Environment, Development and Sustainability

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03015-4

Application of BIM in conjunction with circular economy

principles for sustainable construction

J. S. Sudarsan1 · Hindavi Gavali1

Received: 4 February 2022 / Accepted: 6 February 2023

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023

Abstract
With the rising population and urbanization in developing countries, the building sec-
tor must contribute to sustainable construction. To achieve this, it must consider suitable
design methodology, circular financial models, and holistic processes like information
modeling, as collaboration is the fundamental tool for producing better outcomes. In the
present study, different design alternatives, one conventional and the other with the pro-
posed materials and methods were analyzed computationally for their cost and environ-
mental impacts with the help of a residential building case. The results show that sustain-
able construction practices, such as low cost and less carbon-emitting materials reduced
the overall cost by 25% and carbon emissions by 20%. Moreover, vital practices are recom-
mended to meet the circular economy’s objectives in building construction.

* Hindavi Gavali
gavali.hr@gmail.com; hgavali@nicmar.ac.in
J. S. Sudarsan
sudarsanjss@yahoo.com; ssudrasan@nicmar.ac.in
1
School of Construction, NICMAR University, NIA Post Office, Balewadi, Pune, India

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 J. S. Sudarsan, H. Gavali

Graphical Abstract

Keywords Building information modeling (BIM) · Circular economy · Computational

analysis · Cost · Sustainable construction materials

1 Introduction

The need for housing and infrastructure growth in developing countries like India, China,
Brazil, and others has increased significantly due to urbanization and rising population.
The construction industry in India has had phenomenal growth over the past few decades,
contributing significantly to the country’s Gross domestic product (GDP) (Sabitha, 2020).
However, the country faces major issues such as severe housing scarcity, a lack of sus-
tainable infrastructure, and excessive resource consumption (Chatterjee & Chattopadhyay,
2020). Moreover, the construction development industry has two significant environmental

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Application of BIM in conjunction with circular economy…

effects: It consumes resources and produces pollutants and wastes. The construction indus-
try accounts for nearly 45–50% of total energy consumption, almost 50% of water con-
sumption, and 60% of total raw material consumption (Dutta & Sengupta, 2014; Stephan &
Stephan, 2020).
The construction industry’s current linear economy model is partly responsible for its
adverse environmental effect. The linear economic model follows the “take-make-dispose”
approach, where the materials and design used for the construction process are produced
and used until they can be discarded as waste (Adams et al., 2017). Unlike the linear econ-
omy, a circular economy model is built to be restorative and strives to eventually decou-
ple growth from the consumption of finite resources. A waste-efficient construction could
meet one of the objectives of adopting the circular economy model in construction (Ganiyu
et al., 2020). Nearly 60% of materials are consumed in construction, and 33% of waste is
generated in general (Duic et al., 2013).
The circular economy in development is about reducing the demand for non-renewable
virgin materials, reducing waste generation, and increasing the value of recycled products
used during all phases. Several assessment tools are available to evaluate circular economy
implementation in construction, out of which life cycle assessment, cost–benefit analysis,
and life cycle costing are widely used (Lovrencic et al., 2021). During the preconstruction
stage, recovery strategies to use secondary materials in the construction rather than land-
filling are always beneficial, and the adoption of design strategies for waste minimization
and salvaging of materials at the end of life (Ruiz et al., 2020). To avoid waste during the
design phase, reduce consumption during construction, maintain the quality and value of
materials during operation, and guaranteeing the reuse or recycling of building materials
and components at the end of their useful life are the key objectives of adopting the cir-
cular economy model in building lifecycle (Jones & Comfort, 2019). Various technologi-
cal advancements, design optimization, and integrated project delivery (IPD) could help to
achieve these objectives. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the emerging perception
based on the virtual design concept with IPD and design optimization as crucial aspects.
BIM represents a paradigm change from traditional linear work to a collaborative strategy.
BIM has been shown in several studies to offer considerable potential for improving waste
management efficiency, such as:

a) optimizing the material consumption required for the construction in the initiation phase
itself (Bertram et al., 2019)
b) reduction in design errors (Ajayi & Oyedele, 2018)
c) visualization and clash detection (Akinade et al., 2018)
d) by reducing the waste generation due to rework or change order as a result of improper
coordination among the stakeholders (Chen et al., 2021)
e) optimize construction waste generation through preliminary analysis (Jalaei et al., 2019)

Charef et al. (2021) studied the uses of BIM that could help practitioners adopt a circu-
lar economy approach to achieve sustainable construction by managing the data of building
life cycle and recovery materials. A study highlights BIM’s present capability in driving
efficient design-out-waste processes and laying the groundwork for creating BIM-based
waste management systems (Akinade et al., 2018). Xu et al. (2019) focused on quantify-
ing and reducing construction waste and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,
which hamper the environment. To assist the decision-makers in reducing waste and GHG
emissions, BIM and mathematical modeling were combined. Researchers recognized 35

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BIM applications that can promote circular economic implementation, which aim to gather,
generate, and analyze the information for communication and its uses with the existing
processes. Though several tools are available to quantify construction waste, it could be
effectively managed by expanding the knowledge on construction waste reduction through
suitable design decisions with BIM integration.
Manca et al. (2020) studied the Socrates Building in Viladecans. A BIM-based approach
was adopted for the life cycle assessment (LCA) and integration of circular economy in
the building sector. Using LCA can help people realize the importance of recognizing CE
potential in buildings. BIM can be efficiently used for designing a building by adopting
the CE method due to the accumulation of lifecycle information. In a recent study, Xue
et al. (2021) found that combining BIM with LCA could significantly evaluate the entire
building life cycle, including material quantification with many alternatives and selecting
sustainable materials in the initial phase and faster and more accurate quantification and
evaluation. Additionally, the study concludes that the circular economy approach in BIM-
based LCA is still limited and needs to focus on its implementation.
Development in technology dealing with construction materials, methods, and infor-
mation technology is the critical enabler for efficient construction that supports moni-
toring, control, and decision-making in building projects. Various waste generated from
industries, which are otherwise landfilled, such as sludge ash (Smol et al., 2015), fly ash
(Ghosh and Kumar, 2020), marble dust (Bayraktar et al., 2019a), and brick dust (Bayraktar
et al., 2019b) can be utilized in the development of construction materials such as concrete,
mortar, bricks, and other masonry products, where the recovery and reuse of such wastes
plays an essential role in the implementation of the circular economy concept. In construc-
tion, various building materials such as cement, steel, and emulsion paints contribute to a
considerable amount of carbon emissions, which can be reduced using alternate sustain-
able materials (Sudarsan et al., 2020). Not only in buildings but also pavements, research
was conducted to study the characteristics of innovative permeable plastic pavements that
use various percentages of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (Cetin, 2015), which makes
them sustainable. Integrating BIM with optimization techniques assists decision-makers
in identifying the optimum materials for creating a sustainable environment and economy
(Marzouk et al., 2018). Shadram et al. (2016) integrated a BIM-based framework for mini-
mizing the energy in the manufacturing phase of the building design. The author recom-
mended that future green BIM tools include the three R’s concepts of reducing, reuse, and
recycling in their sustainability analysis (Wong & Zhou, 2015). Additionally, technologies
like BIM, pre-engineered structures, and their integration benefit the construction indus-
try in several areas, including waste reduction, and lead to sustainable design strategies
(Liu et al., 2019). The application of BIM for pre-engineered buildings (PEB) provides the
potential for digital design and fabrication of structures that increase productivity and cost
efficiency (He et al., 2021).
The owner and designer can use BIM technology to ensure the output before the build-
ing is constructed (Moakher & Pimplikar, 2012). This has the potential to save money from
design changes and energy costs. Marzouk et al. (2016) proposed a framework integrating
BIM with computer simulation, optimization, and system dynamics to develop sustainable
buildings. Table 1 shows various BIM tools and their application in sustainable building
construction.
According to one of the surveys conducted by the researcher, many in the Indian con-
struction industry have investigated the full potential of BIM but have to actualize it (Ahuja
et al., 2020). The possible barriers to BIM implementation in developing countries are
technological (lack of standardization, complexity to use, and unclear potential of BIM),

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Application of BIM in conjunction with circular economy…

Table 1  BIM tools and applications

BIM tools Application area References

Revit Construction demolition waste estimation by Reverse Shi and Xu (2021)

Logistics (RL) network
TCQi GMA, 3D Life cycle analysis of a building Manca et al. (2020)
modeling tools
Graphisoft Archi- Recycling potential and environmental impacts of Honic et al. (2019)
CAD, Revit building materials
Revit API Salvage performance of structural components of Akanbi et al. (2018)
buildings
Revit and Robot Sustainable urban poor housing Gavali and Ralegaonkar (2018)
structural analy-
sis (RSA)
Autodesk Revit Cost optimization Eleftheriadis et al. (2018)
and RSA

organizational (high initial cost, unawareness about BIM’s capability, and lack of exper-
tise), and environmental (unwillingness of client, lack of government initiatives, and reluc-
tance to adopt change) factors. Though many tools can be used to support BIM, Revit is a
purpose-built tool for BIM. It delivers its utmost benefits because it is based on parametric
building modeling technology, which uses a relational database and a behavioral model to
dynamically capture and present building information (Yang et al., 2021). The parametric
BIM tool offers the project an integrated database of coordinated information. Different
sustainable design options can be easily examined and thoroughly documented within the
BIM model.
It is clear from the literature review that the circular economy strategy and technology
advances such as BIM are only seen in developed countries. In contrast, developing/ under-
developed countries merely adopt a theoretical research approach, with only a few practi-
cal implementations done so far. There is around 18% BIM and BIM-LCA adoption in
India, contrary to 71% in United Nations alone (Sawhney and Singhal, 2013; Kurian et al.,
2021). Complex construction projects are restricted from implementing BIM due to a lack
of national standards, a high initial cost due to ad hoc BIM usage, and a high training need.
Building Information Modeling can improve the Indian construction industry significantly
(Hire et al., 2021).
Though the circular economy has many benefits in other sectors, the construction sec-
tor needs a more specialized approach, particularly with increasing expectations for energy
efficiency and lower possible carbon emissions and waste generation reduction. In addi-
tion, according to recent studies, despite the potential for BIM to be utilized to reduce or
reuse resources and promote the CE of buildings, only a limited number of BIM solutions
have addressed resource efficiency over the whole building project lifecycle. Therefore, in
the present study, to address the research gap, an attempt is made and apply the circular
economy approach in building design and evaluate different materials options with the help
of the BIM tool for sustainable construction through a case of a residential building located
in India.

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 J. S. Sudarsan, H. Gavali

2 Methodology

In the study’s context, the principles of CE practices and the essential features of exist-
ing BIM tools and procedures are reviewed. Further, the case study method was used to
put the BIM process into practice to fill in the research gap. Consequently, a BIM-based
strategy for boosting CE in accordance with current building construction requirements is
recommended. This methodology is adapted from O’Grady et al. (2021) and consists of
four major phases (Fig. 1).
The proposed framework, an application of building information modeling (BIM) for
ecological construction, was illustrated using a case study of a residential building. The
considered residential building consists of ground plus three floors (G + 3) with a 741 m ­ 2
built-up area (Table 2). The building is a framed structure with reinforced cement concrete
(RCC) construction, wherein conventional burnt clay bricks were used as a walling mate-
rial. The floor-to-floor height of the building was 3 m with 150 mm M25 concrete slabs.
A building model was developed in the BIM-based tool with the above details, i.e.,
Autodesk Revit. Figure 2 represents different views (plan, elevation, and 3D) of the build-
ing model.
Revit uses all the information stored for a particular building component, which can
be further utilized for material take-off (quantity estimation). Additionally, design alterna-
tives were proposed for sustainable construction, such as using fly ash in the concrete, and
bricks, changing the material of doors, and sizes of windows (Table 3). The materials for
different components were analyzed using Revit and the traditional method. All the materi-
als consumption quantities of the building and costs associated with the same were calcu-
lated with the same tool. Along with it, ­CO2 emissions were also determined for different
design alternatives. Figure 3 depicts the stepwise procedure followed for the analysis.

3 Computational analysis results

From the computational analysis of the G + 3 residential building, quantities and cost of the
materials were obtained for both cases. Additionally, a detailed cost estimation was carried
out by manual method. It was observed that estimating quantities required for the construc-
tion of a building using the traditional way is a time-consuming process. The BIM-based
computational approach can extract the quantities accurately with less time and effort
(Khosakitchalert et al., 2018).
With the given inputs to the model, two cases were studied for their cost analysis and
environmental effects. The model of base case with conventional construction materials
such as reinforced cement concrete for building components like beams and columns,
cast-in situ concrete slab, red burnt clay bricks for the building envelope (walls), glass
doors, and conventional size windows (1.5 m × 1.3 m) was developed in Revit. Further,
materials of different components were altered with proposed materials, which are 20%
fly ash in concrete, conventional cast-in situ slab with precast concrete slab, and wall
material by fly ash bricks. In addition, a couple of glass doors were replaced by wooden
material, and existing windows with larger sizes. The paint used for the base case was
acrylic paint, which was proposed to be replaced with lime wash. From the analysis,
obtained quantities of materials were compared (Fig. 4), and it was observed that one
could get a 25% total cost reduction with a proposed solution.

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Application of BIM in conjunction with circular economy…

Fig. 1  Methodological framework

Table 2  Built-up area of the Floor Built-

respective floor up area
­(m2)

Ground Floor 193

First Floor 194
Second Floor 194
Third Floor 147
Terrace 13
Total 741

In addition to the cost reduction, other benefits could be observed due to the pro-
posed pozzolanic material in the concrete. It reduces the density of concrete so as the
dead weight of the structure. Moreover, adding fly ash to the concrete enhances durabil-
ity without affecting the structural properties of the building components. As each kg
of ordinary Portland cement consumes approximately 1.5 kWh of energy and releases
about 0.9–1 kg of C­ O2, the use of 20% fly ash reduces the carbon footprint (Hafez et al.,
2017). In the present study, the carbon emission of the proposed building design is less
by 20% due to concrete and 19% due to steel reduction compared to conventional mate-
rials. The saving in steel is due to the reduced dead weight of the structure, as pro-
posed fly ash bricks were lighter than conventional burnt clay bricks (by 5%). It was
also inferred that for the current case, a significant contributor to the cost was a slab,
followed by walls and other building components (Fig. 5). This is because it is a four-
story building, which includes many vertical (walls) and horizontal members (slabs).
Hence, it was proposed to change the primary materials, such as cement and bricks,
which could incur high costs and undesirable environmental effects.

4 Discussion

The building industry is one of the most environmentally destructive and a significant
consumer of natural resources. It is also one of the most resource intensive businesses.
Alone, the building industry consumes forty percent of all material resources, contributing

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 J. S. Sudarsan, H. Gavali

Fig. 2  Views (plan, elevation, and 3D) of residential building

to the problems associated with resource depletion. In addition to resource consumption

and waste generation, the construction industry contributes significantly to the challenges
related to greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, one can utilize waste materials from produc-
tion, construction, or demolition activities as supplementary construction materials to a
certain extent to complete the material cycle and achieve sustainability. Among various

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Application of BIM in conjunction with circular economy…

Table 3  Base case and design Component Base case Proposed solution
alternative
Beams and columns Reinforced cement Reinforced
concrete with Portland cement concrete
cement with 20% poz-
zolana
Slab Cast in situ slab Precast slab
Walling material Red burnt clay bricks Fly ash bricks
Paint Acrylic paint Limewash paint
Doors Glass Wooden
Windows Conventional size Increased size
Staircase Conventional concrete Cement concrete
with 20% poz-
zolana

Fig. 3  Detailed BIM modeling and analysis

materials available, fly ash is one of the most widely used industrial wastes generated from
thermal power plants. It is deposited near the power stations as dry ash or pond ash. Fly ash
can change the soil ecology, water, and air, causing severe pollution. Therefore, diverting
fly ash to be used in construction materials instead of disposing of it highly contributes to
the circular economy. The presence of essential nutrients and minerals in fly ash makes it a
valuable resource for various uses, such as a prime material in blocks, bricks, and cement
manufacturing. Thus, the reuse of fly ash can play an essential role in implementing the
circular economy concept as it revolves around the principle of reuse, recycling, and reduc-
ing. With the use of fly ash in concrete and bricks, overall cement usage is reduced; thus,
the amount of waste generated will be reduced. Additionally, it also reduces the energy
used in Portland cement manufacturing and reduces fuel and raw material needed and
emissions from the manufacturing. Replacement of cement with fly ash could lessen the
need for quarrying and thereby reduction in carbon emissions. Overall, using industrial
waste in basic construction materials and a sustainable design approach reduces costs and
other undesirable environmental effects.
The computational approach plays a vital role in evaluating and analyzing the cost
and resource savings. The 4R (refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle) principle can be uti-
lized in conjunction with value engineering using BIM as one of the approaches for

13
 J. S. Sudarsan, H. Gavali

9,00,000
Base case Proposed Solution
8,00,000
7,00,000
6,00,000
Cost (INR)

5,00,000
4,00,000
3,00,000
2,00,000
1,00,000
0
Beam Column Slab Wall Door Window Staircase
Building components

Fig. 4  Cost comparison of two cases

Base case Proposed solution

12% 13% 3%
12% 17%
5%
11% 5%
0% 7%

9%
18%
0%
34%
16% 38%

Beam Column Slab Wall Beam Column Slab Wall

Panel Door Window Staircase Panel Door Window Staircase

Fig. 5  Cost contribution of different components

decision-making. BIM allows for the incorporation of additional disciplines into the 3D
model, including but not limited to planning, scheduling, costing, asset management, and
sustainability. The ability of BIM to gather information about a building’s lifecycle is one
of the most important characteristics that make it appropriate for the circular economy
process.
The advancement of technology relevant to construction materials, procedures, and
information management is the critical enabler for efficient construction that facilitates
decision-making in construction projects. This work successfully demonstrated the adop-
tion of an ecological design approach and the integration of CE with a digital environment,
thereby filling a significant gap in the literature. The potential for BIM to aid the adoption
of a circular economy (CE) is a relatively new topic of study. The following are some of the
recommendations to achieve circular economy objectives in construction: Correct site and
waste management procedures and detailed material specifications can be recommended as
measures to be undertaken in waste minimization.

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Application of BIM in conjunction with circular economy…

• Private organizations that collect material waste for recycling and reuse are given
incentives, and this act should be promoted.
• The lack of material control on-site contributes to waste; based on this, it is recom-
mended that a dedicated person should be directly involved in the receiving of materi-
als and handling and storage of materials.
• A contractor should be directly involved in the project lifecycle from design until com-
pletion.
• Members of the professional team need to constantly go for BIM training to utilize
BIM to its full potential.
• The government should assist companies and encourage the adoption of BIM.

5 Conclusion

The study aimed to demonstrate the conventional and sustainable approaches to construc-
tion and their impact and significance in the expanding need for urbanization. The study
has aided in determining the difference between conventional and sustainable materials
using the computational approach. Using industrial waste like fly ash in concrete and wall
material saved 25% of the cost and significantly reduced carbon emissions. Additionally,
various suitable design approaches, such as window sizes, finishes, and materials of doors,
proved beneficial. The study concludes that sustainable practices such as the circular econ-
omy and information modeling can deliver eco-efficient projects. It can also be said that to
meet future demands and needs, this method is more suitable when compared with its envi-
ronmental and economic benefits. Moreover, decommissioned building materials should
be reused to serve as material repositories for new construction, effectively completing the
material cycle. This approach still requires tools and knowledge for high deployment, espe-
cially in the Construction Industry, where innovation takes longer to implement due to the
often unique design of projects and their extensive supply chains. Further research on this
connection will be done. Applying CE strategies to buildings is feasible and beneficial, and
digital technologies are extremely useful tools for all stakeholders.
Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge students of ACM 34 batch, and the support of
NICMAR University Pune, India, for kindly extending desired facilities to carry out the work.

Data availability Data will be made available on reasonable request.

Declarations
Conflict of 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.

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