Integrating Sustainable Green Roofs with Building Information Modeling

摘要

Sustainable designs are in high demand in today's building construction industry. The global environmental movement is committed to protecting the environment for future generations. Three main principles that are economical, environmental and social should be considered in any sustainable system. Using eco-friendly roofs will benefit the environment while improving present and future economic profitability. The right type of roof positively impacts the micro climate environment that surrounds a building and its entire city. Building Information Modeling (BIM), which is a revolutionary concept in the construction industry, helps engineers to design and digitally create projects before their physical construction. However, the built-in database of BIM's tools lacks information about green roof, which is important for engineers when designing buildings that integrate green roof concepts and evaluating their sustainability. This paper presents a methodology that integrates BIM with a database management system for designing green roofs for building projects and to evaluate their economic analysis and environmental impacts. The methodology describes the development and implementation of a model that incorporates a comprehensive database that stores green roof products and Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Assessment (LCCA/LCA) module. Designing the model in a user-friendly environment allows owners and engineers to design, animate, evaluate and analyze green roofs for buildings in 3D mode with ease and efficiency during the conceptual stage. A numerical case example is presented to illustrate the usefulness and capabilities of the developed model.