BIM4Ren

Project Summary

BIM4REN was a Horizon 2020 funded project involving 23 partners across 10 countries. In a 4-year long series of developments, the project explored the exploitation of BIM potential in the energy renovation of existing buildings for the whole construction value chain.

The construction sector, and especially SME contractors, all around Europe can be key actors of both the green and digital revolution. With adequate BIM based digital tools, they can more efficiently address the most important challenge of the climate change fight: the refurbishment of existing buildings.

Based on easy access, quick and straightforward operation, affordability and fast ROI with adapted business models, BIM4REN delivered an independent and collaborative service platform for all stakeholders to efficiently communicate, optimize management tasks and perform quality checks, throughout any of the supply or preparation, execution, commissioning and operational phases.

The project defined digital ready renovation workflows adapted to construction sector needs and elaborated an open, decentralized BIM environment as a strong innovative basis for core developments. Methodologies, processes and hard technologies have been developed for data collection, data management and data driven design. A One Stop Access Platform integrated all technologies as a single-entry point to all end users with impact measured through standardization activities, training of handcrafters and SMEs and demonstration on pilots used as living labs.

IES' Role

IES lead the data driven design work, with partners coming together with a variety of tools used to enable the selection of the optimal renovation. IES leveraged its IES VE dynamic simulation and modelling capabilities to provide an accurate and detailed model of both the current building and the renovation design. The design optimisation relied on IES HONE to run multiple scenarios and provide a set of results to the user. These are then fed into a multi criteria analysis tool, developed by IES, which collects the results of the various analyses performed in the design phase and allows the user to choose the scenario which best suits the needs of their building.

IES also substantially advanced the Virtual Assessment App for mobile phones and tablets to collect building data in the audit phase, by embedding it in a BIM-focussed workflow. The app supported the collection of energy consumption data, while also streamlining and facilitating model creation to save time and minimise errors.

The tools developed by IES exchanged data with the central database of the One Stop Access Platform, to minimise data duplication and ensure that the user couldenact the full workflow developed in the project.

Test Sites

• Paris, France
• San Sebastian, Spain
• Venice, Italy