A BIM-aided construction waste minimisation framework

a r t i c l e i n f o At present, there are insufficient design decision making tools to support effective construction waste minimisation evaluation and implementation throughout all design stages. A limited but growing body of recent literature suggests that building information modelling has the potential to assist architects to minimise design waste on their projects. The research reported in this paper is the first attempt to develop a design decision making framework for improving construction waste minimisation performance through building information modelling. The potential use of building information modelling to drive out construction waste in building design was investigated through a questionnaire survey and follow-up interview with the top 100 architectural practices in the United Kingdom. An industry-reviewed 'building information modelling-aided construction waste minimisation frame-work' was developed based on the results of the literature review, questionnaire data, and interview data. The Framework is intended to act as an integrated platform for designing out waste decision making, by providing informed building information modelling-driven guidance to address waste causes throughout design stages. Construction and demolition activities generate 32% [19] and 44% [22] of all waste generated within United Kingdom (UK) and England, respectively. As such, the construction industry has been targeted by the UK government as a priority sector for the reduction of carbon emissions , energy consumption, and material resources usage. The latter increased from 420 million tonnes in 2003 [26] to 470 million tonnes in 2013 [22]. Currently, the UK construction industry produces 120 million tonnes of waste [79], of which 13 million tonnes are materials that have been delivered to the site but are never used [20]. Owing to a continuous increase of construction waste, the Strategy for Sustainable Construction [33] set a target of halving construction, demolition, and excavation waste to landfill by 2012 compared to 2008. Defra [22] confirmed that the target has been achieved except for increased excavation waste and called for further waste prevention actions, including designing out waste. Moreover, reducing construction waste has been driven by economic and environmental considerations due to the cost of waste, which relates to landfill tax that increased from £32/tonne in 2008 to £80/tonne in 2014 [37], and it is considered around 15 times that of disposal [56]. At present, the construction industry is responsible for about 32% of landfill waste and 25% of all used raw materials in the UK [66]. Thus, the construction …