but also the change in thinking mode and design habits.
On the one hand, the intuitive characteristics of the 3D model reduce the
requirements for designers’ spatial perception ability. On the other
hand, owing to the need to consider the difficulty of construction in the
design, the requirements of designers for complex space processing
ability are also improved. 3D modelling is different from 2D drawing,
and information of all the components needs to be fully expressed. The
2D drawing focuses on drawing the main equipment pipeline, with some
details ignored. In 3D modelling, the detailed decision of the integrated
space poses a great challenge to design capabilities.
2.2.3. Lack of collaborative communication
At the beginning of the project, designers from different majors plan
to determine the level and location of the pipeline. With the continuous
development of the project, the design conditions are constantly clear,
and new pipelines are added. However, the adjustments made by de­
signers are not reflected in the pipelines in time; thus, the design model
cannot completely correspond to the actual pipeline, the number of
collisions increases significantly, and the construction space is not
sufficient.
2.3. Discussion on construction of collision adjustment strategy
According to the actual construction requirements, it is necessary to
clarify the possible problems before formulating the collision rules. First,
how is the principle of pipeline segmentation formulated? For the 3D
BIM model, the same type of pipeline belongs to the same layer and is
continuous in length. The actual segmentation of construction can guide
the design of a 3D pipeline model, which helps improve the efficiency of
collision adjustment. In addition, it is necessary to understand whether
site construction has different solutions and adjustment principles ac­
cording to different collision types. Subsequently, when encountering
the collision problem in the drawings, the priority is to adjust different
pipelines. Finally, it is necessary to perform special inspections for
specific parts after the construction is completed.
In this study, some large tunnel construction units were investigated,
and the research report provided explanations for the above problems.
The division of one type of pipe by priority is usually determined first,
and the rest of the pipe segments are adjusted as appropriate. Typically,
pressure pipes, such as water supply pipes and gas pipes, avoid gravity-
flow pipes such as sewage and storm sewers. All stages of pipeline
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Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900
construction should be reported for project supervision, including
trench excavation, pipelines and pipe well embedment, and earthwork
backfilling. The design requirements are compared with the results of
the survey in Table 1.
This table indicates that the pipeline construction unit has not
formulated a very clear pipeline coordination principle. In most cases,
the collision is appropriately adjusted according to the actual con­
struction demand and pipeline specifications. Urban tunnel construction
cannot completely avoid the problem of multi-professional pipeline
conflicts.
According to the Chinese design codes for comprehensive planning
of urban engineering pipelines (Chinese Standard, 2016), they should
consider the needs of future development. Urban planning should make
rational overall planning of land use, so that regional engineering
pipelines can be coordinated, and urban traffic, urban landscape,
comprehensive disaster prevention, and urban underground space uti­
lisation planning should be coordinated. Vertical pipelines should
reduce crossings at the intersections. When conflicts occur, they should
be handled according to the following provisions. The pressure pipeline
should avoid a gravity flow pipeline. Easy-to-bend lines should avoid
hard-to-bend lines. Branch lines should avoid trunk lines.
Small-diameter lines should avoid large-diameter lines. Temporary
pipelines should avoid permanent pipelines.
The pipelines considered in this study were those of electric power,
communication, water supply, gas, storm sewer, and sewage. The min­
imum vertical clearance when several pipelines collide according to the
specifications and actual construction requirements is shown in Table 2.
The serial numbers in Table 2 descend according to importance. Pipe­
lines are laid down from the ground surface in descending order from
low to high importance. When pipelines with low importance intersect
those with high importance, the low-importance ones are relocated.
2.4. Collision rules
In this study, two categories of rules were formulated according to
two collision types: elementary rules and geometric rules. Bentley
Navigator is a collision-detection software adopted in this study, which
provides custom rules for users by defining element hierarchies and
properties. The filter object of the elementary rule is mainly the inevi­
table SCC at the pipeline–node junction. A design error, which needs to
be eliminated and filtered through rules, does not typically cause an
SCC. From the perspective of the first classification principle, an SCC is
also an HC.
The filter object of the geometric class rule is a collision that does not
meet the vertical clearance. Different pipelines can be distinguished by
colour, elevation, starting point, and other conditions. From the point of
view of the first classification principle, the vertical clearance collision is
an SC. From the second classification principle, it is an SIC, which re­
quires specific clearance-oriented rules. Several rules included for the
above two categories are shown in Table 3.
2.5. Clash detection
Clash detection is an analytical tool that automates the clash-
Table 1
Comparison of design requirements with the investigation result.
Design requirement Investigation result Match or
Not
What is the accordance to formulate Adjustment will be made
✓
principles of pipeline segmentation? according the priority.
Whether there are solutions and There is no proven ×
adjustment principles according to solution to this problem.
different collision types.
What is the priority of adjusting different Pressure pipes avoid ✓
pipelines gravity-flow pipes.
S. Luo et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900

Table 2 The maximum value is 10 cm. A value less than the symbol indicates that
Minimum vertical clearance in pipeline layout (m). there is a non-zero value, which is smaller than the display preference. If
Items Pipeline type WS SG/SS GS CT ET the clash suppression mode is on, elements that are within the tolerance
are ignored; e.g., when a pipe flange is bolted to an equipment nozzle or
1 WS 0.15 – – – –
2 SW/SS 0.40 0.15 – – – a wall is connected to the floor. The clash discovery limit is used to set
3 GS 0.15 0.15 0.15 – – the maximum number of clashes that are reported, where the default is
4 CT 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.25 – 10000. Clustering tolerance is used to merge clashes when multiple
5 ET 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 areas of the point clouds clash with a single element. For example, if the
WS: water supply; SG: sewage; SS: storm sewer; GS: gas; CT: communication; ET: clustering tolerance is set at 100 mm and a slab clashes with different
electrical. parts of the point cloud, the software will attempt to split the clash into
multiple parts that are at least 100 mm apart. Moreover, designers can
set maximum points to highlight, which means the maximum number of
Table 3 point clashes that are reported, with the default value of 200000. The
Several rules included for Elementary and Geometric rules. complete collision detection process using the BIM software Navigator is
Item Description shown in Fig. 5.
ER
1 Prohibit conflicts within the same file. 2.6. Contribution rate
2 Prohibit conflicts in two specific layers.
3 Prohibit conflicts in two specific files.
4 Prohibit conflicts in a specific layer. Based on the contribution rate, collision rules are divided into sup­
5 Prohibit conflicts in a specific file. pression and decision-making rules. Suppression rules are necessity
6 Prohibit conflicts in the same layer. rules with the highest contribution rate. Decision-making rules are non-
7 Prohibit conflicts between elements with specific property.
essential rules that mainly depend on specific design needs such as the
8 Prohibit conflicts between elements with same property.
GR provision of safe clearance and key inspection of special parts. Owing to
1 Prohibit conflicts between elements of the same type and with points on the the overall planning of the pipeline, the collision rules can be sorted
same line, if within the tolerance of 3 mm. according to the contribution rates. The rule contribution rate is sig­
2 Prohibit conflicts between elements related to public ones. nificant for detecting all collisions and filtering out invalid collisions,
3 Prohibit conflicts between elements with points on the same line, if within the
tolerance of 3 mm.
mainly referring to an SCC. The purpose of establishing the clearance
4 Prohibit conflicts between elements with special clearance rule is to obtain all potential collision situations based on the initial HC
5 Prohibit conflicts between elements with specific property values of the BIM model. The purpose of setting specific value attribute rules is
6 Prohibit conflicts between elements with specific parts to filter out collisions due to a specific pipeline design, which may lead
ER = elementary rules, GR = geometric rules. to an SC. The contribution rate of rules (Cr) is evaluated according to the
conflict reduction rate before and after the application strategy to pro­
detection process. Bentley Clash Resolution allows the identification of vide a reference for the priority of the rule in adjustment.
sets of business or graphical elements and the detection of geometrical Therefore, the contribution rate of rules Cr depends on Nb and Na, as
clashes between these object element sets. Designers can then interac­ shown in Equation (1).
tively and graphically review these clashes, annotate or markup Cr = (Nb–Na)/Nb (1)
particular clashes, and assign them for a follow-up. Clash results can be
grouped, marked, and exported to a GPS system or Excel spreadsheet. where Nb is the number of original clashes before applying rules, and Na
Suppression rules can be applied to identify clashes that should not be is the number of clashes after applying the relevant rules.
reported. The settings associated with the clash runs were managed and In practice, when the rules are applied for optimisation, it is neces­
tracked as clash jobs. A job is a container of criteria, rules, and results, sary to introduce the cumulative contribution rate (Crc) to evaluate the
which are set up and saved in the active file for reuse. collision optimisation efficiency. Similar to Cr, Crc represents the total
During clash detection, the graphic elements of one object are contribution of rules applied by virtue of the superposition principle, as
compared with the graphic elements of other objects in the same model given by Equation (2).
and in other models. The geometry hidden in view is not included in the ∑
Crc = (Nb–Na)/Nb (2)
clash detection. The results are evaluated to determine whether the
∑
surfaces or edges of an object intersect with those of another object. If where Na is the result of Na summation in descending order of
interfering objects were detected, they were recorded for review. The contribution rate.
results of the clashes are presented as either hard clashes or clearances.
These calculations are also compared to the tolerances specified by de­
2.7. Coordinated optimisation framework
signers in the object set. The clearance allows designers to expand the
space around an element, so that the extra area can be calculated when
The coordinated optimisation framework based on BIM clash
executing a clash detection. For example, if designers want to detect
detection consists of four modules (Fig. 6): (1) collision type definition
clashes between pipes and metal, they can add a clearance value to the
and analysis, (2) collision rule definition, (3) BIM clash detection, (4)
pipes to allow for insulation around the pipes. Tolerance is the range of
rule contribution and evaluation, (5) irrelevant clash filtration, and (6)
variation permitted to maintain a specified standard during design. The
collision coordination, which are detailed next.
default value was set at 1 mm, and the maximum value was 10 cm. If the
units of the active model are not set to mm, this value will be different.
(1) Collision-type definitions and analyses. The collision behaviour
Designers can use advanced settings dialogue to set the touching
of the BIM pipeline models between different majors was ana­
tolerance, suppress clashes between elements that are touching, clash
lysed. Collision behaviour analysis includes all types of detected
discovery limit, clustering tolerance, and maximum points to highlight.
collisions, number of collisions, the spatial distribution of colli­
The allowable distance was used to eliminate interference between
sion points in hot spots, and correlation degree of collision areas.
components that only touch was set. The default tolerance was 1 mm,
Compared with the traditional method, this method has clear
which was converted into the working units of the active model. If the
technical advantages in the intuitiveness of model expression,
units of the active model are not set to mm, this value will be different.
data precision, and globality.

7
S. Luo et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900

Fig. 5. Complete process of collision detection.

Fig. 6. Proposed optimisation framework for multidisciplinary underground pipeline clash.

8
S. Luo et al.
(2) Collision rule definition According to the pipeline design codes
and requirements, designers must formulate all possible rules in
advance. The above-mentioned necessity rules need to be
considered; decision-making rules depend on the design charac­
teristics of the model, terrain parameters, and climate charac­
teristics. A complete rule base composed of necessity and
decision-making rules was used to form a complete set of colli­
sions. Based on this collision set, the theory and method in (1) can
be used for judgment and analysis.
(3) BIM clash detection. The steps of BIM pipeline clash detection are
as follows: setting up a clash detection job, selecting clash items,
choosing clash rules, setting up suppression rules, running the
clash detection job, and reviewing the clash detection results.
Creating a clash detection job including naming the task and
selecting the clash criteria and suppression rules. Clash detection
jobs can be created in a shared library file, which makes all jobs
available to all users of the workspace. Clash criteria determi­
nation contains controls to select the criteria to be included in the
clash detection job. The elements in set A are checked against the
elements in set B. The elements in set A are displayed in red, and
the elements in set B are displayed in blue. Designers can either
drag the reference into the set list box or right-click the level,
reference, item set, or named group. The pane levels display the
names of all levels in the active file; references with duplicate
levels are displayed only once. If only one set needs to be tested,
the self-check supports the selected set of objects against itself.
(4) Rule contribution and evaluation According to the various rules
formulated in (2), the collision detection steps described in (3)
are used to execute the collision detection in the application of
single rules to obtain the rule contribution rate. The rule contri­
bution rate differs between filtering and decision-making rules.
When only filtering rules exist, the contribution rate of the rules
reflects the filtered distribution of invalid collision types. The
application order of the filtering rules does not affect the filtering
results. When decision-making rules are added, the contribution
rate of the rules reflects the subdivision degree of the effective
collision. The decision-making rule aims to further analyse the
initial effective collision results. The larger the rule contribution
rate, the higher is the collision effectiveness.
(5) Irrelevant clash filtration. Collision filtering is based on the
contribution rate of the rules in (4). The rules in the base are
applied one by one according to the contribution rate from high
to low, forming the collision cumulative optimisation process.
(6) Collision coordination. The collision results obtained in (5) are
completely effective; thus, designers can formulate modification
schemes according to the type of collision to realise coordination.
Designers need to formulate feasible collision avoidance mea­
sures in advance and act according to the final effective collision
result. Possible circumvention measures include the overall offset
of the local pipe segment, the addition of the elbow bulge
segment, and changing the collision point near the pipe segment
into a hose. To ensure the feasibility of coordination measures, it
is necessary to hold expert review meetings, designer technical
exchanges, construction site research, etc. To ensure the feasi­
bility of coordination measures, it is necessary to convene expert
review meetings, designers’ technical exchange meetings, con­
struction site research, etc.
3. Case study
3.1. Project introduction
The test pipeline relocation project in this study comes from urban
road construction needs, including electrical, street lamps, communi­
cation, water supply, gas, drainage (including storm sewer, sewage), etc.
The total length of the integrated planning pipeline is approximately 5.8
9
Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900
km. The project started in January 2018 and was completed in January
2021. BIM software was adopted in this project for pipeline clash
detection. The collision rules and contribution rate proposed in this
study were applied in this project and formed a set of optimisation
frameworks including design coordination.
3.2. Potential application based on coordinated optimisation framework
Two potential applications were developed to realise the coordina­
tion and optimisation of clashes detected by the BIM software. This
study mainly analysed the rule contribution rate of filtering irrelevant
clashes by testing multidisciplinary underground pipelines such as
electrical, communication, water supply, storm sewer, and sewage.
Seven pipeline collision scenarios were formulated according to the
priorities presented in Table 2.
Three basic rules were used to evaluate the number of unrelated
conflicts that were reduced after each rule was applied. To calculate the
contribution rate, a comparison of the situations in which the rules are
not applied is formed for each scheme. Understanding the coordination
for collisions helps project participants to seek drawing problems and
solve design contradictions. Further coordination of pipeline conflicts
requires design participants to become familiar with the surrounding
environment and produce personalised solutions as decision-making
rules to assess the conflict reduction rate. Typical personalised design
practices include increasing elbow nodes, increasing well diameters, and
considering the special spacing for the impact of surrounding buildings.
3.2.1. Clash detection and filtration
Two categories were mentioned in the collision rule part logically:
elementary rules and geometric rules. In the pipeline system, high-
priority pipes are placed first, and the remaining pipes are placed in
descending order of priority. Excluding duplicate combinations, the five
pipelines involved in this study can be divided into two groups, forming
seven collision scenarios. Based on the design characteristics of an en­
gineering pipeline, this paper summarises three rules applicable to filter
independent conflicts, namely prohibiting conflicts in the same layer, in
two specific layers, and in a specific layer, corresponding to R1, R2, and
R3 in Table 4 below. R1 is mainly used to filter out conflicts between
duplicate models and insufficient gaps in the same layer, whereas R2 is
used to filter the pipeline and well conflicts within the same specialty. In
addition, R3 is created for different professional pipeline and pipe well
conflicts.
As shown in Table 4, R3 shows the greatest contribution rate in most
scenarios, except for the case between water supply and electrical
pipelines. The table roughly reflects the ordering of contribution rates
for the three rules, with R2 and R3 contributing much higher than R1,
except in one particular case. The result precisely indicates that the
number of conflicts caused by connections between pipelines and wells
is enormous. The filtering effect of the three rules is more clearly and
intuitively reflected in Fig. 7.
The above data analysis indicates that R3 is greater than R2 and R2
greater than R1. Therefore, this ranking can be used to further obtain the
cumulative optimisation of pipeline collisions under the seven scenarios,
as shown in Table 5.
Table 5 indicates that for some scenarios where three rules have been
applied, all the invalid collisions have been resolved, but in some sce­
narios, less than 5% of conflicts remain. Therefore, it can be concluded
that more than 95% of the conflicts detected directly using BIM collision
software are invalid conflicts, which will not have a fundamental impact
on construction. It should be noted that the remaining collisions are not
necessarily effective collisions, and project participants still need to
develop decision-making rules to further decompose the reported pre­
liminary collision results.
In this study, the water supply between a storm sewer pipeline
collision was selected as an example, and the contribution rate of the
above three rules was studied, as shown in Table 6.
S. Luo et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900

Table 4
Statistics of contribution rate of three clash filtering rules.
Scenario Number of Collision Contribution Rate/% Maximum Rate

No Rule R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3

WS-SS 1823 1731 491 216 5.05 73.07 88.15 R3

WS-SG 1002 504 97 77 49.70 90.32 92.32 R3
WS-CT 1730 1161 467 443 32.89 73.01 74.39 R3
WS-ET 3249 950 2259 2351 70.76 30.47 27.64 R2
SS-SG 933 925 28 11 0.86 97.00 98.82 R3
SS-CT 733 668 65 62 8.87 91.13 91.54 R3
SS-ET 1720 1331 438 431 22.62 74.53 74.94 R3

Fig. 7. Filtering effect of three rules

a. Number of clashes in 7 scenarios
b. Contribution rate of rules in 7 scenarios.

The contribution rate of the three rules is clearly reflected in Table 6,

Table 5
with R4 contributing the largest, with R5 and R6 contributing the
Cumulative filtering process under the application of the three rules.
lowest. Combined with the sorted result of the contribution rate of the
Scenario Number of Collision Cumulative Contribution Rate/% three filter rules obtained in the upper part, the cumulative optimisation
No Rule R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 of pipeline collision can be obtained. The following scenarios of WS and
WS-SS 1823 216 211 136 88.15 88.43 92.54 SS are used as examples of the optimisation process described in Table 7.
WS-SG 1002 77 69 3 92.32 93.11 99.70 Table 7 indicates that after the cumulative optimisation process, the
WS-CT 1730 443 420 37 74.39 75.72 97.86 conflict detected directly by the BIM software can be filtered out to
WS-ET 3249 2351 2333 40 27.64 28.19 98.77 approximately 95%. The coordination and optimisation framework
SS-SG 933 11 9 0 98.82 99.04 100.00
SS-CT 733 62 60 0 91.54 91.81 100.00
proposed herein provides a fast self-examination and a global survey
SS-ET 1720 431 426 52 74.94 75.23 96.98 method for design participants, which considerably saves time and la­
bour costs.
To better reflect the effects of collision analysis rules for classifica­
Table 6
tion and filtering, Fig. 8 shows a comparison of the spatial distribution of
Rule contribution rate of three decision-making rules for WS-SS pipeline. collision points. Fig. 8 (a) shows the spatial distribution of the collision
points when no rules are set. Fig. 8 (b) corresponds to the point spatial
Item Rule Description Na Nb Contribution Maximum
Number Rate/% or Not

1 R4 Prohibit 1823 1729 5.16 ✓ Table 7

specific
Cumulative filtration and optimisation process for WS-SS pipeline.
property
values. Rule Rule Nb Na Nb–Na Σ(Nb–Na) Cr/% Crc/
2 R5 Prohibit 1823 1801 1.21 × Number Type %
specific
R3 FR 1823 216 1607 1607 88.15 88.15
spacing.
R2 FR 216 211 5 1612 2.31 88.43
3 R6 Prohibit 1823 1814 0.49 ×
R1 FR 211 136 75 1687 35.55 92.54
having
R4 DR 136 117 19 1706 13.97 93.58
specific
R5 DR 117 104 13 1719 11.11 94.30
parts.
R6 DR 104 99 5 1724 4.81 94.57

FR = filtering rules, DR = decision-making rules.

10
S. Luo et al.
Fig. 8. Comparison of the spatial distribution of collision points in 4 cases
a. Collision points when no rules are set
b. Collision points after setting the safety clearance rule
c. Collision points after applying the three filtering rules: R3, R2, and R1
d. Collision points after applying the three decision-making rules: R4, R5, and R6.
distribution after setting the safety clearance rule, which is designed
based on the pipeline code. Comparing the two graphs, it is clear that the
number of SCs after the gap collision rule increased significantly. In
addition, the plane projection images of SC and HC have high coinci­
dence, but the point distribution of SC is more concentrated and
compact than the HC in all three directions. Fig. 8 (c) presents the results
after applying the three filtering rules, R3, R2, and R1, clearly reflecting
the decrease in collision points. With the application of filtering rules,
the numbers of HCs and SCs decreased significantly, and most of the
isolated scatter points with more prominent elevations were eliminated.
Fig. 8 (d) presents the results of further observations after the applica­
tion of R4, R5, and R6. The distribution of collision points was virtually
unchanged in three dimensions, but the numbers of HCs and SCs
decreased.
3.2.2. Manufacturing coordination for collision nodes
The rules that filter invalid collisions are general rules, and the
11
Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900
objects that they face are universal. The collision analysis mentioned
earlier mainly considers the surrounding environment of the project,
regional climate, and pipeline design methods. The decision-making
rules formulated in this study are mainly divided based on the
following aspects: the increase in storm sewer pipeline diameter in
pluvial regions, decrease in the clearance affected by the built subsur­
face structure, and decrease in the clearance including the design of the
elbow pipe. The above three aspects correspond to R4, R5, and R6 in
Table 6 and belong to GR in terms of rule classification.
Conflicting principles were set from the points of view of prohibiting
specific property values, prohibiting specific spacing, and prohibiting
specific parts. In this study, the rules for filtering diameter increased
pipeline conflicts in R4 for storm sewer pipes. In the design of storm
sewer pipes, considering the division of the area of sink water, it is
possible to achieve a uniform increase in the area of water sinks in each
pipe section. Otherwise, the design flow of the downstream pipe
segment is smaller than that of the upstream pipe segment because the
S. Luo et al.
downstream water collection time is greater than the upstream water
collection time. Therefore, in this case, the storm sewer pipe designer
will take the upstream pipe section design flow as the downstream
design standard; i.e., the upstream pipe diameter will be larger than the
downstream pipe diameter. As for the special clearance design specified
in R5, the applicable situation is that the location of the underground
buildings under construction cannot be changed. The underground
pipelines discussed herein are for the periods of tunnel operation and
construction and may face conflict with the new enclosed structure and
the built underground structure. Finally, it should be explained that the
pipeline model presented herein has undergone many changes in the
design stage, and the modified model may be coordinated on the basis of
the preliminary model. Because of the slender trend of urban under­
ground pipelines, it is difficult to move the position of the entire pipe
segment because of a collision node when the collision is coordinated. In
this case, the designers usually provide treatment for the addition of
elbows or hoses. Fig. 9 shows the elbow design in two cases, which
reflect the avoidance measures under the vertical cross-collision be­
tween pipe segments and the collision between pipe segments and wells.
4. Discussion
The collision discussed in this paper consider the actual challenges
that are faced in the design of urban underground pipelines. Essentially,
collisions between structures can reflect the spatial relationships be­
tween components. However, for structural designers, the clearance
specifications and other intuitive conditions must be considered in the
analysis of collisions, in addition to various other conditions, such as
climate, traffic, and other impacts. The collision-coordination optimi­
sation framework investigated here reflects a mapping from 2D draw­
ings to 3D models, while it does not involve further discussion about
excessive pipeline conflicts with other buildings. In fact, in the current
construction of urban underground pipelines, contradictions with the
construction of underground structures often exist during the tunnel
construction period, even to the extent that large-scale migration must
be conducted. For example, the piping system shown in Fig. 10 reflects
the conflict between the underground pipeline and tunnel enclosing
structure. In addition to the collisions that exist between multi-
professional pipes, the isolated design of pipes and enclosed structures
can lead to more complex coordination issues. The enclosing structures
shown in the figure are the underground continuous wall (UCW) and soil
mixing wall (SMW).
As evident from the figure, the collisions between the underground
pipeline and the enclosed structure are isolated clashes, or there used to
be a clash hotspot containing multiple types of collisions. Municipal
underground pipes are different from those in housing buildings, and
Fig. 9. Collision avoidance measure (taking elbow as an example)
a. Vertical cross-collision of pipe segments
b. Collision between pipe segments and wells.
12
Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900
their slender forms determine the degree of difficulty of relocation.
Therefore, the conventional practice to address pipeline conflict during
tunnel construction is often a large-scale relocation of time-phased and
zoning segments. The aim is to ensure that the underground pipeline
does not conflict with the newly built tunnel enclosure and the major
structure and minimise the impact on the ground traffic during the
construction. However, this approach exerts significant constraints on
pipeline design and construction personnel and can lead to the con­
sumption of considerable manpower and material resources. In the
future, engineering designers and urban planners must formulate
methods to build a new underground structure on the basis of the un­
derground pipeline and to perform the overall planning of the under­
ground space in the new urban area.
5. Conclusions
In this study, a sustainability-based optimisation framework for
multidisciplinary underground pipeline clashes was developed using
BIM. The framework was established over an integrated life cycle from
the planning and design stages to the end of the demolition stage. As a
solution for multi-disciplinary collision coordination, the BIM under­
ground pipeline optimisation framework makes coordination planning
more orderly, efficient, and sustainable, thereby allowing timely
adjustment before project practice and avoiding additional economic
losses caused by repetitive work.
• The overall framework of pipeline collision optimisation based on
BIM spatial component recognition is proposed, including six levels:
initial collision detection and analysis, conflict detection rule defi­
nition, collision detection based on rule base, rule contribution rate
evaluation, rule-based collision filtering, collision optimisation re­
sults analysis. The theoretical system of BIM collision detection and
filtering for underground pipelines is formed.
• The definition of BIM collision rules and rule contribution rate is
proposed. A collision rule base composed of filtering rules and de­
cision rules is formed, and the contribution rate of each rule in seven
collision scenarios is studied. The ranking of three filtering rules is
R3 > R2 > R1 , and the ranking of three decision rules is
R4 > R5 > R6 .
• Through the established rule database, BIM collision detection and
filtering are realized. Combined with the sorting of rule contribution
rate, the BIM collision detection and filtering of underground pipe­
lines are carried out by using the rules in the rule base. Taking the
collision scene between the water supply pipeline and the rainwater
pipeline with the largest number of effective collisions as an
S. Luo et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900

Fig. 10. Conflicts between pipeline and the tunnel enclosing structure
a. Pipeline collisions only
b. Pipeline and enclosure collision exist simultaneously
c. Clash hotspot only
d. Clash hotspot and clashes exist simultaneously.

example, about 95% of the invalid collision filtering is realized, and
the final cumulative rule contribution rate is 94.47%.
• In addition to visualisation, BIM can help designers, project man­
agers, builders, and other interest-related parties to understand the
operation mechanism of the system (Wambeke et al., 2012). With the
rapid development of geographic information systems, virtual re­
ality, and Internet of Things technologies, the integration of BIM and
a variety of information technologies will inevitably broaden the
scope of urban planning, urban traffic analysis, and urban intelligent
development.
• It is expected that the application and promotion of BIM will facili­
tate sustainable urban development and promote the intelligent
transformation of transportation infrastructure, which will result in
greener, safer, more efficient, open, and inclusive transport
infrastructure.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Sang Luo: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – review &
editing, Experiments. Jinyue Yao: Data curation, Formal analysis,
Writing – review & editing. Siqi Wang: Research discussion, Writing –
review & editing. Yaozheng Wang: Supervision, Methodology, Writing
– review & editing. Guoyang Lu: Coordination, Experimental investi­
gation, Data curation, Writing – review & editing.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.

13
S. Luo et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 374 (2022) 133900

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